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August 25, 2023

Dress to Impress: Notary Etiquette 101

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: — Tom Wilkins @ 12:00 am

When it comes to maintaining professionalism in the legal and business world, the way you present yourself matters. This is especially true for notaries, who serve as impartial witnesses to the signing of important documents. The notary dress code contributes to projecting a trustworthy and credible image to clients. In this blog, we’ll delve into some essential tips for unlocking the notary dress code, ensuring you make a lasting impression in your role.

Importance of Dressing for Success

The notary dress code isn’t just about wearing a suit and tie; it’s about adhering to a standard that reflects your role’s significance. You often deal with critical legal documents and sensitive transactions as a notary. Dressing appropriately can instill confidence in your clients and convey that you take your responsibilities seriously. Remember, your attire is your first introduction to clients, and a professional appearance can set the tone for the entire interaction.

Opting for Classic Attire

Classic is the way to go regarding the notary dress code. Traditional business attire, such as suits for men and conservative dresses or suits for women, is generally the norm. Opt for neutral colors like black, navy, gray, or white, as they exude professionalism and are less likely to distract from the task. Keep accessories minimal and tasteful to avoid overwhelming your appearance.

Grooming and Presentation

It’s not just about the clothes you wear; grooming plays a crucial role, too. Make sure your hair is well-groomed, and your facial hair is neatly trimmed. If you wear makeup, keep it subtle and polished. Pay attention to your nails, ensuring they are clean and well-maintained. Remember, the goal is to look polished and put together, so paying attention to these details is key.

Comfort and Confidence

While adhering to the notary dress code, remember comfort. Your attire should allow you to move comfortably and perform your duties efficiently. An uncomfortable outfit can lead to distraction and unease during crucial transactions. Additionally, confidence is a byproduct of feeling comfortable in your attire. When you feel good about what you’re wearing, it’s easier to exude confidence and professionalism.

Adapting to the Occasion

While classic attire is the most appropriate dress for a notary, adapting to the specific occasion is essential. Some situations require a slightly more formal outfit, while others are more relaxed. Consider the context of the transaction you’ll witness and adjust your attire accordingly. Flexibility while staying within the boundaries of professionalism is vital.

Footwear Matters

Footwear is an often overlooked aspect of dressing professionally. Your shoes should be clean, polished, and appropriate for the setting. Avoid flashy or overly casual footwear, which can detract from your overall professional appearance. Opt for closed-toe shoes that complement your outfit and maintain a sense of formality.

Attention to Detail

The devil is in the details, as they say. Pay attention to small but impactful aspects of your appearance, such as your belt, tie, or jewelry. Ensure they are coordinated and match your overall ensemble. These small touches demonstrate your commitment to presenting a polished image.

Elevate Credibility and Inspire Trust

Ensuring your appearance is in line with the expectations of the job is one of the most important components of building a successful practice. Keep your professional attire so prospective clients will see you as reliable and trustworthy. Invest a few hours into gathering pieces that showcase your professionalism and aim for a polished look that will make even the toughest critics take notice. Moreover, feel free to bring out your style. It can be conveyed through subtle details like jewelry, scarves, and ties. By staying true to your professional code, you can draw more attention and get more clients for yourself in the future.

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May 19, 2023

Mobile Notary Etiquette Tips

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: , — Tom Wilkins @ 12:00 am

Mobile notaries are professionals who play a crucial role in facilitating the signing of legal documents. They travel to their client’s locations to witness and notarize documents, saving clients the hassle of traveling to a notary public office. As a mobile notary, it is essential to maintain a high level of professionalism. In this article, we will share some tried and true mobile notary etiquette tips that will help ensure the notarization process runs smoothly.

Dress Professionally

As a mobile notary, it is important to dress professionally when meeting clients. This creates a good first impression and sets the tone for notarization. Dressing in business attire and wearing a name badge is recommended to identify yourself as a notary. Dressing professionally is one of the most important mobile notary etiquette tips you should follow.

Be Punctual

Clients appreciate punctuality, and it is a sign of professionalism. As a mobile notary, ensure you arrive at the scheduled time or a few minutes early to avoid delays and inconveniences.

Communicate Effectively

Effective communication is key in any professional setting. When dealing with clients, it is important to communicate clearly and concisely, using simple language they can understand. Listen attentively to their concerns and address them appropriately.

Bring Necessary Supplies

Ensure you have all the necessary supplies for the notarization process, such as a notary journal, seal, stamp, and pen. Also, ensure these supplies are in good condition and comply with the relevant state laws and regulations.

Check Client Identification

Before notarizing any document, verifying the client’s identity is important. Ask for a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or state ID. Check that the ID is not expired and that the name and photo match the client.

Stay Impartial

As a notary, it is important to remain impartial and not take sides in any transaction. Your role is to witness and notarize the document, not to provide legal advice or express personal opinions.

Maintain Confidentiality

Clients trust notaries to keep their information confidential. Ensure that any personal information the client provides is kept confidential and not shared with any third party.

Explain the Notarization Process

Clients may need to be more familiar with the notarization process, so it is important to explain it to them. Let them know what they need to do, what you will do, and what to expect after completing the notarization process.

Be Flexible

Mobile notaries often work with clients who have busy schedules. Therefore, it is important to be flexible and accommodate the client’s schedule as much as possible. This may involve working outside regular business hours or traveling to remote locations.

Keep Accurate Records

As a notary, you must keep accurate records of all notarized documents. Ensure you complete the notary journal, including the client’s name, date, type of document, and any other relevant information. Also, ensure that you keep the journal in a safe and secure location.

Proper Etiquette Will Improve Your Reputation

In conclusion, mobile notaries play a crucial role in facilitating the signing of legal documents. To maintain high professionalism and etiquette, it is important to dress professionally, be punctual, remain impartial, maintain confidentiality, and be flexible. By following these mobile notary etiquette tips, notaries can provide exceptional services to their clients and build long-lasting relationships. For more notary tips, check out this article on how to be a successful mobile notary.

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January 30, 2022

Don’t park in the driveway?

Filed under: Etiquette,Popular on Facebook (A little) — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 8:37 am

This article was originally published many years ago.

Don’t Park in the Driveway?
 
This sounds like a dull topic, but the type of responses we get, keep getting better by the day. This issue is the least clear cut, and most confusing issue that notaries face.  Yet, so few notaries ever have this issue cross their mind. 
 
Don’t Park in the Driveway.
Its rude and unprofessional to park in the driveway.  You are leaking fluids on someone’s driveway, preventing them and their family from parking there, and potentially blocking someone.  But, sometimes, there are situations where you should park in the driveway.  You could make several Seinfeld episodes out of this topic.  There is a general rule, and there are dozens of exceptions.
 
(1) I’m confused, isn’t that what driveways are for?  No! The driveway is for the borrower to park in, not the signing agent.  You are a guest, and not the resident.  Don’t park there without permission, and don’t ask permission unlesss you really have to.
 
(2) In regards to “Don’t park in the driveway”, please be aware that many gated communities have banned on-street parking. Check with the homeowner if street parking is allowed when you make the confirmation call. (This is true especially in Florida.)
 
(3) In regards to “Don’t park in the driveway”……where I live most of the time that is ONLY place to park. When I was a new signing agent, that piece of information caused me a lot of stress, but have since realized that I have to do what I have to do. I try not to block in vehicles, but that isn’t always possible.
 
(4) If there is a snow storm, you need to park in the driveway, otherwise the snow plow will cover your car with snow.
 
(5) In rural communities, driveways might be more than a half a mile long, so it behooves you to park in the driveway in such a situation. In winter, it wouldn’t be safe to walk up such a long driveway.
 
(6) Some notaries say, they always park in driveways taking care not to block someone in and never had any trouble. Other notaries say that they would never park in someone’s driveway no matter what.
 
(7) One lady says that a customer complained that she parked in the street instead of the driveway.
 
(8) There might be signs on the street not allowing street parking. That means you are forced to park on the driveway.
 
(9) In some neighborhoods the streets are very narrow, making it a better choice to park in the driveway.
 
The bottom line is that if you value etiquette and manners, and take them to the highest level, just ask where the borrower would like you to park, and then everyone will love you, and might even love your leaking coolant too!

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January 27, 2022

Crayons and dog treats at the signing

Filed under: Etiquette,Ninja Theme Articles,Pets at Signings — admin @ 12:30 am

NOTE: The point of this article is that the Notary put unique and interesting information about how she brings crayons and dog treats to the signing. This refreshing information got her a lot more business. Learn from her!

I just spoke to a delightful notary. It is fun talking to the new notaries, because some of them are so interesting!

This lady likes to make everyone comfortable at a signing, and she gets a lot of repeat business, so her method is working. When she walks in the door, she greets the animals and children first. She gets to know them a bit, and explains to them what she is going to do there. She also offers treats to the dogs, and crayons for the children!

The result of her nice way of getting to know everyone, is that everyone is happy during the signing. Dogs are much happier if you introduce yourself to them and tell them your name. They like it if you let them sniff you a bit. Cats are a little more tricky. It takes cats a few years to warm up to a human, and feeding them chicken daily for a few years facilitates the process. The children feel very happy, that someone thought of them, and now they have something to do during the signing that will keep them quiet.

It is fun to hear about the unique approaches that notaries have to doing signings, and this one was fun!

But, there is only one lingering question that I feel I must ask.
How come nobody gets ME crayons?

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July 29, 2020

Review your own phone etiquette & get more market share!

Filed under: Etiquette — admin @ 10:27 pm

Most Notaries have a very inflated self-image. But, when I talk to them, from my point of view it is like pulling teeth to get basic information out of them without a whole lot of digressing, rambling, and extra information crammed down my throat that I didn’t ask for.

Did I mention the endless cover ups for low experience? If someone has a low count of how many loans they did, they insert in a desperate, frantic and worried tone of voice, “But, I tagged along and shadowed someone very experience and saw many more signings — oh, and that person was very good and very very experienced.”

That’s nice, but someone viewing your listing is considering hiring you and not that person you shadowed, so leave him/her out of it!

You guys really need to listen to yourselves and hear how unprofessional most of you sound. Anyone who calls you wants the facts THEY WANT to hear and not the facts you want them to hear. Unless they ask you to sell yourself in a free-style way, just answer their questions in a confident and honest way with NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. It makes the conversation much nicer, less exasperating, and you come across seeming a lot more professional.

You can claim to be “very professional” until the cows come home, but if the way you come across is desperate, disorganized, scatter-brained, and inept, the caller will have a bad impression of you. Even the more experienced Notaries with 10,000 loans signed are not usually good over the phone. Around 1% of Notaries are good over the phone. You would probably increase your market share by more than you think by just mastering Zen and the art of having a good phone conversation with a prospective client.

It is not that hard to have good phone etiquette, but it will only happen when you stop telling yourself how great you are and start paying attention to how you behave and communicate, take notes, and make improvements.

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October 28, 2019

Notaries are supposed to be ethical, but how do you test for that?

Filed under: Etiquette — admin @ 11:49 pm

One Notary commented on my blog that there needs to be an ethics test for Notaries, but how do you do that?

How about a multiple choice test.

If a customer offers to bribe you to backdate, should you:
1. Accept the money
2. Report the guy to the government
3. Just say no (and say it politely)

In real life when you are under pressure you might do all types of things. But, what about a secret test. What if people would come to get notarized and ask you to do illegal or unethical things. If you complied, you would get in trouble. What if those people secretly worked for the government? I believe in undercover testing of character. Because we all claim to be upstanding citizens, but most people are a bunch of liars. So, let’s catch people in the act.

You might also like:

Texas suspends a notary who notarized a document about Stormy’s hush money
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22331

10 risks of being a notary public
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19459

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January 19, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 – Contents

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: , — admin @ 1:26 pm

Doing well in the Mobile Notary business involves more than just stamping documents. You have to be on time, develop contacts, do more than claim to know what you are doing, and use proper etiquette. 123notary has written many articles on Notary etiquette before, but this one is a course with multiple sections that is intended to be a well organized reference guide.

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CONTENTS

1. Phone Etiquette for initial calls – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21134

2. Confirming the signing & At the signing – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21136

3. General Etiquette Tips – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21197

4. Answering questions the way they were asked – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21138

5. Miscellaneous – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21142

6. A humorous guide to Notary etiquette – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21208

7. Relevant links about etiquette – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20505

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January 18, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 — Miscellaneous

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: — admin @ 10:32 pm

MISCELLANEOUS NOTARY ETIQUETTE TIPS
Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104

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1. Don’t sell people’s signatures or personal information.
It is bad manners and possibly illegal, and definitely unethical to sell or distribute anyone’s private information.

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2. Don’t second guess family relationships.
I once thought the wife was the guy’s mother. Oops!

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3. Handling criticism
Notaries can get very rude or defensive if criticized. The psychology of a Notary is one who claims they know everything when in reality they typically know about 30% of what they need to know and manage to get by with this sub-minimal knowledge. If you make a mistake and someone calls you out on it, don’t argue, just try to understand what you did wrong or allegedly did wrong and learn from that experience. I sometimes quiz Notaries by phone and they get very hostile when I tell them they made a mistake. You won’t learn to be smarter or impress your clients by getting belligerent when criticized — treat it like a learning experience and it might just better you.

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4. When to call the Lender
Some Notaries will call the lender if they don’t know if they should sneeze or not. Calling the lender can end up in a forty minute phone call. You will have trouble getting out of the house where the signing takes place if you call the lender. So, only call if you absolutely have to. In the 30 point course on our blog we have a chapter all about when to call the lender and when not to.

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5. Is it rude to ask for a thumbprint?
This is a topic of debate and even hostility with the Notaries. For your safety you need to take thumbprints. But, many Notaries think that it is not only unnecessary but bad to take a thumbprint because what if you offend someone? I am more concerned with what happens if an imposter drains the equity in someone’s house, the Notary ends up in court for two months without pay, and someone goes to jail. To me that scenario weights a lot more heavily than if someone is offended because you ask them for a journal thumbprint. If the FBI is investigating you because you notarized an identity thief, the falsified information, fake name, fake ID, and fake serial number from the ID will lead the FBI nowhere and they can name you as a suspect in a conspiracy and you could end up in huge trouble. A thumbprint could save your life, so take it seriously.

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6. The document is not in English
You need to refer to your state’s notary laws. Many states will allow you to notarize a document in a foreign language providing the signer understands what they are signing. If you are going to upset someone by saying no to a transaction, make sure you have the right to turn down the transaction before you ruin their day.

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7. Notarizing the elderly
If you are notarizing people who are very old, or in a hospital, ask them some polite questions about current events. Make sure they know who they are, what the document means, and if they know who is in the White House these days. Some people are out of it, so find a nice way to drill them a little bit.

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8. Rude posts on social media
If you think that nobody is reading your social media posts, think again. There are a lot of very hostile and psychotic Notaries out there who are bashing all types of Notary companies including our own. This is rude and belligerent behavior. Many title companies will not hire Notaries who are involved in this type of behavior.

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9. Being obstinate about answering questions.
When companies ask Notaries Notary questions, many Notaries do not want to answer. They feel they are professionals and therefore should not be questioned. The sad reality is that most Notaries do not have a solid notary knowledge and that is why those questions are a necessity. So, be polite and just answer a few questions without trying to wiggle out of it.

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10. Answer emails and phone messages fast.
Keeping people waiting is very rude. Try to get back to people as soon as possible.

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January 17, 2019

Notary Etiquette 104 — General Tips

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: — admin @ 3:19 pm

GENERAL TIPS
Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104
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1. 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.

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2. Forms you should carry
Carry loose Acknowledgment, Jurat and other certificates in your Notary Carry All Bag that you purchased from the NNA. Carry a thumb printer, 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.

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

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4. 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 callback. 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.

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5. 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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6. Animals
If you are uncomfortable with animals in the room with the signing, you can politely ask if the animal can be put behind a firmly closed door. Dog owners assume that since they enjoy Fido jumping over them that it’s okay that Fido jumps all over you — after all, it’s okay because Fido’s a nice doggy.

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7. Where to sit
You are the facilitator of the signing, and you call the shots where people sit at the signing. It is often easier if you sit at the head of the table with husband and wife sitting next to each other. That way when person #1 signs and turns over the document, the second person can turn it over and sign it assembly line fashion.

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8. Tips for Jurats
In a Jurat, the signer has a choice of doing an Oath or Affirmation. Many Notaries today are very politically correct to the point where they assume that the borrower will be offended by an Oath and by default only do an Affirmation. This is offensive to those who want an Oath and also not legal. It is up to the borrower to choose which type of Notary act to choose, so just say,

“To execute a Jurat, we will need a statement made under the penalty of perjury as to the truthfulness of the document… would you prefer to swear under Oath under God or affirm on your honor?”

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9. Leaving a business card
At the end of the signing it is not bad manners to give them a business card. You never know when they will need another notarization.

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10. Do you answer the phone during a signing?
It is generally a bad idea to have phone calls during the signing. Some signing companies forbid this altogether. However, you might not be able to get your next job unless you answer your phone. So, if the phone rings, give the caller a minute before you cut them off. It is rude to answer the phone only to tell someone you can’t talk, and it is rude to the borrowers to have a long conversation with someone unrelated to the loan. This is a judgment call. However, it is sometimes hard to get a chance to talk to a Notary due to the fact they are always busy, because they are either at a signing, between signings, eating, or at church — with notaries this busy there is no good time to talk to them… ever!

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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

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Notary Etiquette 104 — Humorous Edition

Filed under: Etiquette — Tags: , — admin @ 10:11 am

Here is a humorous version of our etiquette course for your laughing pleasure.
Return to Table of Contents for – Notary Etiquette 104

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1. Dress for success
Wearing a smile on your face, but if you are also wearing a polyester jacket from the 70’s with super wide lapels, you might be the only one smiling.

Ladies, if you’re dressed in such a way that on the way to the signing cars pull up to you and ask how much you charge and you say, “$50 for a signing and an extra $25 if it includes eDocuments. I don’t do oral Notary acts like Affirmations though.” — you might need a new wardrobe.

If you wear flip-flips to the signing, you might be able to flip through a lot of documents, but your business will eventually flop.

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2. Arrive on time
It’s okay to be fashionably late if you are going to a cocktail party, but not to a signing.

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3. Animals at the signing
If there is a parrot in the room that says, “Stop forging his signature — bock!” you might want to get out of there. You should avoid doing Oaths for dogs, they prefer to receive Affirmations (or wuffermations). Cats prefer to take a nap on the documents.

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4. Leaving a business card.
When you give clients your business card, if you crossed out the phone number and wrote in a new number in handwriting — it’s time to print out some newly designed cards. If the email address on your business card ends in “aol.com” it might be time to consider retiring.

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5. Answering the phone during a signing
Its’ a bad idea to have phone calls during the signing. It’s an even worse idea to have them hear your heavy breathing. It’s even worse if the phone call is from your borrower’s ex-girlfriend or mistress.

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6. Don’t discuss religion at the signing.
If you start the signing with, “Those damn Quakers, they’re not as friendly as they claim to be, and grey went ou in the 70’s.” — you might be in the wrong profession and should probably convert from Quakerism to Catholicism.

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7. If your signer’s mother tongue isn’t English
It is generally a bad idea to mimic your signer’s accent at a signing. Wait until after the signing. Unless you have a document that is going to the Russian Consulate… then read it with thick Russian accent comrade!

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8. Confirming the signing
When confirming the signing it is a good idea to ask, “Are you high? Are you going to be high at the signing? Can I have some, man?” But, only do that if you are in a state where marijuana is legal otherwise you might be sorry. If you are going over their ID over the phone ask, “Do you look high in your ID photo?”

9. Middle initials
If the signer doesn’t want to sign with their middle initial, give them the finger… the middle finger! Just kidding. Just explain why they need to sign with their middle initial, and then after you are leaving the house, then give them the finger. There is a proper order to these things.

10. Don’t give opinions about the loan.
When you are at a signing, don’t comment about their interest rate such as, “Wow man, that’s a great rate… My brother just got a loan and his rate was way higher than yours. I’m so bummed out about that. I wish we could have gotten 4.5%. I’m going to call my brother right now and tell him what a loser he is.” It’s also not a good idea to say, “Wow, look at those terms, you’re getting ripped off dude, totally ripped off.”

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