It’s no secret that the economy’s still struggling and with the slowdown of bodyguard assignments more and more bodyguards are feeling the pinch. Now is the time to start promoting your bodyguard services, seek external contact with potential clients and employers, get involved and engaged in your service promotion or job efforts. Focus your EP assignment or job search, be interested in people and various companies that have an executive protection unit (EPU) and have a strategy firmly in place to get the interview, the assignment or the job.

Look at various industries that have an EPU (most large corporations have established EPUs).  During your service promotion or job search efforts seek out unfamiliar organizations. You need to maintain a sustained effort to find a company that will hire your EP services or hire you as an in-house EP employee.  Great strategies in trying times include:

•    Spend lots of time actively networking with other EP professionals in the industry.

•    Follow up on all potential EP assignment or employment leads despite how unlikely they may seem.

•    Post your corporate resume or personal resume on Internet job boards and answer ads and Internet postings on a regular basis.

•    Put a structure in place and have a daily plan with goals and objectives (send out resumes, network, follow up on leads, etc).

•    Attend bodyguard networking opportunities to increase your knowledge and surround yourself with knowledgeable people in the business.

•    Your objective (EP assignment or EP job) should be achieved by any means necessary. Do the things that failures don’t do.

•    Up your credentials, additional EP training and accreditation in recessionary times can sometimes mean the difference between tough times survival and road-kill in the EP industry.

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During these recessionary times many executive protection agents are looking for work. This article gives you ready to use information on a well-constructed executive protection job search plan.

Networking

Connect with as many target clients or employer decision makers as possible from your list of potential executive protection employers. Reach out to as many contacts within your network that can assist you in getting a solid referral.

Conduct inquiries and come up with additional EP job search networking opportunities with the mindset of providing value to others while enhancing your EP job search network. Share your insight on EP to get in front of potential ideal clients or employers. Imagine yourself as a one-man PR firm with one goal in mind; to land an EP job.

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As bodyguard professionals we should realize that we are a brand and our brand is designed to make clients feel safe and confident during business and leisure activities. You are selling your leadership abilities, problem solving abilities and your ability to operate under pressure successfully while keeping your clients well-insulated and removed from safety concerns.  To be successful your employees or teammates must mold easily into this brand by delivering consistent bodyguard service.

Professional bodyguards are hired for their experience, training, time-management, communication, skills, skills in taking initiative and special skills learned in the military, law enforcement, personal security detachment or private sector – marketable skills.   Security and executive protection (EPU) unit directors are looking for someone who is sincere, that can demonstrate that they have the integrity and good, sound decision making and reasoning skills necessary to become a bodyguard or member of the EPU either as a vendor or an employee.

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In today’s executive protection market, companies and individuals with a small number of EP agents can thrive in this competitive market, operating from anywhere. This means assisting multinational corporations with low-profile EP for its senior execs visiting various cities in the U.S. or doing business in unstable countries worldwide.

However, by keeping your EP operation small, it’s going to be tough doing the majority of things on your own (advertising, contracting, invoicing and training).  Everybody in the EP industry is hurting, so the more you can save and help your clients save on EP services the better.

You don’t want to position yourself as a “high-end boutique” EP service provider, during recessionary times clients are looking for extremely high quality EP services at reasonable rates. Think high volume and moderate profit margins by designing your services to have a very low overhead, many EP companies and individual freelance teams go out of business because they create a large overhead structure.

Times are tough for everyone so it’s all about strategy; continue to manage your EP operations carefully with an eye towards meeting the future demands of your clients and prospects so you will be able to fund the initial assignment costs.  This means managing your cash flow so your profits are sufficient to fund your small EP team as well as having funds set aside for larger EP assignments for the future.

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In the bodyguard industry to move ahead we must keep educating our selves’ year-after-year to meet the ever-growing demands and to remain competitive, bodyguard training seminars is a great place to start. There are certain rules which should be attended to; here are some strategies for attending a bodyguard training seminar to get the most from the training experience, adding more skills as well as making professional contacts in the industry.

Arrive at the bodyguard seminar early and be prepared this includes bringing your business cards, researching the bodyguard trainers and speakers at the seminar (backgrounds and specialties). This way you’ll be better informed about the training and be able to carry on a knowledgeable conversation with them and the other attendees. Don’t forget to bring a notebook for writing down notes and information on the contacts you make.

Networking is the bread and butter of the bodyguard industry get to know the attendees at the training event as well as the hosts. Try to look and carry yourself as a professional (haircut, sport jacket and immaculate grooming). By being a clean-cut professional type, you’ll make the best possible impression and be more approachable. Make sure you bring back a stack of business cards from the contacts you make and follow-up with them in the possibility of building a strategic professional relationship in the bodyguard business.

Socialize responsibly after the bodyguard training seminar; mentally gear yourself up to talk with the attendees, the bodyguard trainers and speakers. This means having a stricter game plan; don’t drink or talk to much, extend your hand first, make good eye contact, be a good listener and learn the ropes. Be attentive and respectful to all. Don’t lose focus, keep your objectives clearly in mind – to get plugged into the bodyguard network and learn all you can about the industry. Show your genuine passion and enthusiasm, but never boastful or arrogant.

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