How To Make Money With An
Inventory Taping Service
This is, in my opinion, THE business to
get into with your
videocamera. You only need one camera, decent video skills,
little expenses and supplies, and, if done right, very low
marketing expenses. Besides your videocamera, you'll need an
instant camera and an engraving tool, which together should be
able to be found for under $100.
Here's the business in a nutshell: You
videotape household and
business inventory and valuables for insurance purposes. Then,
if a robbery occurs, the owner has a video documentation of the
missing valuables for law enforcement and insurance agents. Your
primary prospects for this service will be upper-income families
and businesses that specialize in high-ticket items or have a
high investment in equipment.
The first step you should take to run a
property inventory taping
service is to meet with your area law enforcement agencies to
find out what regulations, if any, they have. Remember, you will
be going into other people's houses and will have full knowledge
of their valuables. If you have endorsement from the law, your
customers can feel comfortable that you won't use this knowledge
for the wrong purposes. The person you want to meet with would
be the one in charge of neighborhood watches or community
services. Normally, police agencies are enthusiastic supporters
of services like this, as it makes their job easier. Others to
meet with include insurance agents, private detectives, fire
officials and attorneys. Not only will you gain valuable
information from them, you will be building up a network for
referrals. Be sure to keep a good record of who you meet with so
you can send them business cards, brochures and periodic
reminders of your services.
While meeting with insurance agents, take
care of your insurance
requirements. You should carry liability insurance, and you
should also get bonded. The extra expense is worth it, as it
will both help to get business and will protect you and your
customer.
Your service will be ripe for publicity,
so prepare a good press
release. You should be able to find a good book or two on
publicity releases at your library. Get these releases to every
daily and weekly newspaper in your area, as well as local
business magazines and television stations. When your service
gets written up in the papers, keep a clipping of each article to
use in your marketing materials. Send a copy to all the
insurance agents, attorneys, private detectives and law
enforcement agencies in your area. You WILL get referrals from
this!
Another idea for publicity is to set up
a booth at local home and
garden shows, preferably in the home protection areas (alarms,
etc.). This will establish your name in the minds of consumers.
If you don't mind public speaking, offer to give a short seminar
on home inventory protection and how your service can help
prevent theft. You can prepare one presentation that can be
given numerous times at different community-related functions and
locations, such as country clubs.
Now for the meat of the service. When you
set up an appointment
with a customer, make sure they know you will be charging by the
hour, so it will be to their advantage to have things such as
jewelry, china or antiques laid out and ready to be taped. Take
your videocamera with extra tape and batteries, an instant camera
with plenty of film, your engraver, forms for listing valuables,
and a three-ring binder for the forms.
When taping valuables, be sure to get a
clear picture of them,
including any distinguishing characteristics. Be sure to fill
out your forms completely, listing special features or
characteristics, such as type and weight of gems, etc. Jewelry
is probably best photographed with your instant camera, as is any
small valuables. Large antiques and other primary household
items are easily videoed. Be sure to get any brand names and
model numbers clearly taped.
After taping the individual items, walk
through the house. Be
sure to get any computer and video equipment, phones, Tvs, art
and other items that would be tempting to thieves. Engrave the
client's social security or driver's license number on the back
or bottom of items that won't be damaged by doing so. Record all
this on the forms, including the location of the engraving and
all serial numbers. If the home is burglarized and police
recover the stolen goods, this will help the client get his or
her valuables back quickly and easily.
Don't forget to tape the outside of the
house, including patios,
walkways and landscaping. This can help the client establish
value in case of vandalism.
In businesses, videotape the office equipment,
as well as the
offices themselves, inside and out. In specialized businesses,
be sure to tape any special equipment.
A good idea is to provide window stickers
for your clients that
tell potential thieves that items in the house have been marked
and recorded. These stickers can be purchased or printed. Your
local law enforcement agencies may even be able to provide these
to you at a low cost.
When through taping, give the tape a quick
run-through to be sure
everything's ok, then give it to your client, along with the
binder. Encourage them to store these in a safe deposit box, in
case of fire.
How much should you charge? A typical mid-sized
to large home
should take two hours, at most, to tape, if the owner has
prepared everything ahead of time. You can charge anywhere from
$50 to $150 per hour, depending upon what your local market will
bear, with $75 per hour a good figure to start with. You should
be able to see how this business can add up!
In your marketing materials, stress the
fact this your charge is
a small price to pay, considering it is a crime deterrent and
will result in far less stress and time on the customer's part if
a mishap does occur. You can feel good that you are providing a
service which will help people in bad times. Remember to be
professional while in the client's home, don't make any comments
which could be construed in bad ways, and be assuring about the
safety and reliability of yourself and your service. You can
start this part-time and easily move it into full-time, as
referrals start rolling in.
