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February 11, 2017

SnapDocs — thumbs up or thumbs down?

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Popular on Twitter,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 10:29 pm

Notaries who use SnapDocs not only get a ton of ratings from people who used them, but the ratings are anonymous. You wonder if the ratings are even based on reality — because they can say anything! One lady on NR was furious that she only got a 77%. I have no idea, is that good?

Your entire reputation is controlled by God knows who and with information that is not even necessarily even correct or given using integrity. Additionally, you don’t know WHY you got a thumbs down. Was it because your fee was too high? Was it because you didn’t answer your phone or email fast enough or because of a scheduling issue? You’ll never find out!

But, what about the Notaries? If something goes wrong it is automatically the Notary’s fault. The Notary is penalized on SnapDocs, but not the client.

The fact is that SnapDocs clients pay them big bucks to use this convenient and automated system that performs all sorts of automated functions for them. That is excellent and I commend them for that. However, they do not seem to care about the common Notary!

Maybe I should learn from all this and design some functions into 123notary to be for the benefit of the Notary! Notaries need someone to defend them, and the forum is great, but not enough! Maybe there’s another way.

In the meantime, SnapDocs gets a thumbs up for quantity of work. However due to the quantity of endless complaints from Notaries about their service, I wonder why Notaries who have any experience at all are willing to put up with this kind of headache…

You might also like:

See our STRING on Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

SnapDocs — I felt like I was being used!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18852

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

Who is involved with 123notary behind the scenes?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18888

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February 10, 2017

A Notary goes Public on Shark Tank with Shazamdocs!

Filed under: Andy Cowan,Best Humorous Posts,Popular on Linked In,Popular Overall,Sit-Coms — Tags: — admin @ 9:06 pm

First up into the tank: A way to keep records on how long companies take to send electronic documents.

NOTARY: Hi, Sharks. I’m Jeremy. And I’m asking for $200,000 for twenty percent of my company, Shazamdocs. Sharks, there’s one thing that matters in life more than looking as dapper as Mr. Wonderful here.

MR. WONDERFUL: He knows of what he speaks.

LAURIE: He’s kissing up and I’m throwing up.

MR. WONDERFUL: Hush. Grab a breath mint.

NOTARY: What matters in life, whether you’re sharks or whether you’re a notary, is knowing when you’ll be paid!

MR. WONDERFUL: You’re speaking my language, son. The language of luv… of money.

NOTARY: The database on Shazamdocs monitors how long companies take to send electronic documents, and… by virtue of our exclusive algorithms… computes the average amount of time it takes to get paid. No longer will you have to waste your precious time and resources hitching yourself to companies that drag their feet when it comes to upholding their end of the transactions.

DAYMOND: Feet dragging is a drag.

NOTARY: We’re like Yelp for notaries. With your help, sharks, we’ll get this in the homes of notaries throughout the country, and after that, the world! Who wants to show this notary their own seal… of approval?

ROBERT: You, yourself, said you’re like Yelp for notaries. There’s nothing proprietary about that.

NOTARY: I’ve applied for a utility patent.

CUBAN: You’ll never get it.

LAURIE: Mark.

CUBAN: What? He’s living a pipe dream. What’s to stop anybody from charting the records of companies to see how quickly they pay their bills?

NOTARY: Nobody does it like we do.

CUBAN: I’m out.

MR. WONDERUL: Ouch.

CUBAN: What about you, Kevin? You said the guy knows of what he speaks.

MR. WONDERFUL: That’s when he was complimenting my impossibly dapper qualities.

LAURIE: You got the impossibly part right.

ROBERT: What do you sell the program for and what are your sales?

NOTARY: I sell it with an annual subscription rate of 19.95. And we’re in pre-launch.

DAYMOND: Uh-oh. So you’ve made bupkis.

ROBERT: Daymond, I didn’t even know you were Jewish!

MR. WONDERFUL: I’ll make you an offer. I don’t know what you’re worth, I’m taking a heck of a risk, but I’ll go on the ride with you. There are plenty of notaries who need greater assurances they’ll get paid faster. But $200,000 at twenty percent assumes a value of a million dollars. You’re not there yet. I’ll give you the $200,000. But I want forty percent of the business.

CUBAN/DAYMOND/ROBERT: Oy.

LAURIE: You’re all Jewish now.

MR. WONDERFUL: I hear the other sharks flapping their gums, but I don’t hear anyone putting their money where their yappers are. I made you an offer, Jeremy. What do you say?

NOTARY: I appreciate the offer, Mr. Wonderful.

ROBERT: If I brought a notary in, would you swear to that?

NOTARY: But with all due respect, that’s giving up too much equity. I’d like to hear what the remaining sharks have to say.

LAURIE: As you know, Jeremy, as I’ve said many times on Shark Tank. I can tell when something’s a zero. And I can tell when something’s a hero. And this… is most definitely… a thirty. Better than zero, but nowhere near a hero. I’m out.

ROBERT: Laurie, you were toying with the man.

LAURIE: No, I wasn’t. I’m just being honest.

ROBERT: Well, Jeremy, I see nothing proprietary here. And I’m not a big notary guy. If I ever need you to witness something, I’ll be a customer. But I don’t see it as an investment. I’m out.

CUBAN: So that leaves Mr. Wonderful’s less than wonderful offer. And Mr.Daymond.

DAYMOND: I hate it when companies drag their feet before paying somebody what they’re owed, so I’m with you there.

JEREMY: Would you consider joining up with Mr. Wonderful?

DAYMOND: As much as it pains me to say it, I might do the deal with Kevin, if he’s up for it.

MR. WONDERFUL: I’d do that deal. But, Jeremy, you’d be getting two sharks.

JEREMY: Would the both of you consider the deal for… thirty percent equity?

DAYMOND: 100 K each at fifteen percent each? What do you think, Kevin?

MR. WONDERFUL: I’ll do it with one contingency. That we test the accuracy of your program on us. If your program can tell us how long it’ll be before we pay you the 200 K, I’m in.

DAYMOND: Me too.

JEREMY: Right away?

MR. WONDERFUL: Sorry. I would’ve paid you after hell freezes over.

DAYMOND: Me too.

MR. WONDERFUL/DAYMOND: I’m out!

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You might also like:

See our string of posts about Notary Shark Tank
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=shark-tank

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

FASS has a brand new app
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17477

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February 1, 2017

How does the 123notary points system work & why should you care?

Filed under: Marketing Articles,Popular Overall — admin @ 7:01 am

123notary has an algorithm to assign a point value to each Notary listed with us. Why do we do this? Isn’t the fact that you paid us whatever subscription fee enough? No. First of all, the majority of our listings are free listings which appear at the bottom of the list.

Free Listings
We assign various placement levels via p#’s to free listings. The best free listings get a p#6 in their home area while the worst get a p#2. For free listings, your point score determines your placement and the score results are evaluated every month or so. If a free listing gets below a particular point score, they might be taken offline for good. Additionally, if a free listing doesn’t get enough clicks per month, we might remove them as well even if their points are good just because it looks like they are out of business or not doing much business if they are not getting many clicks.

Paid Listings
Paid listings are guaranteed a particular level on 123notary.com. If you have low points, you are still listed. However, many paid members want to upgrade. Your price for upgrading is determined based on the pricing in your area as well as your points score. If you have low points, you have to pay more for an upgrade as we want to encourage only our best members to elevate themselves to the top of the list.

Points Change
Please keep in mind that your points score is based on fourteen different factors and your point score can change. If you act grossly unprofessional, and get marked as such, that can stay on your record forever. But, your phone answering rate changes every time we call you. If you never answered your phone in 2013, but always answer in 2016, your old phone stats would get phased out and replaced by newer numbers. If you got a lot of reviews recently, your points would go up. If you pass our certification test, your points go far up. So, if your points are low, there are many things you can do about it. You can start by adding more to your notes section as keep track of the last time you fixed up your notes.

If you don’t login regularly
If you have really low stats and don’t login for 120 days, we reserve the right to remove your listing form 123notary until we hear from you. If you have high stats, we also have the right to remove you, but normally would give you a handful of courtesy calls first. If you give us the courtesy of maintaining a top notch listing, we will grace you with the courtesy of a few courtesy calls. If someone with high stats cannot be reached with courtesy calls, we normally still keep them online as they are valuable to our site to keep.

What can you do?
It pays to have good stats on 123notary. You can keep a free listing longer, get cheap upgrades, and not get removed for failing to upgrade. Update your notes, get reviews, pass our certification test, answer your phone, and announce your name when you answer your phone. Those are some of the best ways to get good points with us — and it’s so simple too. So, get lots of points and benefit us both — today!

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January 28, 2017

WFG National Title Insurance Company

Filed under: Popular on Facebook (some),Signing Company Gossip — Tags: , — admin @ 9:31 pm

Here is a condensed version of the more interesting comments about this company on our forum.

(1) Penny
“I have not received payment since my assignment and invoice to WFG on November 28. Despite numerous emails saying it’s in the mail, or will be in the mail, zero.
Penny 1-17-17”

(2) Joan
“WFG in Westlake Village, CA is giving me the run around with my fee being received. Completed signing on 9-30-16, it is now 11-29-16. Unacceptable. They claim they are going through a transitional period since Michael Crowder is no longer with them. What has that got to do with A/P getting my money to me?”

(3) DanNotary
“May not be dealing with them again. Huge packages, lots of work, difficult to get through to anyone and get a response. They pay $125 but if I do anything again its going to be $150.”

(4) 29993
“I have noticed that the loan packages are getting very large…so I have begun to notify, particularly WFG whose files average 170 copies…that my minimum fee is increased by another $20.00..As I mentioned before I have had no problems getting paid and have asked each time if the file is larger than 120 pages to add in another $20…but I’ve had to followup to make sure that it was…..so this week I am sending out notifications to most of the companies I work for to increase my minimum fee to include the $20. Whenever I accept a signing…they will need to include it in the order or I will return the assignment right there and then………We all have to begin to hold the line on our fees or if you accept less then you only have yourself to blame….Good Luck!”

(5) Garyw148
“I agreed to perform a signing for WFG for 10:30am the next day. At 8am I had yet to receive any documents. WFG did not answer any of the 4 phone numbers I called. Nor did they respond to the emails I sent to 3 different people. My last email was that I was going to call the borrower and let them know the signing was cancelled. Moments later (10am) I received a response not to call the borrower that the documents were coming. Then I got an email stating the day would be changed. I called the borrower and basically said to stand by. I requested to be paid via PayPal. I got a call from Mike stating they never pay via PayPal and he would remove me from there list of notaries. I said fine. Be carful here folks. Read the other reviews.”

You might also like:

See our string on WFG on the forum
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5117

See our string on NEW signing companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=new

National Preferred Notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16669

Are you a Yes-tary or a No-tary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=3241

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January 24, 2017

Quit Claim Deed

Filed under: (4) Documents,Popular on Twitter — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 12:22 am

A Quitclaim Deed is a legal instrument used to transfer interest (ownership) in real property. The Grantor is the entity who is transferring its interest to the Grantee who is the recipient. The owner or Grantor quits or terminates any right or claim to the property by signing this form.

No Title Covenant
The Quitcliam Deed includes no title covenant and offers no warranty as to the status of the property’s title. The Grantee is entitled only to whatever interest the Grantor has in the property — if any. As a result, the Grantee has no legal recourse should the Grantor not be the legitimate owner on title, or if their share of the property is less than expected.

Warranty Deeds
Warrantee Deeds on the other hand often contain warranties from the Grantor that the title is clear and that there is no encumbrance against the title.

Common Uses
Quitclaim Deeds are most commonly used to transfer property from one family member to another or to take one family member’s name off title for the sake of a notarized loan signing. Quitclaim Deeds are not usually used to to transfer property from a buyer to a seller as Grant Deeds are a much more common form of official property transfer instrument.

How do I notarize a Quitclaim Deed? How do I get a Quitclaim Deed Notarized?
If you need a notarized Quitclaim Deed, find a Notary on 123notary.com. Any commissioned notary public can notarize this document in less than three minutes assuming you have current ID and a complete document.

You might also like:

Index of information about documents

Index of information about documents

See our string on all different types of documents (completely up to date)
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=2074

TRID information courtesy of Carmen
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18932

Good Deed Bad Deed — Ken’s guide to every type of Deed
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16285

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January 17, 2017

Notary vs. Signing Agent

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Popular on Twitter,Technical & Legal — Tags: , — admin @ 12:21 am

We write about this topic every so often. It is so basic and so critical that all new Notaries should understand. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans become Notaries. As Notaries they can perform tasks such as Acknowledging signatures, performing Jurats, administering Oaths, and other tasks which might be state specific. Notaries can hold their heads up high as their function is to identify signers, keep good records (in most states at least) and deter or prevent fraud. But, that is only if they are doing their job correctly — and most states do not vet their Notaries well enough to know the difference.

What is a Notary?
(1) A Notary Public is a state appointed official that is authorized to perform particular Notary functions. All states allow Notaries to perform Acknowledgments, Jurats, and Oaths, while some states allow Notaries to act as an official witness, safety box opener, proof of execution, protests, take Depositions, and more.

(2) A Notary receives a formal certificate of commission from their state, and a commission number.

(3) Many states require a Notary to have an official notary seal that has the Notary’s name, commission number, expiration date, state andcounty.

(4) Many states require the Notary to keep a bound and sequential official journal of notarial acts.

To be short, a Notary can perform certain basic Notary functions that their state allows them to function. Their state offers them a formal certificate of commission, and normally allows them to get one or two official Notary seals with their name, commission number, expiration date, city and state, etc. Notaries use prescribed state specific wording for particular Notary acts and that wording can be used on loose certificates that they can purchase from businesses who sell Notary supplies. A Notary is a public official, although most Notaries don’t understand that on an emotional level. They are appointed by their state as an official who will uphold (or at least are supposed to) the laws of their state at all costs.

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You might also like:

Would you accept a signing without a confirmation?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22588

Notary Public General Information
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20075

10 rules for negotiating notary fees
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19620

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January 16, 2017

Notary Notes Makeover…

Filed under: Popular on Twitter,Your Notes Section — Tags: , — admin @ 12:10 am

BEFORE
With over thirteen years of experience as a certified notary signing agent, exceptional customer service, attention to detail, reliability and professionalism are what you can expect. With thousands of loans signed, I guarantee a flawless mortgage loan closing from start to finish. Conveniently based in Long Beach, I cover both Los Angeles and Orange Counties. I have extensive experience with both commercial and residential loans in the areas of e-documents, purchases, refinances, helocs, second mortgages, piggybacks, and reverse mortgages. All notarizations for living trusts, apostilles, medical records, title transfers, foreign adoptions, prenuptial agreements, and power of attorney documents will be completed promptly and efficiently. I am fully GLBA compliant and background screened. For premier mobile notary services, give me a call to get started!

AFTER
13 years signing agent experience; 1000+ loans signed;

I have extensive experience with both commercial and residential loans in the areas of e-documents, purchases, refinances, helocs, second mortgages, piggybacks, and reverse mortgages.

All notarizations for living trusts, apostilles, medical records, title transfers, foreign adoptions, prenuptial agreements, and power of attorney documents will be completed promptly and efficiently.

I guarantee a flawless mortgage loan closing from start to finish. Excellent customer service, attention to detail, reliability and profesionalism are what you can expect. For premier mobile notary services, give me a call to get started!

NNA Certified
NNA Background Screened
High Speed 3-Tray Printer (65 pages / minute)

I cover Los Angeles & Orange Counties with an emphasis on the Long Beach area.
Thanks for visiting my listing on 123notary!

NOTE
The way I normally try to organize notes has a particular structure. First of all, information is separated into paragraphs. The top has punch points which are quick points that have a strong selling feature. An unusual service like Weddings, or a high amount of loans signed, jail or hospital signings might go on top. Last minute signings or a wide radius are also good and quick pieces of information to put on top.

After that, I like to talk about experience. Many Notaries bury their valuable experience under inexpensive claims of how “reliable” and “professional” they are. The least professional Notaries stress how professional they are, so why cheapen yourself by emphasizing what makes you look like a chump? A list of loan types, document types, or who you are on the white glove list with really helps a lot. That way people know what you are capable of.

Next, a note about your personal style or what is unique to you is good. This is where you talk about how you put the customers at ease and triple check your work.

Bullet points come next with certifications, equipment, the fact you have an MBA, etc. Bullet points should be two to six words long otherwise they won’t look good as bullet points.

Coverage area comes near the bottom and try to make it easy to read without too much rambling. Try to avoid a long list of zip codes. A final note can come at the bottom .

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January 9, 2017

You lose $333 each time you don’t ask for a review

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Popular Overall,Reviews — Tags: , — admin @ 12:08 am

What? How did you come up with this figure? Who does your math, or rather, where did you learn how to do math? Many Notaries claim that they just never “get around to it” when I ask them about asking for reviews. Most Notaries treat asking for a review as some chore like cleaning the attic once every four years. Asking for reviews is more like brushing your teeth. It takes only two minutes, but if you don’t do it, you’ll lose some of your business — or perhaps need a root canal.

Ask for reviews and floss after each signing
Think of 123notary as a Notary dentist. Most people visit the dentist once every six months for a cleaning and check up. But, how often do you go for a check up for your Notary business? We can give you a check up and tell you what you are doing right and wrong anytime — for free, and without the novacaine. We can also do a “cleaning” on your notes section to remove the plaque. The first thing we’ll tell you is to ask for reviews and floss after each signing. Also, get a check up with 123notary every six months, or whenever you feel you need help.

Don’t for a review ask unless complimented
Asking the wrong people for reviews doesn’t help, and asking unappreciative people is also a waste of time. Most Notaries make a list of all the signing companies they’ve ever worked for, ask them all for a review the same day and get nothing. Ask INDIVIDUALS for reviews and ask them the minute they say, “Gee, I love your work — you’re the best Notary I’ve ever had.” If you don’t get this type of compliments, try showing up exactly on time, dress impeccably, answer all of their questions with a smile, and offer a little extra at no charge. Be helpful, but not too helpful like the breakfast lady at the hotel last week who wouldn’t stop offering me yogurt to take to my room. Individuals could be signers for a single document who hired you directly, or perhaps borrowers.

5 or 6 reviews doubles your business.
Reviews are potent in the minds of readers for three years. If you have five or six that doubles your new business from 123notary statistically. But, getting those six reviews is not so easy. Most Notaries think they need to ask six people and they’ll get six reviews. Then there are the people you asked who said they would write a review, but didn’t. You might have to ask ten people who claim they love your work just to get one review. But, if you ask sixty people, you’ll get the six reviews (yes, six is the magic number) that will transform your business. The question is, how long does it take in minutes to ask sixty people?

Ask sixty people in the course of a year or two.
It takes a minute or two to ask for a review. There is some chit-chat, some gossip, and some technical how to regarding the review. You will need to take their EMAIL ADDRESS, so you can email them a link. Without a link to your review page, few if any people will go to the trouble to find it on their own. 123notary is not so easy to navigate even for our staff, so how will a stranger be able to find your page. Sending a link to the “write a review” part of your review page takes a minute. In total, you might spend about four minutes each time you ask for a review and send the necessary email. Asking sixty people will take 240 minutes total. If the average Notary on 123notary (no such thing) makes $20,000 in signings in a three year period, doubling that will be an extra $20,000 as a result of having spent 240 minutes asking for reviews.

Doing the Math
You need to ask roughly 60 people for reviews to get 6 reviews which is the magic number
6 reviews statistically doubles your incoming calls from 123notary (results vary)
It takes 4 minutes to ask for a review and send the email with a link to your review page
4 minutes * 60 people you asked is 240 minutes
You might make $20,000 extra over the next (3) years if you had six or more reviews.
$20,000 divided by 240 = $83 per minute you spend asking for a review
$83 * 4 minutes = $333 each time you ask for a review.

If you are “too busy” to ask for a review, ask yourself, is whatever I’m busy with worth $83 per minute? Even if you are a brain surgeon, the answer is probably no — unless you include the overhead for the operating room and salaries for assistants, clerical work, and costs of the plastic gloves.

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You might also like:

123notary’s comprehensive guide to getting reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290

Notary Marketing 102’s guide to writing a comprehensive notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19788

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January 7, 2017

Who and what is Snapdocs?

Filed under: Popular on Twitter,Popular Overall,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 9:47 am

It is not a day that goes by the I don’t get a call into 123notary.com about SnapDocs. Who are they? How do I sign up with them? How much do they pay? And, more often than not, ‘They have destroyed my notary signing agent business’.

So let me start off for folks that don’t know – they are not a signing service. This is just a platform set up where notaries can register and create an account for free, upload their credentials. ex: commission, bond, E & O, background check, certifications etc. Once your credentials have been verified by the staff at SnapDocs

(I assume this means that they are making sure your documents are current) and you have completed your profile you are all set to receive notary assignments. You set your profile to receive jobs via email and/or text. Hiring companies that have also signed up can now choose a notary from the site. It costs the signing company that utilizes this service 8.00 per assignment so I have been told. Ouch! The signing services can also rate your work and/or performance. You however, cannot rate the signing service. Personally, I don’t think this is fair. There are just to many of them that don’t pay and really take advantage of us.

Several of the signing service companies that use it have stated that they love the interface and the user experience is good – for them. However, on the other hand many notaries have expressed concern that companies that use to pay regular and a fair fee have now begun to also offer lowball offers. I assume that is because of the 8.00 fee to use the platform. The notaries also resent that there companies no longer contact them direct via telephone. The problem with this is their is not enough information that is given in the text or email. It tells you the date and time and whether it requires faxbacks but usually nothing else. IMO, this is not enough information given to make a decision whether to take a assignment or not.

Personally, I deactivated my profile. I got annoyed with all the low ball offers. It was a waste of my time. So there you have it. I would love to know how the rest of you feel.

Thanks for reading, be safe.

You might also like:

Snapdocs business model doesn’t add up
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19290

Snapdocs thumbs up or thumbs down?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19190

Does knowledge still matter as a signing agent?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19887

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December 27, 2016

The Care and Feeding of Mentors

Filed under: Ken Edelstein,Popular on Facebook (shares) — Tags: — admin @ 11:01 pm

The Care and Feeding of Mentors
Jeremy published an excellent article on finding a Mentor – http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16793 OK, you followed the advice and found one willing to work with you. Now what? That is the essence of this post.
“I’m in a hurry, I don’t have much time in my schedule to devote to study or research; the bottom line is this: I want to know specifically, using my Notary License, exactly what you can do to make me rich”.

Believe it or not, that is essentially what several Mentor requesting notaries have asked me. A common theme is that they want the “fast path” to the Big Bucks. They perceive their Notary status as having the deed to a gold mine, if only they could find the exact location of their mine, to pick up the nuggets lying about for the taking. In a similar manner, when I go to the NY State Dept. offices (which administer Notary and Real Estate Broker license tests) I often hear the prospective Brokers discussing the “killing” they plan to make by selling the Empire State Building – “that commission alone will set me for life”.

There is nothing wrong with having high aspiration, but it’s real life that it also requires a large amount of perspiration to “get there”. Delusional can be defined as a false or mistaken belief or idea about something. I don’t use that word to be critical, but rather to stress the point. A Mentor devotes their time, and shares their skills and knowledge; generally without compensation. That is not always the case. I had a request to teach how to process some rather complex documents – it took a full “hands on” day; and I was paid accordingly. However, that is a rare exception.

Most requests for me to Mentor come via email and start with a liberal dose of flattery. OK, it makes sense to say something nice to someone you want to do you a favor. As covered in the above mentioned blog; I really don’t want to create competition “across the street”. So far, that has not been the case. It’s a heavy lift to train someone to be a Signing Agent from “scratch”. So I usually suggest they take a course on the subject and really learn the material. There are several sources for “basic training”. It’s just too time consuming to cover the Venue, ID requirements, Oath, and such. When I was learning to fly an airplane, initially I read about theory, and then flew simulation on my PC, graduating to renting a plane and an instructor. Getting in the plane with instructor and not knowing anything would be inefficient.

The following scenario has repeated itself several times over the past decade. I receive the request, with flattery, to help someone who wants to grow their business. Rarely is there a specific question included, just the general goal of self improvement (scores intent points) and, of course, the desire for more money. That’s fine with me – they are, in my mind, a “contender” wanting to better themselves. So, with my very first email reply I want to determine if they are willing to really WORK for their goals.

I give a “homework assignment” – it’s always the same. I ask that they read my last dozen, or more if they wish; blog entries. Then, citing which blog they are referring to: ask 12 detailed questions that relate to an issue or concept in that blog that is unclear or should be expanded upon. Why? If I’m to spend time being a true Mentor, I have to “know” the person I am working for (yes it’s working for). They have to show me that they really will put “skin in the game” and work for their own benefit. I also want to see their writing skills and get a sense of what they consider important to learn. This dispels the myth that I have a bucket of knowledge that I can simply pour in their direction. As Jeremy mentioned, there is a vast wealth in the blogs, of which my stuff makes a minor, but often useful contribution.

Sad to say: to date not a single “student” submitted their homework – not one! My intent was never to “chase them away” – If I wanted to do that I would simply reply that I was too busy. Beginners: let your prospective Mentor know that you are willing and able to WORK hard “with” them, for your gains.

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You might also like:

How to find a Notary mentor
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16793

How to write a notes section if you are a beginner
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16698

Notary information for beginners – best posts
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10472

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