Managing Director of Finders International, Danny Curran, has been featured on Business Advice in an article where he shares the tips and tricks he has learnt from running a successful company.
Finders International is one of the leading heir hunting firms that locates missing beneficiaries to estates, property and assets. Founded in 1997, Finders is now in its twenty-third year of business with three offices in London, Edinburgh and Dublin and a team of 90 people. Therefore, it is no surprise that Business Advice have featured the skills that Danny Curran has learned during this time.
Patience and Persistence
From the initial enquiry to requesting documents and proving identities to finalise a case, the process can be long. Mr Curran says “The average waiting time to investigate and wrap up a case can take anything from six months to ten years” so patience is required to succeed in the heir-hunting industry – as is persistence!
When a potential beneficiary receives a letter claiming they might be entitled to an estate, they may, understandably, assume it is a scam and throw the letter away, so to be persistent in a sensitive manner is crucial in gaining contact with a potential heir.
“This is an emotive situation and a deeply complex family matter that often cuts through decades of known and unknown family history.” Mr Curran said in the article. Therefore, it is important for the researcher to give as much information that is available to them to ease the fears of a potential beneficiary.
Empathy and Sensitivity
Similarly, the number one trait needed by an heir hunter is empathy. Mr Curran relayed a case where Finders International had to contact a brother to inform him his sister had died. The brother had not known he had a sister but after time and patience, the brother was able to make peace with this news and overcome the unanswered questions he had about his childhood.
Heir Hunters also “help clients with numerous pro-bono cases”
With coronavirus dominating the globe, talking about death and dying, which the industry exists around, isn’t always well-received. However, the article highlights that while heir hunters get paid for their work, they also “help clients with numerous pro-bono cases where there is no value to an estate as an act of compassion.”
Last year, Finders International had over 400 pro-bono cases.
And it is the positive stories that transform the industry, from families reconnecting or meeting family members they were never aware of before to the case of a young man receiving his grandfather’s lottery win that nobody knew of! It is the “best testament of success.”
To read the full and original article, visit Business Advice website here.