Industry Choices – The Company You Keep

…we rise or fall to the level of the groups and associations we choose to be a part of.

EDITORIAL

I recovered my first vehicle, a 1966 Volkswagen, on a cold night in February 1973, almost 53 years ago. I have seen many changes in the recovery industry over the last five decades. I have averaged working in the vicinity of 90 assignments per month, 1100 assignments per year and that totals approximately 58,000 assignments in those 53 years. The majority of those reading this message were probably not even alive in 1973.

The assignments were taken over the phone with the information from the client handwritten with a ballpoint pen or a pencil on a pre-printed form or yellow note pad. We communicated with our office and clients when we were in the field with pagers and pay phones, always making sure we had an ample supply of dimes.

The entry tools we carried were hand made from coat hanger wire, and we had a variety of “hot wires” to start the vehicles which were then driven to our storage lot. Lock steering was in its infant stage and only on the 1968 to 1973 vehicles and for those we had a dent slam puller to remove the lock and screwdrivers to start the vehicles.

If we needed a tow truck, we called a “wrecker service” and if we needed keys, we towed the vehicle to a locksmith or obtained key codes and had a locksmith cut a key. Yes, I have seen all the technical changes over the past 53 years, some good, some questionable and some bad for independent operators.

Ponder for a moment, no fax machines, no cell phones, no cameras, no tow trucks, no forwarders, routing management software, and no acronyms such as DRN, LPR, GPS, CFPB, ANPR, ECU, OEM, EBS, ABS, EV. Times were simpler, costs were less and profits were higher.

Today our industry has progressed into and embraced the 21st century. Many things have changed, and the industry has a lot of new blood. Men and women who grew up with cell phones, computers, instant communication and all the electronic tools related to our industry.

They have never experienced a time when you dictated your fees instead of a client or forwarder telling you what they would pay, a time when you did not make keys or own a tow truck with all the expenses involved with advancing technology, insurance costs, and compliance. And the profit margin was 50 t0 80 per cent. That is right, you made a 50 to 80 cent profit on every dollar you billed.

Many things in our industry have changed but one thing which has remained constant is that the company you keep influences the pace and direction of your agency’s growth.

That is what the Eagle Group XX/USA is all about. We believe that when you surround yourself with men and women who are dedicated to each other’s success, think out of the box, speak about industry and agency improvement, and dream about all the things that are possible working as a group, you naturally begin to grow with shared group knowledge and you expand your own vision.

You start to see advantages instead of adversities. You feel encouraged rather than discouraged. You develop confidence and release the hesitations that hindered your agency growth. The “Eagle Mindset” does not just inspire you. It strengthens you and allows you to fly above the storms of our industry.

Through my 53 years in this industry, I have realized that we rise or fall to the level of the groups and associations we choose to be a part of. When the group centers on industry issues, agency growth, and viable solutions, our mind will stay active and continue to learn. We will feel challenged to participate and we will be forced to think more deeply, to question industry actions, and become able to set a clear path to success.

Through my 53 years in this industry, I have also found that the opposite is also true. When you participate in groups and associations where personal egos, gossip, criticism, and judgment dominate, your personal progress and your agency’s progress slows. When the primary focus of a group or associations focus is on other industry members’ failures, personal drama, and personal lives it creates a stagnant mental environment.

If after you participate in a group gathering or conference you depart feeling worn out, confused, and less unclear about what just transpired then maybe you need to consider the groups and associations you have chosen to be involved with. If you choose to remain in this type of group or association, it will hinder your growth and condition your mind to look downward instead of forward.

Active participation in this industry to ensure your agency’s success requires a constant and conscious choice on your part. You must choose the people, groups, and associations that you work with and give your attention to. You must choose the conversations that shape your thinking. You must choose the energy you allow into your life. If you want to be successful in the asset recovery industry, you must always stay aware and protect your mental space.

You will find, in time, that your future and the success of your agency is built not only on 21st century innovations but also by the ideas, actions, and intentions of the men and women, the groups and the associations that you have chosen to be a part of and follow.

Choose wisely my industry friends.