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© 2019 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc.

Building Your Fraud

Examination Practice

Branding, Advertising, and Networking

© 2019 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. 2 of 27

Introduction

▪ Marketing—concept of reaching a target and

making the target understand they want to hire

the fraud examiner

▪ Three components:

• Branding

• Advertising and public relations

• Networking


Components of a Successful

Marketing Strategy

Branding

NetworkingAdvertising


Marketing

▪ Never stop marketing.

▪ Effective marketing will lead to referrals.

▪ It is a continuous process.


Branding

It’s this simple: You are a brand. You are in

charge of your brand. There is no single

path to success. And there is no one right

way to create the brand called You. Except

this: Start today. Or else.

—Tom Peters


Four Yardsticks for Self-Evaluation

1. Be a great teammate and a supportive

colleague.

2. Be an exceptional expert at something that has

real value.

3. Be a broad-gauged visionary—a leader, a

teacher, a farsighted “imagineer.”

4. Be a businessperson—be obsessed with

pragmatic outcomes.


How Do Fraud Examiners Do This?

▪ Identify qualities or characteristics that:

• Make the fraud examiner distinctive from

competitors—or colleagues.

• Add remarkable, measurable, distinguished,

distinctive value.

• The examiner can take credit for, is proud of, and can

brag about.

▪ What does the examiner want to be known for?


Constantly Market the Brand

You only get one chance to make a good

first impression.

—Unknown


Personal Branding

▪ Dress for business—business formal or

business casual.

▪ It is preferable to be dressed traditionally than

casually.

▪ Bottom line: the attorney is sizing up how the

fraud examiner will appear before the jury.


Important Personal

Branding Considerations

▪ Hair

▪ Shoes

▪ Jewelry

▪ Styles

▪ Facial hair

▪ Dress


Presentation

▪ Business cards

▪ Website

▪ Telephone numbers

▪ Social network


Communication Skills

▪ Good communication skills are absolutely

essential.

▪ They are necessary for negotiation.

▪ They let the attorney know that the examiner is

the right choice for the next case.

▪ Associations, coaches, or universities can help

with developing communication skills.


Personal Commercial and the Introduction

▪ When promoting a brand, everything the fraud

examiner does—and everything the fraud

examiner chooses not to do—communicates

the value and character of the brand.


Advertising and Public Relations

▪ PR is often confused with advertising.

▪ Both activities increase visibility to targeted

audiences.

▪ The distinction is simple:

• Control

• Credibility


Advertising

▪ The world has changed.

▪ Paid advertising is not the same as PR.

▪ A website is a must-have.

• First place prospects look

• Must be of the highest quality

• Fraud examiner controls the website

• Big part of brand

• Search engine optimization


Public Relations

▪ Different from advertising

▪ PR activities used to influence:

• Feelings

• Opinions

• Beliefs

▪ About a company or its products and services

▪ Fraud examiner makes it happen


Critical Elements of Public Relations

▪ Objective

▪ Audience

▪ Message

▪ Media

▪ Measuring results


Uses of News Releases

▪ Recent or upcoming public speaking

engagements

▪ Announcing new hires

▪ Relocating the business

▪ Expanding services offered

▪ Obtaining new certifications

▪ Awards or honors


Standards of a News Release

▪ Journalistic style

▪ Who, what, when,

where, why, and how

▪ Quotes


News Release Sample

Contact

Information

Body of the

Document

• Who

• What

• When

• Where

• How

End with

###

News

release,

special logo,

or your

firm’s logo


Become a Media Source

▪ Local, regional, or national news

▪ Newspaper, journal, or periodical

▪ Social media

▪ Credible publication


Specific Media Relations Opportunities

▪ Fraud examiners should be prepared for

situations such as:

• Selling a story idea to the editor

• Being interviewed by a reporter or staff writer

• Positioning themselves as an expert resource


Enhance Professional Profile

▪ Teach a class:

• College

• Adult-education program

• Local community

▪ Contribute a column or opinion piece to a local

newspaper.

▪ Join a panel discussion at a conference.

▪ Present at a workshop.


Before Speaking to the Media

▪ Practice

communicating the

message.

▪ Rehearse it.

▪ Reduce it to writing

and be clear and

concise.


Making Good Use of PR

▪ Send an article to clients, potential clients, and

referral sources on the mailing list.

▪ Add the article to the company website.

▪ Enclose it with a marketing package when

communicating with prospective clients.

▪ Include the article listing in the curriculum vitae.


Media Relations

▪ Develop and maintain a media contact list.

▪ Build a relationship with media sources as with

clients.

▪ Develop a standard news release that can

easily be modified.

▪ Develop endorsements and quotes from third-

party sources.


Branding and PR: A Hybrid Approach

▪ Speeches or presentations

▪ Blog posts

▪ Special events

▪ Sponsorships

▪ Online newsletters

▪ Trade show booths

▪ Websites


Professional and Public Presentations

▪ Market services by giving public and

professional presentations.

▪ Remember, litigation support is a referral

business.


Volunteering and Mentoring

▪ Guest lecture at a local college or university.

▪ Volunteer to serve in various leadership

capacities with professional, local chapters.


Networking

▪ Networking—interacting with other people to

exchange information and develop contacts,

especially to further one’s career

▪ Not to be confused with branding

▪ Objectives:

• Build a professional network.

• Develop referrals.

• Engender trust.


Step 1: Find a Niche

▪ Focus on a specialty.

▪ Specialize in a specific service.

▪ Consider the geographic location, location,

location.


Step 2: Identify Sources of Business

▪ Lawyers

▪ Investigative firms

▪ Accounting firms

▪ Government agencies

▪ Business owners


Step 3: Understand the

Elements of Networking

▪ Social network:

• Family

• Friends

• Community and social groups

▪ Professional network:

• Professional groups

• Insiders (e.g., lawyer contacts)

• Complementary services


Organized Tracking System

▪ Contact resource management (CRM):

• What to include

• Frequent contact

• Consistent contact


Steps to Building Trust

▪ Project confidence and a positive attitude.

▪ Make eye contact.

▪ Smile with authenticity.

▪ Maintain eye contact.

▪ Synchronize with the person—assume their

body language and key words or phrases.


How to Be Effective in Building a Network

▪ Develop an organized

approach.

▪ Have a defined plan.

▪ Set goals.

▪ Develop a plan, work

the plan, and plan to

work.


Leveraging Relationships

▪ Invest in the relationship.

• Be a resource for questions.

• Mentor or coach.

• Introduce to others who might be potential clients.

• Introduce to media contacts.

• Provide tips on media interviews or article

publication.

• Recommend someone to the media as a resource

for possible quotes.

• Recommend someone as a speaker or panelist.


The Invitation

▪ Add to contacts list.

▪ Do a background

search.

▪ Find someone who

knows the attorney.

▪ Make a connection;

ask for personal

referral.


Follow-Up Is Key

▪ After the first meeting:

• Put new contact information into contact database.

• Send a note—not an email.

▪ Thereafter:

• Find ways to refer work or strategic partners to key

contacts.

• Monitor referral sources. If the referral is from a

previous contact, be sure to thank them, take them to

lunch, write a note, etc.


The Meeting

▪ Send a thank you and meeting confirmation.

▪ Obtain initial documents (e.g., complaint).

▪ Run a conflict check.

▪ Be prepared—based on complaint, how would

the examiner manage the case?

• Documents

• Interviews

• Claims and strategies

• Potential problems


Out of Sight, Out of Mind

▪ It’s not a “one-and-done” proposition.

▪ Do not miss the chance to physically

advertise—get out of the office.

▪ Never get “too busy” for public relations and

networking.

▪ Find different ways to connect—everyone is

different.


Other Networking Tips

▪ Continue training in marketing and PR.

▪ Attend seminars and workshops.

• American Marketing Association

• Association of Accounting Marketers

• Legal Marketing Association