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January 20, 2011

High placed listings – which ones get more clicks and why?

Filed under: Advertising — admin @ 9:54 am

I spent six hours analyzing clicks this week. Perhaps I should have spent more time. What I noticed is that the high placed listings seem to be affected differently by the same analytics.

People who argue with me do not show a drop in clicks. But, people who interrupt me do.

People who score well on tests do a lot better in the mid range of our search results while the high placed people with high test results show a more moderate gain.

People who refuse to talk to me show a drop of clicks in the mid range, but no drop in clicks for the high placed listings.

People who have someone else answer the phone for them show the largest drop in clicks.

People who have poor language skills also show a huge drop in clicks.

People who don’t answer their phone get fewer clicks, but not that many fewer clicks. I’m not sure why.

It seems that the Notaries were correct when they said that if they are rude to me, that they won’t be rude to title, because being rude to me does not show up on clicks. But, general signs of incompetence and poor communication show up heavily. So, I learned a lot in my six hours. Perhaps I should put in a little more time.

HIGH PLACED LISTINGS
There were four huge factors that determine how a high placed listing will perform on 123notary.com. So, if you are considering spending big bucks with us, please consider that we want you to renew. If you dress up your listing properly, you will most likely get a great result and want to renew. But, if you don’t, then your money will get poor mileage and you will have nobody to blame but yourself.

Reviews
The listings with the highest clicks in a p#20 position had a median of 10 reviews. I decided not to do an average because Ken Edelstein in NYC has over 400 reviews and that would ruin the average. But, median numbers are a good way to show statistics in a useful way. The P20 listings with the poorest clicks had only one or two reviews if any. It seems clear that the most definitive analytic that can cause your listing to perform well or poorly is reviews, the quantity, quality, and having a few recent reviews as well.

Experience
People lie when they document their number of loans. Other people do not keep their experience up to date, so they are showing artificially low numbers of loans signed. Another issue that has come up in the last few years is that Purchases and Structured Settlements have become common. But, are these to be considered “loans?” In my book yes, because they are a financial package and represent the same quality experience as a loan even though technically they are not a refinance.

People with the highest clicks had a median of 6000 loans signed while those with low clicks had only 3500. So, even if you have a lot of experience, it seems not to be enough.

Test Scores
For those of you who think my phone quizzes are inappropriate, unnecessary, rude or inconsequential — you are wrong. Test scores correspond to click popularity, and test scores are my second most critical analytic next only to reviews.

Notaries with p#20’s with the highest clicks were typically elite certified or at a minimum had a good quiz score of 80% or higher. Less than one in ten do poorly on my quiz by phone. Notaries with the lowest clicks in the p#20 category typically did not have any certifications and roughly half did well on my quiz. So, half of the listings with low clicks were competent Notaries compared to almost all competent in the high click range. This indicates that proving your skill to me does not guarantee performance, but is a big piece in the puzzle.

Notes
It is hard to put a score on someone’s notes. You could grade on thoroughness, detail, organization, writing style, uniqueness, etc. It might take a few minutes per notes section to give some type of a useful grade. But, based on brushing through many listings quickly, I learned that high placed listings had a 75% rate of having a high quality notes section while the p20’s with low clicks only had a 45% rate of having a high quality notes section. So, the same thing I have been telling you guys for over a decade has not changed. If you want to be popular on 123notary — get reviews, certified, and write a unique and factual notes section. Ask for help if you need any. I can’t write it for you but I can give commentary and help organize it.

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January 19, 2011

Phone interaction tutorial

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: , , — admin @ 1:40 am

Some notaries wonder why they are not getting any good Title companies to work with them. When we call some of these notaries up, we see within seconds why they are not popular. First, the way some people answer the phone is horrendous.

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Bad phone answering skills

“Hullo?”.

Do we have to guess who we are talking to? Or should we introduce your next assignment to your son because you forgot to announce yourself over the phone and we can’t tell you apart from your son?

Do your children answer your phone? Big no-no. How about your spouse? If you are a husband and wife team, that is understandable, but you still need separate cell numbers and you still need to let us know who you are when we call you. Otherwise we have to ask.

Title: Hi this is Marg from XYZ Title, may I speak to Susan please
Susan: (abruptly) WHO is this?
Title: I think I introduced myself very clearly — this is Marj from XYZ Title, may I speak to Susan please
Susan: Okay
Title: Okay, are you Susan?
Susan: Yes it is

Title: You made me work very hard just to try to decipher who you were. Are you going to be this difficult working with? I had to repeat who I was twice while you evaded announcing who you were. I am not the only person who needs to give information around here, especially if I am paying. I will call someone else. Thanks.

It is very rude to make someone repeat who they are before you reveal your secret information about who YOU are. If you are rude to Title companies, they have plenty of other inexperienced and unprofessional notaries to choose from.

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Background noise

Is there background noise when you answer the phone? Are there screaming children or other noise. You should apologize about the noise as soon as you can and move out of the noisy area. Otherwise, nobody will have patience for you.

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Someone else answering the phone?

If you are in business for yourself, it is extremely unprofessional to have someone else answering the phone for you. However, if they introduce themselves professionally and can carry on a professional sounding conversation, it might be tolerated. The worst thing you can do is to have a busy-body answer your phone for you who pushes their unwanted helpfulness on a caller.

Title: Hi, this is Marg from XYZ Title, may I speak to Susan please
Fred: Susan is not here, but I can help you.
Title: Thanks for your offer Fred, but I would like to Speak to Susan please, and I clearly requested that I wanted to speak to Susan
Fred: Can I help you with something? I can do everything that Susan can do
Title: You are being a bit pushy Fred. I am calling for Susan. I do NOT wish to conduct my business with someone other than Susan.

Please notice how Fred is offering unwanted help and trying to push it down Susan’s unwilling throat. This happens a lot when I call people. They don’t take no for an answer and get in trouble with me as a result for rudeness.Notice how Fred didn’t once offer to take a message for Susan. He was pushy and very unhelpful in the ways that Marg might have wanted to be helped. What a headache.

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Asking people to repeat

Do you have other people keep repeating everything they said. Are you paying attention? Or can you just not think clearly, so to avoid having to respond to something you don’t know how to respond to, you ask people to repeat. If you are in a noisy place, or have a glitch in your cell coverage, you might apologize for the sudden static in your cell phone. Tell them that you heard the “I need you there at…. blank o’clock” part. That way they know you are listening and heard everything but the one critical word. That is acceptable. But, if you loudly say, “WHAT?” after everything the other person says, they are not going to hire you. Roughly 15% of our notaries are people who ask us to repeat ourselves multiple times during a conversation. It is very unpleasant and nobody is going to want to pay money to someone who is such a poor communicator.

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Unprofessional remarks and behavior

(1) Oh yeah, you’re calling about that notary thing. (are we in Junior High still?)

(2) I just got my notary. (you mean your notary commission?)

(3) I just got off the phone with the customer, (you mean the borrower)

(4) Annoying or harsh music on your answering machine is considered unprofessional too

(5) Not having your name stated on your answering machine is unprofessional as well.

(6) Not knowing your basic loan signing terms and procedures is unprofessional and dangerous

(7) Answering the phone only to tell someone that you are in a signing. If you are in a signing and can’t talk, then why are you answering the phone?

(8) Answering the phone to tell someone that now is not a good time to talk. Why not let them leave a message if now is such a bad time.

(9) Answering the phone and telling them that you already sent the documents back when you don’t even know who is calling. Do you ASSUME that you are talking to the signing company from that job that you are at right now when it is someone completely different? Dumb!

(10) I’m certified. (you failed to mention which entity certified you)

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Notes section

Most notaries do not include any unique information in their notes section. Instead they start off by talking about the least consequential information you can think of such as E&O insurance, background screening, and the fact that they are certified. Everyone on 123notary is certified by someone. It won’t get you ahead unless you have the 123notary certification icon. Indicating that you are NNA certified on our site will win you 0% more clicks since 90% of everyone else on 123notary is also NNA certified. You might as well say, “Hire me because I have two arms and two legs.”

Write about what makes you unique. Talk about your experience. Number of loans signed. Number of years as a Mortgage Broker. Specific types of loans signed. Do you offer last minute service? How many miles is your radius? Information that is unique to you.

The other notaries all claim to be dependable, reliable and professional, yet only 10% of them actually meet our standards for these adjectives so they sound phony. Do you sound phony? Talk about something that sounds REAL and UNIQUE. If you were a school teacher for 25 years, then you can claim to be good at nitpicking other people’s work and noticing all of their mistakes and everyone reading your notes will believe you.

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Tone

Some people just start out sounding unpleasant. Their words might be good ones, but their tone just doesn’t sound appealing at all. Talk to me on a bad day and I have tone too. But, some people always have tone. Try to sound pleasant when talking to clients or prospective clients.

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Arguing

Do you argue with clients? They want it their way. Don’t say, “Well I usually xyz”. Nobody wants to hear this. You should be asking them how they want it done? Would you like tomatoes on that? Now you are talking! Don’t accuse your clients of being overly demanding. Do they pay you? Then work for them and do what they want for the right price.

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Vagueness & Rambling

Do you answer questions with vague answers?

Q. How far do you go?

A. Well, I usually cover Carbon county, but I might go to Hutchinson county if it is not too far in because my niece lives there and ….

Q. Lady, can you just tell me your radius in miles please without your life story?

A. Oh, well, it depends.

Q. Thanks for the help, I’ll call someone else

People in the signing industry are tired of this type of run around. Just answer the question the way it was phrased.

Q. Can you get the documents sent back to me tonight?

A. Well, it depends on where the signing is, because it is East of me, there is no drop box, but then if it is South, I could come around on highway 19, and then I could…

Q. Just tell me if you can get the documents back to me tonight… the signing is in Waxahatchie

A. Oh, well in that case, that is Southwest, so let me spend five minutes calculating while I keep you tied up on the phone… hmmm.

Q. Never mind, I’ll call someone else who can drop it in the drop box tonight.

Boy, what a hassle. This is not brain surgery here. Just say, “Yes, I’ll get it in the drop box tonight — guaranteed!”. And then do it.

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Basically, we put up with a lot of unprofessional behavior. The smart notaries tend to be argumentative while the newer notaries often can’t function at all. Communicating is very hard for many, as they can not make a simple request without telling you their life story. Nobody has patience for this. People at signing companies deal with 100 notaries per day, and need their questions answered fast, and there is no time for nonsense. If you can’t communicate and do your job correctly, you will be sitting on the bench your entire career. It is not that difficult to be a notary. Just know your terminology and procedures, and learn to communicate effectively.

NINJA COURSE
In our Ninja Notary Marketing Course we will be teaching more on refined interaction skills, notes sections, marketing, analysis, higher level notary & signing skills, interviews with our best notaries, plus much more! Email us about our NINJA Course today!

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March 25, 2010

Recurring popular tweets

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 11:43 am

(1) Iphone 7 Siri to be more advanced. Voice changes depending on quality of signing company calling you

New Notary Apps for the iPhone 7 that you’ve never dreamed of!

(2) Tight schedules are part of being a notary. But, don’t make it too tight or u’ll start feeling tightness in your chest!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9819

(3) How can you survive in any business if you don’t carry yourself like a pro?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9312

(4) You need to keep meticulous records to determine whose at fault if there’s a mistake!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9291

(5) Most of the notaries complaining that they can’t make money are notaries who didn’t do their homework.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9265

(6) To handle an Elite Signer you have to be an Elite Notary. Now you are going way beyond competent to reaching beyond perfection –
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8628

(7) Notary Heaven Section 263: That’s where we put good notaries who didn’t make their child support payments.

Witnessing the intake forms for Notary Heaven

(8) At The Notary Hotel: they didn’t observe the don’t disturb sign while I was reading the Settlement Statement!

Welcome to the Notary Hotel

(9) Al: “If it weren’t for us signing services, notaries wouldn’t work!” Carmen thinking: “Is this guy serious?”

Who really needs who?

(10) Notary: “I’m not the mistress, I’m the notary!” Wife: “Then why were u driving late last night w/ur lights off?”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8377

(11) Mint… and Meant to be – when her passion for ice cream & a notary aligned.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7023

(12) The notary has this big clamp, and if you’re not good, he’ll clamp you with it, and it will hurt!

Honey, I notarized the kids (don’t try this at home)

(13) Real Estate Brokers need to get real! You don’t know ur loan docs as well as you think you do!

Does Real Estate experience help as a notary?

(14) Clearly stating how far you’ll travel is very good for your business

10 quick changes to your notes that double your calls!

(15) Most notaries on our site not certified by us have roughly half the loan signing knowledge.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8520

(16) If others create obstacles for you, then create policies for dealing with these problems instead of complaining. Winners find solutions.

He made $35,000 a month his first year in business?

(17) A great conversation on the phone often attracts jobs and good reviews, which attracts more jobs. Always answering the phone helps!

A great attitude gets the most jobs

(18) The TSA will be involved in notary signings. It will be illegal to bring sharp objects to signings.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6461

(19) The Notary takes $10 million in drug money to the Title company by accident.

The Notary, The Mafia & The Fedex Drop Box

(20) Kids play “cowboys and Indians.” No child on record has been caught playing “notary publics and document holders.”

Tomorrow’s Notary Publics

(21) Not getting paid on time? It’s because u didn’t look within to research these dead-beat companies.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4825

(22) The notary asked, “Can I get an Alaskan moose with Russian dressing. They’re our next door neighbors!”

My date with Jeremy

(23) If customers come 2u, let’em know if they don’t show up on time, they’ll only have 3 minutes grace period. –

The Starbucks notary wises up!

(24) A creaking noise; a sudden thump; This was a notary signing that would raise the dead. #victorianmansion
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3464

(25) The rock climbing notary admitted that many of his friends were addicted to cracks.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4135

(26) Vampire Notary: “I like your ID picture. You have nice rosy cheeks, you must have good circulation, do you work out?”

Vampire Notaries: 24 hour service

(27) Notary topics: Hand-written docs, Blanks in docs, seal over wording, loose certificates, overseas docs.

Signing agent best practices: 63 points

(28) A man in prison was refinancing his home to get money to hire Attorneys. What was he in prison for?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3365

(29) 1 borrower felt she was being cheated, whipped out a rifle and said, “Oh no you don’t!”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3329

(30) The guy had a female mannequin in his living room. He said he had it there because he felt alone.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3178

(31) The Attorney General investigated the Lender & the 3 notaries involved & busted Susie for fraud.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2961

(32) A Notary accepted a job, then cancelled right before the signing when she learned the signing co. had a bad payment record.

California notaries with complaints

(33) Once I put a FedEx in the drop box that never got delivered. FedEx found it a week later still in the box!

Don’t put the Fedex in the drop box!

(34) When you call people back, don’t expect them to know who you are — announce your name right away!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=973

(35) Everything you need to know about journals, but were afraid to ask.

Everything you need to know about journals

————————–
5+ tweets
————————–

(36) If a signing company calls with bad reviews, Siri’s tone of voice will sound suicidal using this new app.

New Notary Apps for the iPhone 7 that you’ve never dreamed of!

(37) Everyone makes mistakes, it’s how willing you are to make amends for them that determine your success w/clients.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9291

(38) iPhone 7 Notary to go app tells you if neighbors or kids are too close to your car

New Notary Apps for the iPhone 7 that you’ve never dreamed of!

(39) Hmm. It says here on your Akashic records that you were a good notary. You never backdated.

Witnessing the intake forms for Notary Heaven

(40) After being tested out on seven different signing agents, the iPhone 7 provides Siri with badly needed automated therapy.

New Notary Apps for the iPhone 7 that you’ve never dreamed of!

(41) The notary heaven clerk noted that his commission seal expired after he did.

Witnessing the intake forms for Notary Heaven

(42) At The Notary Hotel, Showtime & HBO are free, but the Signing Channel costs $40 (not including fax backs)

Welcome to the Notary Hotel

(43) Notary purgatory: For all of eternity, dead notaries get clients who sign differently on each page.

Witnessing the intake forms for Notary Heaven

(44) Check out the digital signature rooms at The Notary Hotel

Welcome to the Notary Hotel

(45) The only reason Title/Escrow use signing services is that it is “convenient” for them!

Who really needs who?

(46) Who really needs who? Do notaries need signing services? Do Title co’s need signing services?

Who really needs who?

(47) The wife had postponed the signing from 7:30 to 9:30pm so she would know where her husband was at that nightly hour.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8377

(48) I cut up an ink pad and made a cardboard box that read “notarized” backwards like a mirror image.

Honey, I notarized the kids (don’t try this at home)

(49) After we were done w/the “signing of silence,” I saw a car driving slow w/their lights turned off. #mistress
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8377

(50) Frank: “Honey, I notarized the kids.” Molly: “What do you mean?” Frank: “I’ll explain later, don’t call the police!”

Honey, I notarized the kids (don’t try this at home)

(51) Wife: “Are you the notary or the mistress?” Notary: “I’m the notary, the mistress isn’t coming until later on (I guess)”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8377

(52) The number of years you’ve been in business isn’t as important as the number of loans.

10 quick changes to your notes that double your calls!

(53) Needless to say, it was the most awkward Wisconsin notary signing in the world.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8377

(54) 123notary certified notaries get 78% more clicks and 2.5x the business as 123notary uncertified notaries in similar positions!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8520

(55) Not getting Title co clients? See if your notes section conveys ur the type of notary they’re looking for.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4825

(56) Running 123notary is more like babysitting than you think, “Did you update your listing? Did you update your notes? Did you renew yet?”

My date with Jeremy

(57) After the signing w/Vampire Notary, the 4 of them enjoyed a sip of Sangria (the Italian word for BLOOD)

Vampire Notaries: 24 hour service

(58) “FedEx?” I said. “Why FedEx?” “That’s where my dates always end–at a FedEx drop box.”

My date with Jeremy

(59) The day after the signing w/the Vampire Notaries the wife asked: “Fred, what are those strange marks on your neck?”

Vampire Notaries: 24 hour service

(60) Running 123notary is like a cross between babysitting & a marriage. A bunch of situations that never end!

My date with Jeremy

(61) Don’t go to houses that smell bad #mobilenotary

Signing agent best practices: 63 points

(62) People who are so emotional & irrational aren’t always capable of using weapons responsibly, especially at a signing!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3329

(63) Notary contracts, fees at the door, background screening signing co’s, call Title if not paid on time.

Signing agent best practices: 63 points

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November 26, 2021

Being a new signing agent vs. wannabe player

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 9:53 am

It is a sad state of affairs when I make this comparison, but yet there are many parallels.

The new signing agent who is on solid ground studies from the best, passes tests, writes nice notes sections on his/her/their listing, and never misrepresents themselves. There are people like this who come across as very professional even though they have no experience to speak of.

Then there are the phony sounding Notaries who try to hype themselves up. They say words about themselves that make them look like they are — all that, but the way they come across is as an amateur and a phony. It is a shame. I deal with people like this all day and I am tired of it. Keep it real please.

Here is what the new signing agents say and what the wannabe players say.

I have a zero percent error rate
Baby, I got what it takes. I could satisfy you.

But, if I do make a mistake — in that unlikely event, I will fix it right away.
Baby, I’ll love you forever, but if something happens, I know how to deal with it. I’ll figure it out.

I have signed every type of loan
Baby, I’m down with all the flavors, and I’ve had them all. Every description, every type, girl.

But, in real life the ones who claim they have signed every type of loan have only signed every type of loan that THEY have heard of which is very far from the ones on my list. I have 40 financial package types on my list. The ones who said they do all average only about 35% of the loans. But, one of 5000 notaries on the site got almost all of them, so when you say all, there is a sliver of chance you might be telling the truth.

But, why come across as phony when you can be helpful and factual with the information you give to others? Facts impress. People who deal with notaries all day long not only see through the fluff, they are a lot less likely to deal with a fluffer, in fact. Is there such thing as a fluffer?

If you are new, just answer questions, and don’t try to impress people. The minute you try to impress, you blow it. Just be helpful, without trying to help.If someone asks if you are still in business — don’t ask when the job is, and don’t tell them you are on vacation – just say yes or no. Being factual is easy – just stick to the facts. Answer numerical questions with numbers, yes no questions with yesses and no’s, and keep it real. Don’t tell people about your zero percent error rate — nobody believes you and nobody has time for that.

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June 18, 2021

12 ways to negatively advertise yourself and fail as a mobile notary

Filed under: Advertising — admin @ 8:51 am

Notaries hire us to advertise them and promote them by virtue of listing them. But, many notaries do counterproductive things with their advertising. Let’s take a closer look.

YOUR BUSINESS NAME
1. Have a generic sounding business name like “Nationwide Notary Service” , “Statewide Signing Service”, or “Illinois Notary Service.” You will get confused with a lot of others and not stand out. Or just don’t have a business name at all.

REVIEWS
2. Don’t ask for reviews — ever… And make sure your work isn’t that great, which will alleviate the risk of getting a positive review. Or you could try to get negative reviews.

PHONE ETIQUETTE
3. Never answer your phone, and if you do, make sure to have screaming kids in the background, try to sound muffled, don’t speak into the phone, and don’t be polite. Never announce who you are when you answer your phone — make them guess.

4. Give roundabout answers to questions via phone and insert lots of unasked for information which you think makes you look knowledgeable, but to them makes you look like an annoying novice who won’t stop talking.

YOUR NOTES SECTION
5. Use baseless cliche adjectives to describe yourself like “responsible” and “reliable”

6. Leave your notes section blank on your 123notary listing profile.

7. Ramble on and on in your notes section without letting people know your credentials or what you know how to do.

YOUR PROFILE
8. Don’t fill in your # of loans signed on your profile. Let people guess and when they ask, say, “lots” rather than giving them actual tangible information such as an actual number.

9. Only work two days a week, and only three hours on each day.

10. Only serve your home county and refuse to go anywhere else for any price.

KNOWLEDGE & CERTIFICATIONS

11. Don’t get any. Or at a minimum, don’t get certified by any agency with tough testing standards. Why bother?

12. Make sure you don’t know your notary knowledge at all. That way you can ensure that you will make Notary mistakes, get in lots of trouble and lose clients.

SUMMARY
If you follow all of my tips, I guarantee that you will do really poorly in your business unless you have a very loyal following already. On the other hand, do the opposite, and you might do well. In addition to these tips, if you send back packages late, or in incomplete form, and speak in a rude way to clients, that will enhance your ability to fail in business. Once again, do the opposite and you might succeed.

I wrote this article in jest, but the reality is that most Notaries are not doing everything, or even half of everything they need to do to succeed. Making it as a mobile notary is not a matter of luck. There is a checklist of things you need to do: Notes, Reviews, Certifications, Notes, Business Name, Phone Etiquette, Notary Skills, etc.

The good news is that we have many articles and even free courses on our blog for ALL of these points. And you can become an expert with n

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May 6, 2019

123notary vs. Snapdocs; AT&T vs. Verizon

Filed under: Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 11:27 am

Snapdocs is a force to be reckoned with. Even though their notaries are bad, and Snapdocs charges a hand and a wrist to use, they still are getting a huge market share. Perhaps we need to compete with them the same way AT&T and Verizon compete.

Maybe I have to talk to the signing companies and offer them anytime minutes if they use our site more. Or maybe I need to offer them new features. Of perhaps I need to offer an easier way to find Notaries on our site.

Most hiring parties I interviewed don’t care if Notaries know anything, they just want people with around two years experience. But, people lie about their experience, so what do the numbers really mean. How many signings do you think these companies really want? If you have signed 200 loans will they try you if they like you?

Maybe I should find a way to pay signing companies to use my site. Every time you use a Notary from 123notary, you can get a chance to win a Starbucks card.

I cannot afford to create the technology necessary to rival Snapdocs, so I have to compete in other ways. Using my femininity is not one of those ways, mainly because I don’t have any.

Perhaps I should try to appeal to generation Z. I don’t even know what they like. I think I know more about foreign cultures in central Asia than I do about generation Z, the post millennials. I do understand generation Y. After you talk to them for more than two minutes, the only question that enters your head is… why?

I think that what will win the battle is finding out exactly what signing companies want and having new search features to give it to them easily. Wish me luck. In the mean time — keep stamping.

.

You might also like:

Compilation of posts about SnapDocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21531

See our string of posts about snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

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January 16, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 — Answering Questions the Way They Were Asked

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: — admin @ 1:30 pm

ANSWERING QUESTIONS THE WAY THEY WERE ASKED
Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104

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I often have to make over one hundred welcome calls per day to Notaries who cannot give straight answers to questions. I have to ask each Notary five questions, but because they give roundabout answers, I have to ask each question sometimes two or three times which leads to 1500 questions for 100 calls when no questions would be necessary at all if they had filled in their listing properly. People who hire Notaries are seriously annoyed with all of the nonsense they have to put up with. So, make their life easy and just answer questions the way they were asked. Below are some examples.

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1. How many loans have you signed?
“Oh, gosh… hmm, let me think for half an hour, well I did one yesterday, and I’m on my way to one now…”

This is inconsequential banter and a real waste of the other person’s time. Just try to give them a number. You were asked for a number, so don’t tell them how many years you have been doing it or how you are NNA certified, just say how many loans you have signed.

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2. What counties do you cover?
“Well, it depends on what you are paying…” or “I go to Van Zandt for my normal fee and then Smith for a little extra, where is the assignment?”

There is no assignment. We are a directory and need to put you in the counties that you cover. If you can just tell me the names of the counties without the other rambling and questions, I would be able to fill that information in a lot more easily.

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3. The names do not match.
If the ID says John Smith and the name on the document says John W Smith, would it be prudent under the circumstances to notarize the signature?
“I would just ask for another ID.”

Obviously you would ask for another ID, but the question is a yes/no answer and you gave a “what would you do” answer instead. You will be marked wrong because once again, you did not answer the question as it was asked.

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4. What hours do you answer the phone?
“I’m flexible.”

That answer is really not helpful, and “all day long” is not either. If someone asks for hours, tell them hours.

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5. Do you have a dual tray laser printer?
“Well gee, I have a single tray printer but I have the software so that it can print letter and legal and my printer is very fast and …”

This answer does not answer the question. The answer is, “No.” You are bending the person’s ear with all of this rhetoric.

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6. What types of loans do you know how to sign?
“I have signed most of them before.”

This is a useless answer. Just list the types of loans and financial packages you have signed before such as: Refinances, Helocs, Purchases, 1st, 2nds, Reverse, Reverse Applications, Construction, etc.

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You might also like:

Vague communication is unacceptable
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19048

Clarifying vague claims in your notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4675

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January 15, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 — The initial call

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: — admin @ 11:27 am

Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104

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1. Introduce yourself
Introduce yourself properly by phone when you answer the initial call to hire you. “This is June of June’s Notary Service” is a lot better than, “Hullo?” High-brow clients will judge you by how you answer the phone, so answer like a professional if you want to be treated like one.

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2. Answer questions the way they were asked.
If someone asks what your hours are, tell them your beginning and ending times. Don’t say “it depends” and don’t be vague. Give them a clear picture of your availability without making them ask again. If someone asks how many loans you have signed, don’t give them a summary of your professional background, just give them a quick number. If someone asks if you are still in business, don’t tell them you are eating dinner or on vacation, just tell them that you are still in business. Just answer the question.

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3. No background noise
Screaming children, televisions, or people talking in the background sound unprofessional. You need to turn the TV off, go into the next room where there is no noise, and apologize if there is any noise. That is called being professional. If you are in a restaurant, there might not be much you can do, so at least let the caller know where you are and that you cannot do anything about the noise at least for the time being.

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4. Don’t scramble information
Asking people to repeat endlessly is horrible. If your phone is horrible, get a new one rather than accuse the other person of breaking up. If someone asks if you can do a notarization for two signers on three documents, don’t repeat it back to them as, “Okay, three signers on how many documents?” That is called scrambling information and sounds ignorant.

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5. Don’t brag
Notary Signing Agents have the desire to overprove themselves. The secret is to make a good impression by being helpful and not shoving your credentials down someone’s throat. It also makes a good impression to ask a few relevant questions about the type of signing or document. Asking a few pertinent questions looks professional. Show the world how good you are without trying. Just politely and calmly answer people’s questions and they will get the impression you are a seasoned pro and not an overanxious newbie.

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6. Act calm
Acting calm and helpful is a lot better than acting anxious and overly helpful or overly unhelpful. People get put off by desperate or unfriendly behavior. Seasoned signers normally act calm. Signers that are over-seasoned are too calm because they don’t care if they get the job because they want to retire, so don’t be too nonchalant either.

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7. Speak clearly and listen
There is nothing worse than a Notary who mumbles or speaks unclearly. With such Notaries you have to keep asking for clarification as to what they said. And what’s worse, when southerners say the word “bell” it sounds like “bail” and you have to ask them if they meant b.e.l.l. or b.a.i.l… Why can’t we all just be Yankees? Then, there are the Notaries who aren’t paying attention who have to ask you to repeat half of what you say. They are very unpleasant to work with, so please listen carefully when talking to clients.

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8. Confirmation calls
During the confirmation call, it is practical to ask the borrower to prepare for the signing by having a clean dining room table, have animals out of reach, children taken care of, and no noise. Make sure all parties will be there early, have identification, and have any documents or checks going back to the lender or title. It is better if the borrower leaves their outside light on so the Notary can find the house more easily.

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9. Answering machines
Your answering machine should not have unprofessional sounding music. I cannot say what unprofessional music sounds like. Some people have Vivaldi that is just too loud while others have hip hop music. Just be sensitive to how this music would sound to a hiring party and use your judgment.

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10. Grammar
Do you use bad grammar? It don’t matter. Well, actually it does. People judge you in all sorts of ways, so try to use proper grammar as that is part of etiquette.

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December 20, 2018

Beginner Notaries 103 — Notary Etiquette

Filed under: Etiquette — admin @ 1:24 pm

Notary Etiquette
Return to Table of Contents for – Beginner Notaries 103

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New Notaries and experienced Notaries alike have a very poor sense of Notary etiquette. It is common for people to complain about small things and not communicate well. We are going to publish a course on Notary etiquette. But, here are some of the main points you should understand.

1. Answering questions the way they were asked
Most Notaries cannot give straight answers to questions. This is a sign of poor self-discipline and a scrambled mental state. If someone asks how many loans you have signed, most Notaries tell you how many years and tell their life story. This is annoying and is bad manners. Just give the person a number. If someone asks what counties you serve, don’t tell them your whole pricing strategy for each county, just tell them your counties. If they want pricing information they can ask.

2. Answer the phone stating your name.
Too many people answer the phone saying, “hullo?” It is unprofessional. Others say, “Why are you calling me on a Sunday?” Don’t do that. Be professional. Others answer the phone while answering a question to the person standing next to them. This behavior can be alienating to the caller as you don’t know who the recipient is talking to.

3. Don’t have family members answer your phone.
It is annoying and confusing when someone else answers your phone for you. If they don’t state their name, the caller won’t even know they are not talking to you and might start a long conversation with the long person.

4. Don’t have noise when you answer the phone
No Mortgage professional wants to have their conversation with you interrupted because of your screaming kids. If you are in a restaurant, apologize about the noise and explain to them where you are. Hopefully they will understand.

5. Don’t fail to answer calls in a signing
If you don’t answer calls in a signing, nobody will be able to reach you. Unless you signed a contract saying you won’t answer calls, answer your phone otherwise how will you get your next job?

6. Don’t answer the phone and then refuse to talk
If you answer the phone, give the person calling a minute or two to state why they are calling and let them ask a quick question or two. If you answer the phone and interrupt the caller only to tell them that you can’t talk — you should not have answered in the first place. It is rude and annoying to do such a thing.

7. Get documents back to the company fast.
Know your local FedEx stations and UPS stops. Get packages back as soon as you can. Nobody wants to find out that their package is in your trunk four days after the fact. They also don’t want to hear that you missed FedEx pickup because you waited until the last minute, got a last minute job, and then forgot to drop the package as a result. Drop it like it’s hot.

8. Accept criticism
Most Notaries think they are so knowledgeable and can do no wrong. But, get very hostile when anyone criticizes them. In real life agencies that list you or hiring parties might criticize you. Take it as constructive criticism and learn from it. Don’t argue and don’t be hostile.

9. Don’t brag
Nothing is worse than a Notary who has to prove to you have great they are and rambles on about how much experience they have. I ask people simple questions such as, “How many loans have you signed?” Instead of getting an answer, I get a long rambling session about how their husband works in Escrow and I learned so much from him over the years and I even attended a signing with him. You can offer to explain your level of experience to someone, but don’t just start bragging and talking nonstop. It is rude, unprofessional and makes you come across as undisciplined and inconsiderate. Be polite and answer the questions that were asked to you.

10. Dress appropriately
Business attire is what you should wear to a signing. Believe it or not, even experienced Notaries show up in flip flops, night club attire, mini skirts, or bring their screaming kids to a signing. You will get fired if you don’t dress the part, so dress like a business person and act like one too.

11. Confirm the signing
Let people know who you are, when you are going to arrive. Call if you are going to be late, etc. You can go over directions as well and it is not a bad idea to know how their name reads on the ID before you drive over.

12. Don’t park in the driveway.
The driveway is for the borrowers or signers to park. You can park on the street unless you are invited to park in the driveway. They might need that spot in their driveway and they might not appreciate the fluids you leak onto their driveway either.

Those are the basics. Read our etiquette course for more.

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March 24, 2018

Notary Marketing 102: Phone & Communication Etiquette

Filed under: Comprehensive Guides,Loan Signing 101,Popular on Twitter — admin @ 8:08 am

Return to Notary Marketing 102 Contents

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Part of marketing is the act of actively promoting yourself. But, a lot of marketing is about doing a good job and communicating well.

To get hired to do Notary work, you need not only to know what you are doing, but you need to communicate clearly as well. Here are some major issues with phone etiquette.

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DURING THE INITIAL CALL

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1. Introduce yourself
Introduce yourself properly by phone when you answer the initial call to hire you. “This is June of June’s Notary Service” is a lot better than, “Hullo?”

2. Answer questions the way they were asked.
If someone asks what your hours are, tell them your beginning and ending times. Don’t say it depends and don’t be vague. Give them a clear picture of your availability without making them ask again. If someone asks how many loans you have signed, don’t give them a summary of your professional background, just give them a quick number. If someone asks if you are still in business, don’t tell them you are eating dinner or on vacation, just tell them that you are still in business. Just answer the question.

3. No background noise
Screaming children, televisions, or people talking in the background sound unprofessional. You need to turn the TV off, go into the next room where there is no noise, and apologize if there is any noise. That is called being professional.

4. Don’t scramble information
Asking people to repeat endlessly is horrible. If your phone is horrible, get a new one rather than accusing the other person of breaking up. If someone asks if you can do a notary for two signers on three documents, don’t repeat it back to them as, “Okay, three signers on how many documents?” That is called scrambling information and sounds ignorant.

5. Don’t brag
Notary Signing Agents have the desire to overprove themselves. The secret is to make a good impression by being helpful and not shoving your credentials down someone’s throat. It also makes a good impression to ask a few relevant questions about the type of signing or document. Asking a few pertinent questions looks professional.

6. Act calm
Acting calm and helpful is a lot better than acting anxious and overly helpful or overly unhelpful. People get put off by desperate or unfriendly behavior.

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CONFIRMING THE SIGNING & AT THE SIGNING

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7. Call to confirm the signing
Go over all pertinent points. Make sure the ID proves the name on the documents and that all the signers will be there. You should also verify that there is a clean table to sign on. You should go over how long the signing should take, if there is anything going back to the document custodian and if they have used morphine or Jack Daniels within several hours of the signing. Nothing beats a sober signer or a well organized Notary Public.

8. Introduce yourself at the door
It is good to mention that you are Joe the signing agent and that it is your job to facilitate the signing. Mention that they can address all of your questions to you, but that you cannot answer specific questions about their loan, but only general questions about loan documents and Notary procedure.

9. Small talk is good
People like a friendly Notary who can talk about small talk. But, avoid any topics that could be controversial such as gender issues, sex, guns, and how born again Christians should have a second birth certificate for when they were born the second time.

10. Don’t discuss guns and religion
Unless you are notarizing the Obamas, don’t bring up Joe the plumber, or religion. But, if you are notarizing the head of the NRA then you might reconsider guns. If you ask him to shoot you an email, don’t be surprised if he asks what you want him to shoot it with! Yee-haw!!!

11. Don’t park in the driveway
The driveway is for the residents to park in, not you. You are their humble servant who parks on the street (sorry.)

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OTHER

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12. Dress for success. Business casual is great. People get complaints more for dressing poorly than for being a horrible Notary. So, go to Men’s Wearhouse first, and then buy that Notary course you were thinking of. And remember — it’s not what you know — it’s how you look! Notaries who show up in shorts and flip-flops get some serious complaints and even a bad review on their profile. In short, don’t dress like me.

13. Carry loose Acknowledgment, Jurat and other certificates in your Notary Carry All Bag that you purchased from the NNA. Carry a thumbprinter, wipes, and pens with you. Nothing is worse than a Notary that doesn’t have pens except one who wears flip-flops. Having good professional equipment makes you look like you know what you are doing even more than actually knowing what you are doing.

14. Arrive on time
Nothing is worse than a late notary other than one who wears flip-flops.

15. Follow up punctually
If you have to get the Fedex back, do so immediately. Do not wait to drop a package unless you are waiting for a call back. If you wait 90 minutes or more for a callback, consider that title needs their docs back and it might make sense to just drop it. That is a judgment call, so think carefully about it. If you get emails, answer them asap.

You have to be available after signings for up to the rescission date and sometimes later. If you become unreachable after the signing, you will get very serious complaints. The worst complaints we get about notaries are that they were rude, or unresponsive after they had completed work.

16. Don’t be rude
If someone is rude to you, don’t reciprocate. Your reputation is on the line. You can get penalized for being rude even if the other person deserves it. So, watch yourself!

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Please Also Read:

Best marketing resources for Notaries. This entry goes over active vs. passive marketing in detail
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16322

Notary etiquette from Athiest to Zombie
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13718

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

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