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May 14, 2017

Million dollar E and O?

Filed under: Carmen Towles,Popular on Facebook (A little) — Tags: e&o, Notary E&O Insurance — admin @ 10:10 am

So it seems that their is a signing service sending out emails to all of the notary signing agents in their data base, informing them that for $100 each they can buy into their companies million dollar E and O policy. I have been asked to weigh in on this. My initial reaction was how odd it was and many questions come to mind. For one, I am not sure that it is even possible for a group of notaries to be under one policy. (I put a call in to an E and O provider at the time of writing this blog and I am waiting for my answer. If any of you veteran notaries know, please post it in the comments section below.) Also, all notaries are independent contractors. They have their own business, and we all work and reside in different states. Another question came to mind; would your name be listed among all the others who buy in under the policy? And would all notaries receive an actual policy? Unfortunately, the email that folks received did not answer any of these questions. What I can say, (and i mean no disrespect) is that on the surface it looks like this signing service is trying to get a little help from the notaries paying their E and O policy. I imagine a million dollar policy is very expensive. If the signing service wants to weigh in that would be great. I believe they are a member of 123.

I never understood the demand from these signing services for such high amounts in the first place. E and O for notaries covers errors and omissions (like forgetting to sign, wrong date, incorrect venue, etc) ONLY- nothing more. In this case of a million dollars, I cant imagine that that these types of errors would even come close to this high dollar amount. And typically, errors are caught before they even have a chance to turn into a problem.

I’d love to hear what you have to say about this…

You might also like:

Do I need 1 million E&O to get more business?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20183

Help, I’m being sued, and E&O insurance won’t help!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3570

$300 in 13 minutes. How Carmen cleans up in the Notary business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19284

Here is an easy way to make $4000 more per year
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14162

Comments (3)

April 14, 2017

All About 123notary

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 12:13 am

All about 123notary — who we are, advertising with us, and how we started.

Many people know that 123notary is the one venue to advertise your Mobile Notary service that systematically gets results. We are the go-to site for notary advertising. Some people rave about the results we get. Others complain about how they don’t like our sometimes strict policies. But, almost all love the zany stories and helpful tips in our blog. So, let’s break it down how 123notary got started, and what we do.

The History of 123notary

123notary started back in 1999 and was originally designed to be an advertising site just for Jeremy. The other sites weren’t getting him enough business, so it was time to take control of advertising so there would be enough work. As time went on, the site graduated from being a purely Southern California directory covering only five counties to covering all of California. By 2001, we covered the entire United States.

Building up 123notary from scratch

We started this directory knowing almost nothing about the directory business. We just put a bunch of names and numbers on a list. Little did we realize that there is a lot more to running a directory than that. We realized we needed critical mass, so we added more than a thousand names to the list. Along with a bunch of other technical realizations about placement levels for additional counties, zip search results, etc., we realized that people drop out. As people drop out of the Notary business, we need new Notaries dropping in. My huge project adding 1000 Notaries to the list was something that would have to be repeated. So, a few years later, I added more people. Our numbers went up, and then month by month the numbers went down. This arduous process of adding names to the list would have to be repeated once again as our stats kept going down. After a while, it became a realization that we needed an organized way to keep our numbers up. So, I decided to create a monthly plan to add new Notaries to our list every month, and remove defunct listings every month as well. That system worked miracles and from that day forward, 123notary maintained a steady quantity of Notaries around 6200-7400.

Amazing breakthroughs in 2008 & 2009

Additionally, in 2008, the online advertising with Google Adwords started to get a lot more expensive. It was necessary to find a more cost-effective way to get clicks. Learning SEO was something that took a few years, but with a fantastic programmer named Mark, Jeremy was able to learn the art of SEO and get 123notary double the clicks it was getting before. The following year (2009) Mitch got Jeremy started on blogging and social media which again worked wonders for 123notary’s SEO, although that miracle took years to unfold.

What is 123notary now?
123notary is a the premiere Notary directory in the industry. No other directory has as high a quality of Notaries or gets as much traffic. We keep more information on our Notaries than any other directory. We have the general contact info, hours of operation, but also get into Notary specialties such as Reverse Mortgages, Hospital Signings, Immigration Documents, E&O insurance, Foreign Languages, and more. Additionally, 123notary goes through and helps Notaries edit their notes sections to make them easier to read and more informative. 123notary gets about 170,000 visitors per month and has about 6900 Notaries on board as of June, 2016.

Advertising

You can advertise with 123notary as a Mobile Notary for as little as $59 per year. Although we offer FREE listings which appear at the bottom of the search results, you can also elect to get a preferential listing for $99 or be #1 on the search results for a quoted price which might range from $200 on up depending on the area.

eCourses

123notary also sells loan signing certification courses and combos. Our most popular is the LS#3 combo which gives a thorough guide to loan signing, keeping records, marketing your services, examples of loan documents, and more. You can get a physical book or an ecourse. Read the course description!

How do I do well on 123notary?

To do well on 123notary requires more than just paying us an annual fee. You need to maintain your listing a little bit too, but it isn’t rocket science, and you have experienced professionals who are here to help at no extra cost. You need to write an amazing notes section about your experience, what’s unique about you, equipment, memberships, coverage areas, etc. We will help you edit your notes section at no cost to make it better organized and attractive. You also need reviews from your satisfied clients on your listing. All you have to do is ask, and email them a link, and some (but, unfortunately not all) of them will write you a review. A few reviews are like gold and will magically transform your listing as that is what the users want to see.

Help is always there when you advertise with 123notary

Other directories just take your money and leave you on your own. At 123notary, you can email us or call our 888 number for help. We give help with passwords for your listing, or ecourse. We also give free marketing and technical tips if you have a question. We’ll help brush up your listing at no cost as well as help you choose a business name — at at no cost if you have a paid listing with us!

Our Newsletter

In addition to providing advertising and courses, 123notary also has a free newsletter which has more than 5000 followers. Our newsletter is a free source of great industry information and laughs as well. We have articles about new signing companies, signing company gossip, technical signing agent tips, mobile notary marketing tips, and also comedy articles especially written for the Notary industry. No other newsletter provides the same diversity or quality of articles as we do. So, email us at info@123notary.com to sign up today!

You might also like:

Attn. Title Companies – what you need to know about 123notary’s 2018 certification standards.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21065

Studying to be elite certified is worth $533 per minute
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20774

The story of 123notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=710

Comments (0)

February 19, 2017

Need an NNA Alternative?

Filed under: Business Tips,Popular on Twitter,Popular Overall — Tags: 123notary, National Notary Association, nna, notary rotary, Sterling — admin @ 9:53 pm

NNA is a very reliable and quality organization that has been helping Notaries with education, supplies, background checking, and a world-class technical hotline for years. We at 123notary recommend them highly. However, their fees can be a bit high for some budgets, and you are probably thinking of alternatives for your Notary needs. Some claim that NNA has gotten too big, and is no longer the optimal source for Notaries to rely on. I refrain from having a personal opinion on this matter, although I would say that you should analyze your various Notary needs, and find the ideal source for each need rather than relying on one-stop shopping unless you feel that one-stop shopping makes more sense. So, here are the alternatives.

Signing Agent Education
(1) 123notary offers good loan signing combos with solid marketing advice and the convenience of take home course in printable, online, or take home book.
(2) We recommend Notary2Pro if you want thorough training and hand holding. they train their Notaries better than anyone else. Their courses are not as affordable as 123notary’s and do not have the marketing expertise that 123notary does, but they excel at nuts and bolts technical training.

Background Checks
NNA and Sterling are the two acceptable names for background checks. So, if you want an alternative to NNA, try Sterling.

Directories
SigningAgent.com used to deliver more jobs to Notaries than it does now. Over the last six years it has gone down hill from what I’ve heard.
(1) 123notary is a good source for high paying notary work
(2) SnapDocs is a good source for low-ball signing work for beginners
(3) NotaryRotary is the runner up for a mix of signing agent work ranging from top-notch to low-ball.

E&O Insurance
Notary Rotary and other organizations also sell Notary E&O insurance. Not sure who has better prices, but you can shop around.

Supplies
There are various companies around the nation that offer supplies, Notary Rotary being one of them. Personally, I always relied on NNA as my sole destination for thumbprinters, acknowledgment pads, carry-all bags, and anything else I needed.

Summary
NNA seems to be the best destination for one-stop Notary shopping. However, the alternatives might offer better prices and in some cases better quality especially for signing agent education, background screening, and directory marketing. However, for E&O and supplies they would be my first choice. I am not here to make your decision for where you should go for what. But, compare the competition for each type of items or services that you need, perhaps try each option out, and then optimize your decision making skills!

You might also like:

For Background Checks, NNA & Sterling come highly recommended
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18835

A comprehensive guide to Notary organizations
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17088

Notary Marketing 102 – a free course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774

Index of information about documents
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20258

Comments (8)

October 6, 2016

The History of 123notary.com

Filed under: Advertising — Tags: 123notary, notary advertising, Notary Newsletter — admin @ 10:22 pm

The History of 123notary

Building up 123notary from scratch

Amazing breakthroughs in 2008 & 2009

What is 123notary now?
123notary is a the premiere Notary directory in the industry. No other directory has as high a quality of Notaries or gets as much traffic. We keep more information on our Notaries than any other directory. We have the general contact info, hours of operation, but also get into Notary specialties such as Reverse Mortgages, Hospital Signings, Immigration Documents, E&O insurance, Foreign Languages, and more. Additionally, 123notary goes through and helps Notaries edit their notes sections to make them easier to read and more informative. 123notary gets about 170,000 visitors per month and has about 6900 Notaries on board as of June, 2016.

Advertising

eCourses

How do I do well on 123notary?

Help is always there when you advertise with 123notary

Our Notary Newsletter

You might also like:

123notary behind the scenes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2499

The story of 123notary.com
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=710

Comments (1)

July 11, 2016

How to write a notes section if you are a beginner

Filed under: Comprehensive Guides,Ninja Theme Articles,Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (some),Popular on Linked In,Your Notes Section — Tags: Accept signings at the last minute, Hire Notaries, Hiring notaries, Last minute signings, Most Notaries, notaries, Notary, notary advertising — admin @ 6:03 am

We wrote a similar article on this aspect of Notary advertising a few years ago. I think it was very helpful. But, let me structure this article as a quick tips article with itemized things to add to your notes section. The basic idea is that if you have no experience, you cannot talk about what you’ve already done. So, talk about what you are willing to do, where you go, or what training you have had.

Don’t write three paragraphs telling us how many years of experience your mentor has otherwise we’ll stop looking at your profile and start looking at your mentor’s profile. Remember, you are selling yourself, not your mentor.

Don’t write six paragraphs telling us about your Real Estate career as nobody is hiring you as a Realtor on 123notary.com. That is something to write a single line about LOWER in your notes.

Don’t waste space telling us how you respect the integrity of the transaction and how confidentiality of the transaction is of utmost importance. That tells us nothing except that you are claiming not to be a conman.

Don’t tell us how important it is to hire a Notary who is experienced and knowledgable. You think the browsers don’t already know this? They have hired tens of thousands of Notaries and are hiring Notaries daily. They know what is important, the question is, are you the kind of Notary they want?

Don’t write two paragraphs about how you are a new mom. People will assume that when they call you they’ll hear screaming in the background. Focus on Notary work.

Don’t use adjectives. people who claim to be reliable, responsible, experienced, professional, accurate, etc., are people who have nothing good to say about themselves who compensate by using a bunch of unverifiable claims about themselves which are usually not true. Experts who hire Notaries see through the nonsense faster than you can say, “skip my listing.” So, don’t use adjectives unless you can back them up with real information. So, what should you write about?

BASICS

Basic information should go at the top of your notes section. If you bury the most critical information where nobody can find it, they won’t hire you. Pertinent knowledge, radius, and special services are what people need to know about first. Don’t bury this in a long paragraph about how wonderful you are!

Last Minute Signings — It is sometimes hard to find someone who accepts signings at the last minute. If you do, that really helps.

Hours — Letting the world know how early you start and how late you finish can really help.

Languages — Fluent in Thai? Let them know. There is more demand for Spanish and Vietnamese though based on word on the street. Also let us know if you are fluent, or only conversational. If you cannot get through a signing with your language, save us the trouble and don’t mention it.

Hospitals & Jails — Most Notaries aren’t experienced with these types of signings which are more demanding. Let people know if you do.

100 mile Radius — Most Notaries are wishy-washy about how far they go. They have three paragraphs of information about exceptions to the rule like if their coffee wasn’t good that morning, they won’t go too far into Morgan County, but if you pay extra they might consider Strantom County. Just list your radius and your counties without all of the hype please. Nobody has time for this.

Counties Covered — List as many counties as you can if you want to get lots of jobs. If you cover counties that nobody else does, even if it is a long drive, you might get a lot of new clients as a result.

Loans & Documents — List all types of documents or loans you know how to sign including types of loans. Most Notaries say they are familiar with most legal documents. This is vague. It is better to list the top several legal documents you see a lot of.

Catchy Phrase — Sometimes a catchy phrase about yourself, your business or service can win the game. Often it is a one-liner that is artfully phrased and catches people’s attention. Don’t bore them with fluff, dazzle them with class!

About You — What is unique about your service or about you that the reader might want to hear?

EXPERIENCE

All of us have some type of experience. Mortgage and Escrow are the most valuable. Real Estate experience doesn’t translate into being a better Notary, and doesn’t make you that familiar with the documents despite what you may think or claim. However, you can mention it in a one liner. Mention other experience, but don’t write paragraphs on it. Keep it short. Military and Police experience are actually very helpful if you are a signer. That way you can keep the peace and use real bullet points in your notes sections!

Mortgage Experience — List any pertinent past experience, particularly if it is in Mortgage, Escrow, or Legal. Don’t be vague about the experience either. If you say you have experience in the legal industry we’ll assume you were a janitor or secretary. If you were a legal assistant, then say so.

Unrelated Experience — You can mention what you used to do for a living. It might be impressive if you were a bank president or dictator of a small country.

Military — If you were in the military, say so. That might prove that you are careful or on time.

Police — If you were in the police, that proves you know how to deal with difficult situations and crazy people. Mention it.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The bottom of your notes section should list all of your “other” information in an easy to read format. Some people use bullet points, and others just list it clearly so it is easy to read. Do NOT put this information in a long jumbled paragraph please.

Certifications — Are you NNA certified, Notary2Pro Certified? Say so

Memberships — Are you an NNA or AAN member? What about PAN or NotaryCafe? List all memberships.

E&O Insurance — Tell us how much you have. Some people only have $15,000 while some have a million.

Equipment— Is your printer a specific brand? Is it dual or triple tray? Does it print 200 pages per minute? Say so.

Closing Phrase — Thanks for visiting my profile on 123notary. I hope to hear from you soon. But, put it in your own words so it sounds a little more unique.

Uniqueness — Uniquess really counts. People who hire Notaries have read through thousands of profiles. If yours is unique and factual, you will stand out in a very positive way as most other people’s notes are jumbled, disorganized, and have no interesting information. Additionally, many of the others ramble on and on about how they value integrity which is a useless and unverifiable claim that is a waste of the readers time. If you waste the readers time, they are statistically less likely to use you. Give them unique and factual information and win the game. Many beginners do quite well on 123notary, especially those who express themselves well.

You might also like:

How to write a notes section if you have no experience
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4173

What goes where in your notes?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1076

Everything you need to know about writing a great notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16074

Unique Phrases from the Ninja Course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

2014 Excerpts from great notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13613

2011 Excerpts from great notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1043

Comments (1)

May 9, 2016

Best Marketing Resources for Notaries

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (some) — Tags: Active Marketing, Dormant Contacts, High Paying Notary Jobs, Low-Ball Offers, Mobile Notary, NNA Background Check, Notary Business, Passive Marketing — admin @ 3:19 am

Are you a mobile Notary? Do you want to expand your business? It’s hard to get a lot of Notary business, especially in this economy. However, if you play your cards right, you can do amazingly well. Here are some of our best marketing articles for the new or veteran Notary to get ahead.

ACTIVE MARKETING
Please consider that you need ACTIVE marketing as well as PASSIVE marketing. Active marketing involves contacting signing and title companies one by one in addition to Attorneys, hospitals, and anyone else you wish to work for. Active marketing will be more labor intensive in the beginning of your career as you do not start out by being on any organization’s list. However, once you are on the lists of at least 200 companies, then you will most likely be spending more of your time working and less of your time looking for work.

Also Read: How to start a successful mobile notary business from scratch
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13340

Getting on board with Title & Signing Companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14851

Dormant Contacts
Even after you are on the list of a company, you still need to contact them from time to time to just let them know you exist and want to work. We suggest that when Notary business is slow in the beginning of the month you schedule time to call your contacts who are dormant in hopes that they might actually use you one day.

Requirements for work
* Certain big title companies like Chicago Title require 500,000 E&O Insurance
* Other title companies want 100,000 E&O
* Some Notaries show off by having a million in E&O which is expensive and makes you a target for lawsuits.
* Others want a current background check from a reputable vendor such as the NNA or Sterling, but not necessarily from the other vendors.
* Some want vast experience as a Notary while others prefer beginners who will work for cheap. If you work for companies that hire beginners they will micromanage you. If you are tired of being micromanaged, try to work directly for companies that hire experienced and reliable Notaries.

Is an NNA background check really necessary to get work?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10385

Certifications
Many companies like it when Notaries are certified. But, there are many vendors offering certification and which one is the best? NNA certification is the most widespread and widely recognized in the industry. But, on 123notary, people looking to hire Notaries pick 123notary certified members more then twice as often as they pick Notaries who aren’t. My suggestion is to be certified by three or more agencies — that way you’ve covered all of the bases and will make quite an impression.

Printers
As a Notary, you should have a fast and reliable printer and perhaps a backup printer. Dual tray laser printers are the standard tool of seasoned Notaries. Single tray printers might be okay if you have software to figure out what size paper is for which document. Some Notaries print everything on legal although some Lenders might not appreciate that.

Professional Dress
Business casual is the official dress code for Notaries. No shorts, flip flops, tank tops, jeans or torn clothing please.

Low-Ball Offers
As a Notary, you will receive a lot of low-ball offers. Notaries complain endlessly about this. If you are not an experienced Notary, low-ball offers might be your ticket to getting experience. Personally, I feel that new Notaries do not merit high paying Notary jobs and should work for low fees. However, once you have educated yourself in the “art of the signing” and have paid your dues by accumulating an experience of more than 2000 loans, you should get paid at least an average of $110 per signing otherwise something is very wrong. The economy does change over time and wages change too, so be flexible and work for whatever people will pay you.

Related Content: Low-Ball Signing Companies? How to get biz directly from Title
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14950

Cattle Call Notary Offers
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9841

Setting Prices
Notaries need to be flexible and realistic about what they charge. Some Notaries are too snobby to take low paying jobs and end up starving. Other Notaries take too many low paying jobs and miss out on the good jobs because they are too busy working for peanuts and then spending their profits on gas, toner, paper, and other expenses. You need a sophisticated model for pricing that incorporates the time of the month (month-end is busier and should be more expensive) distance, timing, traffic, and how many pages the job will be.

* Base your prices on how long you estimate a job to take including traffic.
* Lower your prices at the beginning of the month when business is slow
* Expect to be paid poorly until you have at least 1000 loans signed
* To get paid well, you need a constant supply of regular clients who pay well which you accumulate over time
* You need to advertise heavily to get a constant supply of new clients in hopes that some will become regulars.
* You need to be on time, be nice, not make mistakes and get docs back on time to get rehired.
* Base job time on the name lf the Lender as packages from particular banks are normally a particular (+/-) number of pages and then factor in traffic on the route you’ll take at that particular time of the day, night or weekend.

PASSIVE MARKETING
Passive marketing involves advertising on directories. Once your ad is out there, companies can find you. However, not all advertisements attract the same amount of business, and not all Notary directories are equal. Online yellow pages are yet another way to advertise as well as Google local, however we do not know much about the results of such advertising. Passive marketing is very powerful as you get motivated buyers calling you when they really need something done. However, most Notaries are neglectful in the creation and maintenance of their advertisements and do not get the full potential of their investment. A good Notary profile has reviews from satisfied clients, certifications, and a powerful and well organized notes section. You need to do everything right to maximize your results.

Where to advertise
123notary, Notary Rotary, Notary Cafe, and Signingagent.com are the four most powerful players in the Notary advertising business — in that order. You should advertise on all four with a paid listing. 123notary offers high placed listings. We suggest that you pass our certification before investing in a high placed listing. High placed listings get you more business as well as better quality (and better paying) Title company jobs — and it means that you will be seen first before people start scrolling deep and shopping around.

How to create an amazing notes section
We have written many articles on this overlooked topic which you should read and study. If you want to get ahead, become an expert at the art of the notes section. Companies read what you have to say about yourself, and if you have very little to say, or just a bunch of fluff, you are not likely to get hired. Notaries who do well have thorough and factual information about themselves that is neatly organized into paragraphs. They cover their areas of expertise, certifications, professional memberships, equipment, notes about what is unique about how they handle business, segments on their professional history before they were a Notary particularly if it has some sort of business or Mortgage related relevance, and more.

Everything you need to know about writing a good notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16074

2014 excerpts from great notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13613

Being 24 hours helps a lot
If you want to get more business, offer service to more counties, and during more hours. It is just common sense — do the math. Some Notaries only want to service their home county during their “flexible” hours of 9-5 while others are 24 hours and cover eighteen counties. If you need to sleep, then limit your hours from 6am to midnight, but the more flexible you are, the more business you can accumulate.

Reviews are essential
We have written many blog entries on reviews and are publishing a comprehensive guide to reviews as well around the same time I publish this article. The important concepts to remember are:

* Six reviews will double your new business from our site
* After you have six reviews you will get a small marginal benefit from each additional review
* Well written reviews count more
* Don’t get multiple reviews the same day or it looks like you wrote them yourself
* Reviews that are three or more years old do not benefit you much, so always get new reviews.
* You might need to ask ten people to get a single review, but it’s worth it.
* Signing & Title companies are horrible about writing reviews since everybody bugs them to do it
* Individuals are easier to get reviews from, so do some jobs for individuals
* Ask for a review when someone compliments you on your work otherwise don’t ask.
* Email requests for reviews in addition to asking in person. Email them a LINK to your review page. That will take the work out of trying to find the page which I assure you people don’t have the time or patience to do.

Related Reading: A comprehensive guide to reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290

Company Names
It will help you to have a company name in the long run. But, think long and hard about what you name your Notary business. Names with geographical significance are recommended. Names with notorial or Mortgage significance might be good. General business names that are not relevant to this industry might not be ideal.

Choosing a name for your business license
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7103

Keep your information up to date
Many Notaries create a listing and forget about it. Your listing is like a plant — it needs to be watered and trimmed from time to time otherwise it will wither. Login to your listing every few months, we require it, and it is good for the popularity of your listing. Browsers can see the date you last logged in. If you login more regularly you’ll attract browsers that care about how well you maintain your listing. After all, if you neglect your listing, you might neglect their loan! Update your # of signings and touch up your notes section regularly with anything new that you learned or any new way you have of expressing yourself. You can also email us for free help with your notes section — and yes, we do free notary notes makeovers.

ADDITIONAL READING

General Marketing

Long term marketing plans
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15793

I signed up with 200 companies only to get work twice
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15445

Notary Advertising

Unique notary notes phrases from the Ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

7 ways to use Facebook to market your notary services
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=5396

Pricing & Income

$40 for a signing 72 miles away?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14959

What is the difference between getting 16 clicks per day & 100+?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13185

How much more does a 123notary certified signer make?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15392

Here is another way to make $4000 more per year
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14162

Is $75 enough to print 2 sets of docs & do faxbacks?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10369

He made $35,000 a month his first year in business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3894

Other

Which tasks can you do which are worth $1000 per minute?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4113

123notary behind the scenes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2499

Comments (0)

April 22, 2015

30 Point Quiz — Jeopardy

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: 30 point course — admin @ 11:28 pm

In this section, we will test you on some, but not all of the concepts in the 30 point course. Once you feel you are ready, you can email us at info@123notary.com to schedule a time for your over the phone course. If you do extremely well on our test, we might either give you the certification icon, or offer you the certification icon at a discounted price if you didn’t purchase the certification course or loan signing combos in the past. However, we will not reveal how many points you need to earn this certification. Additionally, the content similar to the certification exam would be reflected more in the first 15 questions on the test rather than the last ones!

(1) Other than his loose-lipped girlfriend — The first place you should look for the Lender’s contact information.
What is the ________________ ?

(2) The first place you should query to find Poisoned Prepayment Penalty info without asking the wicked Escrow Officer.
What is the ________________ ?

(3) This type of holiday (mercifully missing meter maids) isn’t factored in to the 3 days a borrower has to cancel their refinance.
What are ___________________ ?

(4) This Mortgage term is similar to The Rate
(batteries, certain fees & closing costs not included; only available at participating locations, restrictions apply; must be 18 or over to enter)
What is _______________?

(5) This is the fee documented in the HUD that can help you get something on the value menu.
What is ___________________?

(6) This Deed lets you take your name off of Title; Think of it as the “Name off Title Affidavit” although you’d be “off” if you thought such a document existed.
What is __________________ ?

(7) This document proves that you reside in the subject property. An if you live in an elevator you’ll need 12 of them.
What is ____________________?

(8) This document is an identity thief’s biggest nightmare as it will have your social security number typed incorrectly and claim that you graduated from Harvard when in reality you went to school online at the University of Phoenix.
What is _______________________ ?

(9) This document makes the borrower agree that they’ll cooperate if clerical changes need to be made in the documents. But it won’t change your loan amount from $200,000 to $20,000,000; so don’t buy the private jet quite yet.
What is _______________________ ?

(10) This loan document takes jazz musicians half an hour to sign in 12 places. About the length of the world’s most annoying drum solo.
What is _____________________?

(11) Many Notaries complete signings incorrectly because they didn’t read this document or the Lender’s mind.
What is _____________________ ?

(12) If you do this on a document, you render it null, void or prohibited by law.
What is ________________ ?

(13) If the names don’t match, you must attach!
If the names on an ID and the documents are inconsistent, or you are doing a Power of Attorney signing, you might need to do this.
What is ___________________ ?

(14) If the borrower introduces you to his girlfriend, ________ you are the Notary. If your borrower introduces you to his girlfriend who is completely naked, call the Lender
What is ___________________ ?

(15) More than once, a secretary in a Title company lost a cashier’s check and the borrower lost their loan. Here is what the Notary should have done to prevent this situation from happening. And don’t get me started on how she misplaced the vanilla hazelnut creamer. Are we being sexist? No. At least a female secretary knows how to make coffee!
What is __________________ ?

(16) This how Samuel Edward Xavier, Jr. would initial.
What is _____________________ ?

(17) This document discloses the APR, and that ain’t no lie.
What is _____________________ ?

(18) The name on the drivers license was Tom Smith, but the Notary refused to notarize because his middle initial and middle finger were somewhere else.
What is __________________ ?

(19) The type of the Notary act must be recorded in the Journal. But, I swear this type of Notary act has no accompanying paperwork.
What is _______________ ?

(20) If black is the new green, this date in January is officially celebrated when St. Patty’s is not. Maybe this question is insensitive, but let’s make a Federal holiday, but not a Federal case out of it.
What is ____________ ?

(21) This type of Notary act can be used to get a university degree officially copied and notarized using a certified copy by document custodian form. It’s almost as easy as getting a fake college degree, or going to the University of Phoenix!
What is ________________?

(22) This type of Notary procedure is used to help elderly people who can’t sign their real name, or remember your name.
What is ___________________ ?

(23) This is a court appointed official that can sign over property when the owner refuses to cooperate in court. When your Quitclaim Deed quits, use one of these.
What is ___________________ ?

(24) This type of Notary seal leaves a raised impression, but not necessarily a good first impression in a piece of paper.
What is __________________ ?

(25) This type of witness is critical in assisting you if you are notarizing someone in jail who has no ID. Whereas your mother in law is just critical.
What is _____________ ?

(26) This section in an Acknowledgment form had a problem because an incorrect county was inscribed. Consequently, the Notary had to use a fresh Acknowledgment form and start all over again.
What is __________________ ?

(27) This action was committed when a signer swapped pages in a document that had already been notarized. The one time a guy chooses to be good at commitment.
What is _____________ ?

(28) This term describes the condition when a Notary will gain financially or in any other way from a document being signed.
What is _________________ ?

(29) This is a state of being where you fail to administer an Oath, omit a thumbprint (assuming you’re not a shop teacher), or forget to identify someone before notarizing them.
What is ________________ ?

(30) E&O insurance protects the Notary if they make an honest mistake during a notarization. But, doesn’t protect the Notary from being sued if they made a non-Notary error during the signing or if this other party made a mistake affecting the loan.
What is __________________________ ?

You might also like:

30 Point Course Table of Contents
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=3442

What’s the difference between a listing that gets 16 clicks a month and 100 clicks?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13185

A detailed look at the Elite Ninja Course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4621

Comments (1)

January 19, 2015

What’s the difference between a listing getting 16 clicks/month & 100+

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Ninja Theme Articles,Popular on Facebook (A little),Popular on Facebook (shares) — Tags: How to succeed as a Notary, Inexperienced Notaries, notaries, Notary — admin @ 11:24 am

Most notaries just think that a listing is a listing. They think that if they are listed on 123notary, that something wonderful will happen, but if it doesn’t, that’s our fault. Nothing is further from the truth. Some listings get a monopoly on clicks even if they are far down the list simply because they stand out and have quality information. Let’s get more specific.

Go and get some Reviews
We’ve been telling notaries for years now that they need to get reviews. If you were searching for a notary, a restaurant, or a bus tour of San Francisco, wouldn’t you read the reviews? If you were smart you sure would, otherwise you would waste your time and money on a service that was far from being the best. Put yourself in the position of the customer looking for a notary. You know you are good, and therefore you don’t think you need reviews, right? Or perhaps you are too shy to ask for fear of offending your clients who might think it is inappropriate. If you are appropriate, you will be sitting home all alone every Saturday night without a date so to speak, because you didn’t ask anyone out of fear of rejection or being inappropriate. You will lose at least half your potential calls if you don’t have reviews, so go and ask for some. Email them a link to your review page after you call them and ask too, so they will be able to find the review page.

Notes – be unique
Most notaries write very boring notes sections. If you have read 30,000 notes sections like I have, they all begin to look like they were written by the same person. They all mention E&O insurance, how responsible and error-free your work is, and how people-oriented you are. People are tired of hearing this. Yes, it is pertinent information, but start your notes out with something specific and unique. Read what the top notaries are writing in the various metros across our great nation to get ideas. We have written, and will continue to write articles on how to write a great notes section, so please read those, and think about what specific types of skills you have that are worth mentioning, and what is different about how you do your work.

Certification – stop complaining and just do it!
But, I don’t NEED another certification. I’m already “certified,” she said. I’ve heard this thousands of times. It is true that NNA’s new certification is somewhat necessary for inexperienced notaries to get work these days. However, those on 123notary who don’t have our certification icon next to their name lose more than half of the jobs they would have gotten if they had our certification. If you are so smart that you don’t need to take our test, then the test should be a breeze, so why complain about taking a wimpy test? Just do it! Pass it and get it over with. We only require notaries to pass our test once in their career.

Company names make you look professional
Having a company name won’t revolutionize your business, but it will make you look more professional and does attract about 17% more calls. Do it legally please and register with your county clerk.

Being higher on the list at a price you can afford
123notary makes its money by selling high placements. Being high on the list really does help get not only more work, but the cream of the crop of the jobs. The high paying companies start at the top and assume that those higher on 123notary are higher class notaries who know their stuff which is generally true (but, not always.) The companies that go down the list as a matter of habit are generally low-ballers. Sure, they might hire you, but do you really want $75 to print out two sets of documents at 150 pages per set, do fax-backs, and then find out that your job got cancelled after you printed everything out? We understand that not everyone can afford to be #1 on the list. But, upgrading to a preferential or a p#13 can make a big difference in the performance of your listing, and you can email us for a quote. P#10’s and p#13’s will not break your bank, but are a great intermediary step in moving up our list!

Answer your phone
Last, but not least — answer your phone. Many notaries have a policy of not answering their phones during a signing. If we call you to remind you about your renewal, or to offer you the #1 spot, and you don’t answer your phone, guess what happens? We don’t call a second time! You snooze you lose. Signing companies have a list of twenty notaries to call for each job opening. If you don’t answer your phone out of consideration for those who hired you, you will lose out on your next job of the day, or tomorrow’s job. Each phone call you don’t answer could cost you $20 as one in five is likely to be a serious offer. Do the math, think about it, but if the phone rings while you’re thinking about it — then answer your phone.

You might also like:

What to write in your notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6651

10 quick changes to your notes that double your calls
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4499

Comments (2)

December 16, 2014

A forged document vs. a forged notary seal?

Filed under: Legal Issues,Popular on Facebook (A little),Technical & Legal — Tags: Forged Document, Forged Identification, Forged Notarized Document — admin @ 7:25 am

What if the document was forged.
Imagine that you are a notary public who just got in huge trouble for notarizing a forged document. It is not your responsibility to know that the document was forged. It is only your responsibility to know that the person who was documented as signing the document appeared before you, proved their identity, and signed the document before you notarized it.

Forged Identification
Or what if the ID used for the notarization was forged? You can still take journal thumbprints and that can get you off the legal hook a lot faster if you keep a record of those thumbprints. But, what about a forged notary seal?

E&O won’t help unless you made an error.
Some notaries think that since they have Errors & Omissions insurance that they will be covered. But, does E&O cover legal expenses? The real problem is that E&O will probably say that the notary didn’t make any errors — it was someone else who forged their seal. Therefore it is a criminal matter, and the notary in question is not at fault — providing you can prove that the notary seal indeed was forged.

If your notary seal was forged, how would you prove it?
My notary seal’s impression was copied onto an Acknowledgment form. The notary’s handwriting on the form didn’t match mine at all and they didn’t cross out the his/her/their or the (s) on the certificate either proving that they were not me, and most likely not a notary (at least not a good notary.) If the borders on the seal don’t match yours, that is another clue. If you don’t have a journal entry of the transaction, that might void the notarization entirely in certain states — not sure what the law says about that one. But, it could constitute proof that you didn’t do the notarization in question if there is no journal entry, assuming that you always keep a sequential journal entry of all notarial transactions.

What if you are sued?
Unfortunately, as a notary, if you are sued for fraud, or being involved with fraud, you could lose $20,000 in legal expenses only to be proven innocent. You lose, even if you win. E&O insurance won’t protect you if you are not at fault. So, if you are falsely accused because someone else did fraud including a seal forger, a corrupt Title Officer, or someone else, you can get in big trouble. It is best to try to reason with the plaintiff and prove to them through whatever evidence that you have that you are not one of the parties to be blamed. You can also tell them that you will counter sue for legal expenses and time lost if proven not guilty.

Identifying the fraud
One of the issues in catching a fraudulent impostor notary is that they are hard to catch. The only people who have seen them would be notary customers. Those customers would have found the person’s number online or in the yellow pages or through a referral. Notary clients very rarely check the ID of the notary, so the notary could be an impostor and get away with it for a while without being caught. But, why would an impostor notarize many people. Chances are that the impostor notary would be well acquainted with the individual who forged loan documents, or could be the same person which means that nobody would see him or catch him. If he forged the signature of the borrower as well, then it gets very complicated. Three forgeries in one! If they forge a notary seal, the forged seal might have the name of a real notary on it. In such a case, the real notary would be able to prove through his journal that he never notarized that forged document. Additionally, the forger would have to not only forge the signature of the borrower, but also of that particular notary which would require quite some skill. I always used an embosser that left a raised seal in the document. A fraud would have to be pretty clever to forge my seal and my embosser and use it like I did — and in the one case where my seal was forged, they didn’t have the brains to do it correctly and got caught (but, not necessarily prosecuted – or at least I was not informed of what happened after the fact.)

You might also like:

Fraud & Forgery related to the Notary Profession
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2294

An absurd forgery of MY notarization
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19974

Facial recognition techniques can help you spot fake ID
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20242

Penalties for notary misconduct and fraud
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21315

Comments (2)

April 20, 2013

A detailed look at the NINJA course

Filed under: Ninja Theme Articles — Tags: notaries, Notarizing, The Notary Ninja Marketing Course — admin @ 8:00 am

We have a new Elite certification textbook that accompanies the elite test. We will soon be using a 30 point test to evaluate the skills of our higher level notaries. But, what is this new textbook like? The ORDER of the information is subject to change as we re-edit the course and add content later on.

119 pages of riveting information!

This course integrates ancient Zen Buddhist philosophy, Ninjutsu strategy, and exciting stories with higher level notary & signing agent knowledge for the refined notary public! Here are some of the topics covered in the course.

(1) Presentation
Learn the art of interacting with prospective clients. Learn what to say and what not to say. How to answer questions gracefully, and how to stand your ground. Show your knowledge without seeming like you are trying to. Operate like a professional and negotiate like a professional.

(2) Strategy
Learn which type of advertising pays off and which should be avoided. Which certifications to get and which to skip. How to craft your advertising for maximum results; Which additional services to offer such as Apostilles and Livescan; How to choose your clients well; Picking company names; Contracts. E&O insurance; Getting paid; Handling difficult companies; Hiring other notaries to expand your empire; Handling low-ballers with ease; Marketing with Facebook and Web Sites; Researching companies; When to say no;

Scheduling strategies: Learn about the

Timed appointment strategy
The spring-it-on-ya strategy
The no surprises strategy
Business models that influence scheduling strategy
Dealing with late e-documents
End of the month scheduling strategies
Beginning of the month scheduling strategies
Tight scheduling strategies
High-brow scheduling strategies

(3) Business analysis
Advertising allows you to pick and choose; Analyzing where your calls are coming from; Assessing the companies you work for; Late Documents; Dealing with cancellations; Dealing with late payers; Managing contacts; Optimizing your client base; What do the statistics that 123notary keeps really mean?; How well do you communicate and how does that translate into clicks?

(4) Mastering the ancient art of the notes section
Which adjectives help, and which hurt? Does mentioning years of experience help? Which quick facts will win you clients and which are a waste of time? Overall recommended structure of a notes section; Analyzing your best selling features; What not to put at the top of your notes section; Expressing your personal style of doing business; 19 examples of great personal information used in notes sections; Specialties expressed in detail; How to use bullet points for your additional information; Where do you write about coverage areas, and how detailed do you get? Radius verses counties? Closing statements — call me whenever you are ready! Spelling and mistakes; Example of a bad notes section; Example of a nearly perfect notes section; Commentary on 16 notes sections; Selling features compared in detail;

(5) Miscellaneous points
Smelling good; How to dress; Calling people back; Professional answering machines; Company names; Complaining; Asking too many questions; Call back etiquette; Asking about specifications before price; Negotiating with people who won’t meet your fee; Evolutionary path to success; Charge less to get experience; The close job strategy; MOBILE OFFICES; Don’t call until the e-documents are ready; FULL-TIME or PART-TIME; 123notary’s 30 point test; Last minute appointments; The A list strategy; Precautions; Embossing; Journal thumbprints; Answering the phone at signings; Refining your notes; Dual state commissions; How many certifications; Does Facebook help; How do you let people know you are a notary; Can you afford to be expensive; Get reviews or perish; Are you available enough; Do you keep all of your paperwork; Emergencies are where you shine; Errors with bad seals; Showing up late; Complaints; Wrongful complaints; Rebutting complaints; Being selective about working for companies with potential.

(6) Zen and the art of teaching others to be on your team
Master the ancient art of: Selection, training, scrutinization, and comparison.
Choose people with the right: Attitude, pre-existing skills, ability to learn, reliability, and personability

Where do you start training? Scrutinizing the work of your new notaries. Comparing them to your other trainees.

(7) Comparing notaries
People change over time; Examining your local list of notaries to see the differences in each service provider; Elite certification; Skills verses presentation; Online presentation verses life presentation; Thinking about comparisons while you are working; What did you forget to think about?

(8) Impressions, dreams and nightmares
Where the money really is; How long does it take to do each type of signing; How do you analyze traffic; Should you charge by the minute; How much ROI do you need on your advertisement; Making an impression; The borrower comes first; Meeting at a nearby cafe; Cancelling nightmares before you get involved; What to know about a culture so you don’t get in trouble; Fedex and drop boxes.

(9) Following directions
When to call the loan officer; Sample questions; When not to coerce the borrower into signing; When to continue the signing; Listening exercises, communication exercises, following orders without a fuss.

(10) Notary knowledge revisited
Acknowledgments discussed in detail; Jurats; Official wording and cross-outs; Loose certificates; Backdating; Document dates verses notarization dates; County recorders & recorded documents; Copies of a document; The names must match; Credible witnesses; Errors on the Acknowledgment; Oath wording; Signature by X; Journals; What the OPTIONAL information section is for in Acknowledgments & deterring fraud; Embossers; Thumbprints; Seals; 10 Grant Deeds in a single session; Notary Fraud; Notarizing the elderly; Notarizing a dead person; The 4 parts of an Acknowledgment certificate; Misdemeanors.

(11) Signing Agent knowledge revisited
Understanding: The 1003, The 4506; Apostilles, Attorney States; Changing a name on Title; Checks in packages; Cross-outs; The Deed of Trust; Elizors; Identity Affidavits; The HUD-1; Initials go where? Letter of instructions; The legals; Maiden names; Prepayment penalties; The Right to Cancel; Rescinding; The security instrument; Signature Affidavit; Spousal signatures; The Subordination Agreement; Thumbprints revisited; The three magical phone numbers; Signature variations; Witness states; When to call the loan officer; Witness closings; Documents that are typically notarized.

(12) The APR & First payments
Yes, an entire chapter about the APR in detail. Learn typical incomplete descriptions of the APR that even the most experienced Loan Processors, Title Agents, and notaries use on a regular basis. Learn a professional definition and learn all of the components that go into computing the APR one by one. Show the world how knowledgeable you really are!
When is my first payment due.

(13) Interviews with our finest notaries and title companies
We get amazing points of views and endless new information by getting input from others in the industry. And then we share it with you on the forum, blog, and in our courses! We interviews many title companies. Many of these companies will be working with us on crafting and endorsing some very relevant signing agent questions. Notaries often ask why it is important for them to learn particular facts. But, if a title company who hires notaries and pays well tells you that you better learn it, then there is no excuse not to learn it,right?

We have some information from Title companies as of April 2013. We will be adding more information every month including statements about things that notaries did wrong that caused a lot of trouble. We will also be adding multiple choice questions endorsed by specific Title companies over time.

The interviews with the notaries this time were about topics of concerned to regular notaries. How do you handle low-ballers? How do you handle people who don’t meet your fee? What is your best attribute as a notary? What made you become a notary? Could you describe your evolution in business and how you became successful? Hoe do you introduce the documents and do your loan signing presentation.

The answers given by the top notch notaries interviewed were truly inspiring, unique, and fascinating. You will love this section the most of all the sections partly due to the great information, and partly because it is the most light hearted section of the course.

(14) The 30 point test
This section goes over the 30 point test. Notaries who pass this grueling and difficult test can elect to have their scores published on their listing. Test topics will include not only notary and signing agent competency, but other areas as well. We learned that following directions and communicating are huge problem areas even for the most experienced notaries, so we will be focusing on those during the test. The test will be timed and might be over the phone or online — or both! Retesting will be allowed, but we do not know what the retesting fee will be. Purchasing the Ninja course / Elite certification gives you one chance at the test providing you take it within (60) days of your purchase date. Good luck!

(15) Apostilles and Loan Types
Learn what our best notaries have to say about Apostilles, Authentications, FHA, HELOCS, Investment loans, Loan modifications, Purchases, Reverse Mortgages, VA loans, and more!

Thanks for your interest and ENJOY our Ninja course!

You might also like:

Notary Public 101 – a free notary course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19493

Unique phrases from the Ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

Elite certification will benefit you for the rest of your life
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20770

Signing Agent Best Practices: a 63 point guide to being the safest and most thorough notary.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315

Comments (2)

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