Sierra Judgment Recovery

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Testimonials

The following testimonials are letters we've received
from some of our course members around the country.

Please note: These are real people! It is illegal to offer false
testimony in advertisements.

From Tom L., in Arizona:

Just a note to let you know how I'm doing.

I have sent out over 200 solicitation letters and I now have 60 cases I've filed assignments for. You know that old saying "Be careful of what you wish for, you might get it"? Well, I never thought that the response would be this great. Several companies have given me multiple cases to work on. Everything stated in the manual has exceeded my expectations.

Thanks again for your course and your phone help.

From Rick C., in Indiana:

I am somewhere around my ninetieth day on my Sierra Judgment Recovery Course. I have my own business and already have residual income from several garnishments! I have not advertised, I just sent about 20 letters and I have 24 judgments that I'm working and more people are calling every day! Nobody is doing that here, so I'm all alone.

Yes, I already have income from judgment recovery. It has been great. My thanks to SJR.

From GTM Financial, in California;

Please accept our sincere appreciation for the outstanding two-day Judgment Recovery Seminar that you presented to GTM Financial. Your knowledge and understanding of judgment enforcement was very apparent.

Sierra Judgment Recovery represents a valuable resource for judgment enforcement training. You succeeded in presenting difficult information in an interesting and entertaining manner. Your experience, perspective and insight provided the knowledge and instruction we were seeking. We could not be more pleased with the results.

GTM Financial, can readily see how you, personally, as well as your company, have earned the respect and admiration of everyone in the judgment recovery industry.

From Entrepreneur's Business Start-Ups Magazine

The following is an excerpt from an article featured in Entrepreneur's Business Start-Ups Magazine called 'Shoestring Start-Ups - Businesses You Can Start For Less Than $3,000', which was written by Marcie Geffner.

JUDGMENT RECOVERY SERVICE

Often, winning a case in small claims court is much easier than collecting on the judgment. Much like collection agents, judgment recovery specialists go after unpaid claims, charging a percentage of the claim as a fee. Judgments for property damage and uninsured auto accidents make up some of the business for Christina Smiley, who started Sierra Judgment Recovery in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Smiley earns 50 percent of each judgment she recovers, which added up to a net of $80,000 last year.

From Donna F., in California;

I am so glad this business opportunity was available to me. I have worked in many fields, but always for other people and for the salary they thought I was worth. What I really wanted was a chance to work for myself and get the respect and pay I deserved. I also wanted to find a way to balance my personal life with my business life. Furthermore, since my husband is a teacher and has time off during the summer, I wanted to be able to take time off when he is off.

I am pleased to tell you that since I began my judgment recovery business through you, I have been able to reach all of these goals.

I have to admit that I had doubts about it. When I first heard of collecting judgments for others, I thought no one would want to pay me to do this for them, or that I would have to work at it long and hard and get little compensation, or that I did not have the expertise to make a business of this. It just seemed too good to be true.

At first, I worked at another job and could only spend about 4 hours each week on my business. But I decided to stick it out and see what I could do and now I am so glad I did! I work strictly from my home and I am happy to tell you that I have a steady monthly income, that I get to take time off with my husband as well as to pursue my hobbies and family matters, and that I don't spend long hours slaving away to make a living any more.

My clients are thrilled to pay the percentage I ask. Last month I made $2,000 clear on one case alone. That, of course, has encouraged me to increase my efforts.

Finally, I want to emphasize how much I appreciate your continued support. Every time I e-mail or call you with a new question (I keep learning new things - that is also a plus to this business), you tell me what to do or check it out for me. It is so nice to know that I have an expert to call.

Thank you so much for being there for me.

From Paul A., in Maryland;

Prior to my entry into this arena, I had gained experience with a myriad of businesses. One day, at 28 years of age, after graduating MCL and after a brief foray into the world of Public Accounting, I quickly decided that counting other's "beans" was not for me and looked to other endeavors to build my fortune.

After a number of "stabs" in the world of professional sailing, as luck would have it, I found myself in the drivers seat with a local overhead door company. Two years later, when we had increased sales from $180,000 a year (and a $60,000 net loss) to $1.7 Million, I began to push for my equity. Within two weeks, I was fired by... a lawyer! Needless to say, this was pretty devastating.

My wife stepped up to the plate and went out and found a job that for the last three years has kept our heads above water. We had discussed and agreed that neither of us wished to hitch our jet engine equipped wagon to someone else's star, preferring to find our own instead. It was left to me to pull out and dust off my telescope to do just that. The telescope came in the form of a 233 MHZ Pentium and an Internet connection. I spent a great deal of time over the next three years gazing, and stopped once or twice to check out a couple of stars for their attach-ability.

It was during a night under the lamplight that I found a reference to a home based business aimed at collecting dormant judgments. I was immediately intrigued. Being (if nothing else) quite thorough in my investigations, I began searching for all of the information available that had to do with judgment recovery. It was then that I discovered this woman in Lake Tahoe, California who was selling a book on "how to" make money by collecting other peoples dormant judgments.

Because it required the, what was then, hefty investment of $165.00, I wanted at least a gazillion references so that I could make sure that I avoided being snatched up in yet another Internet scam. Owing to her integrity, (which in as far as I'm concerned is unquestionable), she provided me with a simple list of individuals who had purchased her book. She made no attempt to "cherry pick" the list for only those who were "making money" from her information. It was just a list of people who had purchased the book.

After calling around, I found only one or two that were doing anything with the business. Given my understanding of human nature I felt that this percentage was evidence of an acceptable risk for my coveted $165.00. I should add that everyone on the list, whether they had acted on the information or not, had given the course their Kudo's and all thought that it was presented in an "informative and easy to understand manner."

With my fears quashed, I sent Christina Smiley, of Sierra Judgment Recovery, a check for $165.00 for her book. [NOTE: As a matter of confidentiality, SJR no longer provides course member information for referrals. This policy was adopted at the request of our course members, whose privacy is of the utmost importance to us.] At the time, I had been formally "out of work" for three years. The money that I had saved before plummeting into the unemployment abyss had been dwindling away. And needless to say, that $165.00 was a lot of money to me but, more importantly, I didn't want to feel like a fool for ordering it. If life has taught me anything, it has taught me that opportunity only comes with risk, perseverance and a modicum of luck. It also helps to have the proverbial "cajones" to make a decision and act upon it.

After reading Christina's book and making a few phone calls interspersed with trips to the library, I decided that I could do this and entered into the Judgment Recovery arena. Christina's book was the perfect roadmap to guide me into this business. There was almost a complete lack of competition. I had just sent out my original mailing of 58 letters to the Judgment Creditor's that I had located in my local Court House. Within a week, I had paperwork going out to 18 of them for debt that totaled about $450,000.00. Five of the judgment holders had multiple judgments that they wanted me to pursue!

My "paralysis" was over. It took a while to get my paperwork back before I was presented with my next and most important conundrum..."skip-tracing". It came in the form of a landslide. Who should I call? What do I say? Will I be believable? Oh GOD!!!! Please tell me what to do! Yet another, well disguised as "calm, cool and collected", call to Christina in the end of March 1999: Christina.... Christina.... Christinaaaaaaaaa...... HELP!!!!!

It is with that help and guidance that I have been able to hone my skills, and increase my knowledge (and resultantly my income), to the point that I am comfortable with the new circumstances of my life. I have a wonderful wife and baby boy on the way. I'm finally moving out of this dump I live in because I'm purchasing a quarter-of-a-million dollar house in a place where I have always wanted to live...Annapolis. So I have now gone from ZIP to six figures in accrued income.

I have worked hard this year and I achieved my first goal in the first month of the year; to pull my wife out of the job that she has so steadfastly endured for the last three years. I have more work than I ever have hoped for. I have some alliances in the pot that may prove extremely profitable. I have finally had the honor of meeting my mentor, Christina [Note: Paul and I met at the June 2000 Judicial Judgment Collectors Association National Meet in Reno, NV]; all because a woman in Lake Tahoe wrote a book.

I thank my lucky stars that my telescope found the nebula that held yours.

From Bob H., in Colorado

I thought you may want to know the results of my first call!

This gentleman called last night telling me he had a judgment that he hasn't attempted to collect since 1994. When I asked him how much the judgment was for, he said $750,000.00!!! I almost fell off of my chair! I just can't believe that my first call is one of this magnitude!

So far I have found it to be exciting and self rewarding to start my own judgment recovery business from my home. I know that with persistence and focus I can become very successful in this endeavor. I have been in the J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) market for over 20 years and it is wonderful to work from home, with the freedom to spend time with my daughter when I choose to. No boss to tell me what I can and can't wear, say, think, or what hours I need to work. I love to listen to the traffic reports in the morning and night, knowing I don't have to participate any more.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to do this, and mostly for your kind assistance with me along the way.

From Doug A., in California

I went in to a local business this morning to check on having some Internet/computer work done. I was chatting with a very well dressed man (turned out he was the owner) when he asked me exactly what I did with this judgment recovery thing.

I explained it all to him, everything, made sure he that he understood. When I finished talking, he walked over behind a big desk, slid open a long file cabinet and handed me a file. He told me to take care of this for him and that he had 3 or 4 more like it and half a dozen or so more of only 4 to 6 thousand dollars each. His time working his Internet/computer company was more valuable to him than wasting any more time on these judgments.

The file he handed me was a $30,000 judgment. WOW!

The judgment is dated Oct. 1997 and the defendant owns a local oil supply company. Being handed the case file like that was the last thing I expected to happen. It was! And this man knows better than half of the businessmen in Bakersfield. I look forward to talking on this matter, it's 10:30 pm and I think that I may not get much sleep tonight. Even my CPA this morning commented on how much money was to be had by my working this business as I intend to do. He was very pleased with how everything is set up.

I hope that you had a great day, I certainly had an interesting one.

From Ira E., in New York:

Approximately two years ago I had purchased a course from Sierra Judgment Recovery. After receiving this extremely detailed, informative, and user-friendly manual, I was amazed at the education they had provided me with. For starters, I had learned that the percentage of uncollected judgments awarded to creditors residing in NY and throughout the United States was astonishing.

I had personally visited many Small Claims Courts in NY and found lines filled with people who had lost all hope in collecting on their awarded judgment only to be turned away from the court clerks with the advice of "I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do". It was then when I realized that I really could provide a legal service of helping people enforce the judgment that the court had decided they were in fact entitled to. I went to the Civil Division and filed a New York State Business Certificate of DBA.

I arrived at the court house my very first day for research and met an elderly woman who had come to the Small Claims office to ask for advice on collecting on her judgment. She had informed the clerk that she had won a judgment in the amount of $1,200.00 and the furniture store that she had sued was closed down permanently. The clerk had informed her that it sounded like a hopeless case and consider it a loss. I told this woman that if she would like, I could provide her with my services and research her situation in hopes of enforcing her judgment.

We signed an "Assignment Agreement" that allowed me to take a percentage of any collected moneys from my services and an "Acknowledgment of Assignment" that legally allows me to act on her behalf as the new creditor of her judgment.

Next, I drove around the area of the previous furniture store only to find that they had moved to another location and were in fact very active in business. After locating the debtor's bank account information, I handed it in to the sheriff and executed on the debtor's bank account.

I called my customer and explained to her that her judgment was finally enforced. I can't even tell you what a great feeling it was to help this woman who had lost all hope of collecting her money. To top it off, it was amazing to see how this judgment recovery system really works.

The Sierra Company had guided me through the entire system and their support was just incredible. Their students may reach them throughout the week via phone or E-mail and are guided every step of the way in great detail. They are constantly providing me with all resources and contacts that will benefit my business. They have kept their promise with their students and have provided them with free lifetime support.

At first I was skeptical when purchasing their course until I had contacted attorneys throughout the US who had informed me how highly respected their outfit was. I was surprised to see how many people are involved in this trade both locally and nationally. What a great business to be in. To actually make money helping people.

In closing, I would like to thank the Sierra Judgment Recovery Group for giving me the opportunity to join them and take part in helping others that have lost all hope in the court system by helping them enforce their awarded judgments in a legal and ethical manner.

From Gus M., in California:

As a former Marine, former cop and veteran PI I've taken a LOT of classroom, seminar and correspondence courses over the last 27 years. Some were a waste of money and many were a waste of time. After reading through the Sierra Judgment Recovery Course, twice so far, I have got to say that it is simply outstanding.

After reading the course I was happy I got my money's worth, but when I slipped in the CD containing forms, contracts and letters I was absolutely tickled pink. I couldn't help but sit there and giggle as I realized all the time that little disk was going to save me.

I want to extend my heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you that recommended this course to me. As a rookie in this field, I know I still have to find my way through the forest, but I feel like you have shown me the Yellow Brick Road.

From Gary L., in Florida:

I just finished reading and studying your training manual. I must say that I was extremely pleased with the layout, easy read, and over-all construction of you manual.

I am a retired Alaska State Trooper and during my twenty years of service I attended plenty of training courses and seminars, all of which had training manuals, etc. I would have to say that your manual is probably the 'best' that I have ever read! If anyone wants to take exception, I would argue strenuously that it is in the top three!

Congratulations to you or whoever actually wrote the material! I learned a great deal in a very short period of time, and the money spent was well worth it.

Thank you for your support!

Kudos for the SJR Member's Email Forum:

From Eddie H., in Georgia:

I would like to formally thank the [SJR Email] group for your support and instructions. This is an excellent business to own and assist my community in recovering their debts. I have made my first $10,000 and will most likely quit my job as a Financial Manager.

I must say, I was skeptical at first, but with the group's help and advice, I now see the light. And I must say, what a BIG BRIGHT BEAM it is. The opportunity is just waiting for me to take advantage of it on a FULL-TIME basis.

Once again, thank you group. I have become a better collector, manager, and overall person from this forum and its advice. My current job is really worried that I may quit... lol. A huge switch from what is going on in the current market place... huh?

From David E., in California:

This is a truly amazing group. As you may note, I've been involved in a few businesses in my life and NEVER have I gotten the kind of support and encouragement from anyone that I've gotten from SJR.

The closest thing I can compare it to is like being on a winning sports team, where everybody is supporting each other unselfishly so that we can all win together.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: That at every turn, Christina and Kim at SJR, and several others who corresponded with me privately, responded with patient, detailed and encouraging comments when I felt perplexed by my research. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THEM!

Read our featured success story in Cutting Edge Media's Home Business Connection Magazine:

BIG MONEY IN SMALL CLAIMS, By Bridey M. Orth

Have you ever watched Judge Judy or any of those mid-afternoon court TV shows where landlords sue tenants for past-due rent, pet groomers sue pet owners for unpaid services, and brothers sue sisters for stolen allowances? In Many cases, Judge Judy slams down her gavel and barks orders at the defendant to pay up, but here's a little known fact: the court does not enforce that judgment. And that goes for non-televised court cases too.

That's right, just because a judge orders someone to pay a debt doesn't mean that person is going to do it. Imagine if someone owed you a few thousand dollars and decided not to pay you, regardless of what a United States court of law ordered. Would you know what to do? Most people don't, so they wait in frustration for the debt to be paid.

Christina Smiley, founder of Sierra Judgment Recovery and self-proclaimed opportunity junkie, learned about unpaid judgments from her cousin, who is a paralegal. She says, "[My cousin] expanded her paralegal business to include processing small claims judgments that had been awarded in court. She explained there was virtually no one who was providing this type of service. And that once people had been awarded these judgments... 80 percent of them were never collected." Christina's opportunity-seeking radar kicked into gear and she immediately saw a way to earn money while helping people at the same time.

This discovery couldn't have come at a better time; Christina and her husband Terry were part owners of a carpet store and had amassed a large amount of debt. "In reality," says Christina, "we were chained to a retail prison, driving three hours a day over a snowy mountain pass at 20 miles per hour in our old smoking Subaru."

They had three small children and thought that by owning a store they'd have more money and time for their family. Initially it was an exciting time for them, and she says they stayed optimistic for the first six months. But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare of debt and endless hours at work, as Christina remembers, "We accumulated monstrous debt. [We got] a second mortgage when we couldn't even swing payments for the first one, and all of our credit cards were maxed to the limit. We were truly only a few paychecks away from being homeless."

And then she learned about the big money in small claims. While Terry was running the carpet business, Christina focused on learning how to recover judgments for people. She says, "It was trial and error for six months to a year. I buried my nose in statutes. Most states have a practice guide for judgment recovery that teaches you to work through the court system and their paperwork."

Christina contacted small businesses in her area to see if they could use her services, and as it turned out, there was plenty of work for her. "These people were overjoyed to give us all of their cases to collect and were more than willing to let me keep 50% of what I collected for them," she says.

In most cases, they had filed away their judgments a few years prior with no hopes of ever collecting on them. Christina's new business, Sierra Judgment Recovery, gets that money back. These people figured they'd never see any of that money again, so they're more than happy to pay Christina's fee.

Another attractive aspect of this service is there's no up-front cost to her clients. Any filing fees or costs incurred by Christina are reimbursed to her out of the judgment once it's collected. The clients don't have to pay anything out of their own pocket.

From what she says, this is primarily behind-the-scenes work, which makes it a non-confrontational business. She does everything through the court system from seizing bank accounts, garnishing wages, to placing liens on property. "If you choose not to, you will never even have to have direct contact with the debtor. All you have to do is occasionally send them legal documents through the mail," explains Christina.

One year after starting the judgment recovery business, Christina and Terry closed the carpet store. Finally they could work at home and have money left over at the end of the month. They've been running Sierra Judgment Recovery for almost 10 years and are brining in a five-figure paycheck each month. And the most important aspect is they've got more time for their kids. "We're really fortunate now," shares Christina. "My daughter takes numerous dance classes and my sons are involved in sports. I can attend their events and my husband gets to go on field trips now - he's usually the only dad on them.

"We live in an upscale neighborhood of hardworking class individuals who are all extremely curious about what we do. Not bad for a family that was in debt up to their eyeballs just a few short years ago."

But the story doesn't end there. Christina wants to share her knowledge with others across the country and even across the globe as a home-based business opportunity.

She has put together a training course and a web site that has a section for course members only. In addition, course members have access to the National Network of course members (currently over 600), which can be extremely helpful in cases where the debtor has relocated to another state. Christina also offers unlimited support after a training course is purchased.

The training course is on a home-study basis and it teaches how to contact judgment holders to get their business, the steps to tracking down a debtor and sorting through the paperwork from the court.

Christina's motivation for sharing this business opportunity with others isn't to get money from sales of the course (a one-time flat fee of $165.42, she only makes enough to cover the cost of producing course materials): she wants to continue to develop the National Network of judgment recovery specialists. She lives in a resort area where people are constantly coming and going. They're from all over the country, which makes it challenging to track them down if they've been ordered to pay a debt. Christina says, "There are so few recovery services out there. It's so much easier to contact someone in other states who can help rather than trying to figure out each state's policies on your own."

Anyone interested in a home-based business who really likes to do research could benefit from this training course, according to Christina. Other characteristics she says that make someone ideal for the judgment recovery business are a tendency to be detail-oriented, hard working and motivated. "This business is filling a true niche. It provides steady, predictable home-based income of $5,000 - $8,000 per month on average. There is no lack of clientele and no foreseeable decrease at any time in the future," says Christina.

Questions?

Email: Support@recoverycourse.com
Phone: (912) 882-8190

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