NNA Certified Signing Agents who failed our test!
This story goes back many years, perhaps close to a decade. 123notary.com started off very simply without much technology. We couldn’t afford to do any more than barely build the site back in those days. I had to decide whether to have a certification or not. It looked more professional if we had our own certification. But, it has always been like pulling teeth to convince the NNA certified signers to even consider taking our test.
Notaries couldn’t answer simple questions without a long pause.
In the old days, we used to give our certification test by phone. It was a dozen or so basic questions about loan signing that any mediocre signing agent with hardly any experience could probably answer. What I noticed is that those who passed the National Notary Association’s signing agent exam (NNA certified signers) failed our test roughly 70% of the time. There was a lot of “umm” and “ahm”, and “hmmm” during the phone exam. Their CSA exam was open book and without any time limit, so they were used to being able to get away with thinking forever to answer simple questions such as, “Where can you find the Rate in a loan”. I can’t think of a simpler question. The harder questions threw most people. I got sick of being patient and waiting for people to answer ridiculously easy questions. The only thought that ran through my head was that if I were a borrower, I would throw these notaries out of my house if they couldn’t answer simple questions.
The timed test
So, then we got some fancy programming done and made an online test. I was tired of waiting two minutes for the answers to simple questions, so a timed test was the only way for the notaries to prove their manhood or ladyhood. There were revolving questions and a timer. We had a few technical problems along the way, and many didn’t like my style of questions. As time progressed, we got rid of the “ambiguous” questions, and added a few practical marketing questions. We also tried to have questions specific to the state where the notary claimed to be, but that turned out to be unpopular, so we dropped it eventually. The bottom line, was that most notaries couldn’t handle the time pressure — even the NNA certified signing agents.
The ex-Mortgage broker’s story
I had a few people who worked in Title or Mortgage houses who assured me that it was a joke that they even had to take my exam. After all, they had been doing this for 20 years. So, many people (including NNA certified signers) tried to convince me that they didn’t NEED to take my dumb exam. Almost all of these overly confident know-it-alls FAILED my test, and then wasted my time arguing with me. They didn’t read the prep book, and they didn’t know their basics about loan signing regardless of their background. There is a lot of overlap between Title and Mortgage work and loan signing, but there are additional things you need to know to be a good signer. It is a different profession.
What does our test prove?
Roughly 25% of our notaries on board have passed our basic certification exam. The others either failed, or never tried in the first place. If people had spent the same amount of time studying for the test as they did arguing with us about why they shouldn’t have to take the test, their business would be a lot different. 123notary certification proves that you know your basics, and that you can function under extreme time pressure without breaking. That says a lot. Most people can not handle the pressure. When I created the test, I could pass it in three minutes and Carmen passed it in four and a half minutes. Test takers were allowed six and a half minutes to ensure that the majority who studied hard would pass the first time.
Does it matter what you think about our test?
What I think about my test, or what you or Carmen think about my test doesn’t matter even slightly. The browsers care tremendously about my test, and (news flash!) they are the ones who are paying you. 123notary certified signers are three times as likely to get work. Even browsers who didn’t know what the certification meant, and who had a regular document to be signed like an affidavit which had nothing to do with loan signing still chose certified signers if they could. Ten years ago, I used 123notary as my primary source of marketing my personal mobile notary work. Time after time I got called at 11pm to notarize a simple form. I kept hearing, “We chose you because you were certified and the others were not”.
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Low Ball Signing Companies
Low Ball Signing Companies
Notaries are always complaining about low ball signing companies. My advice is to just say yes or no. As long as its quick and they pay you, you have nothing to lose, but your dignity. Sometimes a quick $40 is not so bad. If it takes you an hour or slightly more for the whole affair, that is not bad pay. Just don’t take a low ball job and have to do fax backs, and wait for two hours while the borrower reads each phrase of each page and asks a million questions.
Tough times are here
We are living in tough times, and people in foreign countries live on a quarter of the income you have. They have simpler habits and smaller cars or mopeds. They eat less meat and more beans and rice or “Rad Na” if they live in Thailand. Its better to take what you can get and save up for a rainy day. I used to work for very little. When I was booked, my prices would go up. When things were slow, I would accept jobs for very little, no matter what. My bills didn’t care how many dollars per hour I made. My mistake was not to ask for high amounts of money. Some people and companies will pay you double what you think they will. Just ask. If they say no, then take less if you have to. Its better than starving.
Your lives are not that bad
Assuming you don’t have a health emergency and are not having your life threatened by your local gang, and assuming that a tsunami didn’t visit your neighborhood, your life is not that bad (I’m guessing). As a world traveler, I see how middle class people live in India. Broken roads, clunky cars, the other drivers’ purpose in life is to run you off the road and kill you, food that gives you dysentary, traffic from hell, salaries 20% of what Americans make, expensive rent, cab drivers that always try to rip you off. Just crossing the street in Pune, India is an ordeal that most of you will never have to face. Additionally, they have terrorist attacks on a regular basis and its not safe for women to go out after dark. Few of you have any of these situations to contend with. So, count your blessings. Even in America, I know many who work for minimum wage who ride a bicycle to work through dangerous areas. If you own a car, you are doing better than my bicycle riding friends who can barely pay their rent.
Forum posts on the subject:
The text below is written by notaries, and does not represent the viewpoints of 123notary.com
If you accept $50 signings
If one accepts $50 signings, then it’s obvious one has not taken into account everything that is involved in the signing, from consumables to time to depreciation of equipment ……
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2993
Vital Signings
……If you want to support Vital signings be aware YOU will not make any money. After a dozen signings I calculated I made $18.00 per signing. They get the bucks, you don’t.
The best micro-managers in the business. What a pain. They can’t pay me enough to work for them again.
If make an error, they take away YOUR fee and make you pay their fee as well….. (scroll down for this one)
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26
Firma Signing Solutions
…..So, you can imagine how hard my chin hit the floor when he quoted $35.00 for the whole thing! The low ballers fail to remember what all it takes to become adept at this job, you have to know what you’re doing. You’re not “just a notary” but a certified signing agent, which takes training and education to fully understand this process. I will just decline the job if the price doesn’t meet my fees, it’s just not worth it…..
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3170
Fax Backs
…. (scroll to the bottom) Has anyone else had jobs recently where they want the whole package faxed back? I have had two from Nations Direct. Of course, as usual, they are low balling the price and then state that the whole package needs to be faxed back. Both times I have told them I will not do a job for their low price, especially with all of the fax backs. Yesterday, for example, they asked me to go 30 miles away with edocs and fax back the whole package for $70. I don’t think so.
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3902
Question 2 Price Formula
……Rule of thumb: The lower the offer, the bigger th PITA it will be. It never fails….when you agree to a lower fee, docs will be late, the closing will go awry somehow, you will have a ton of fax-backs and need permission to ship…AND…you’ll wait at least 60 days to get paid the low ball fee. HONEST !! ………
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1872
Tweets:
(1) Notaries are always complaining about low-ball signing co’s. Don’t complain, just say no!
(2) We are living in tough times. Maybe those low-ball signing companies keep you from starvation!
(3) Read real stories about four low-ball signing companies.
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