Number Crunching
Based on previous number crunching sessions, I learned that those who do well on our certification tests or email quizzes tend to do well in life and getting clicks, jobs, etc. Knowledge is power — and you must make sure never to misuse your power. Just kidding — you can misuse it. Just don’t do anything illegal.

20% More Clicks?
However! I decided to learn if any particular questions influence your fate more than other questions and I was blown away by what I found. I analyzed about 30 listings that had taken my email quiz. I learned that people who answered questions about how to ID a person correctly did a lot better on click results. Those who followed directions fared well too. Those who could give proper oaths got more clicks as well. With these questions, a single correctly answered question resulted in 20% more clicks — wow!

The Fedex Question
But, there was one question where you got more clicks by answering it wrong — what gives? It was my infamous drop the package question that most people to this day disagree with me about. Basically, if you almost finish a signing, but the signer refuses to sign a particular disclosure, you call your contact person, send texts, leave messages, etc., but don’t hear back from him, then what? How long do you wait to drop the package because of a single non-notary document that is sitting on the borrower’s table after you leave?

My Answer
My answer is that ideally you should wait 90 minutes from your initial message, and feel free to keep calling after that. Drop it, because if you don’t, you might forget to drop it, get sidetracked by another last minute job, get in an accident, or get caught up in something else. If you don’t drop it, chances are the docs will go back at least one day late and you will get in trouble. But, there is a one percent chance it will be two or more days late for a variety of reasons in which case you will be in big big trouble.

Most Notaries prefer to wait until right before pick up at Fedex and then drop the package or wait until they get a return call. If the Loan Officer is in the hospital, you might never get that return call, meanwhile the loan docs will be collecting dust in your car. These situations happen, although not that often

The irony is that those who answered this wrong according to my analysis, who held on to the documents got a lot more clicks as a result. But, why? I feel that these Notaries exhibited conscientiousness by waiting for instructions even though it was not in good judgement to do so. They exhibited caring and responsibility to do a wrong thing that seemed like a right thing. However, I feel that these Notaries did not think the situation through carefully and are more likely to get their clients in trouble in the long run.

It is my practice to elevate free listings higher on the list if they get high clicks, and then to lower their placement if they score poorly on my quizzes. It looks like this is the ideal question for those with high clicks who are a danger to the public who need their placement lowered.

My Question to Myself
My question to myself is — should I not ask questions that lower your clicks by answering them correctly, or ask more questions with the same attribute, or not care either way? After all, I am measuring the safety of the notary and not how popular they are by quizzing them so why should it matter? Hmm. A question to chew on.

Most Notaries don’t want to bother studying. They are lazy, not well educated, and have a bad attitude in general. Additionally, most of them do not care about their work, don’t care about safety precautions, and most of all don’t care how they treat me. The purpose of being Elite Certified is to prove that you are one of the good Notaries who does care and who represents the top 2% of Notaries in terms of knowledge.

It is unclear how long it takes to study for the elite test. That depends on how much you already know. Let’s say it takes 10 hours to study — what are the benefits if you will be in business for another ten years?

$14 more per signing.
Elite Certified Notaries get paid $14 more per signing based on a poll than uncertified Notaries.

Double your work
I cannot say how much extra work Elite Certified signers get, but their clicks are far higher than the rest, so I will estimate realistically that it is about double.

Before vs. After
If you were getting five signings per week at $100, and you get ten signings per week in the long run at $114. that means you go from an income of $500 per week to $1140, but your expenses don’t go up. Over the course of ten years that is $570,000 in income compared to $250,000 which is $320,000 extra income. So, your ten hours of study netted you $320,000 extra income. Ten hours of study is 600 minutes which means that each minute of study is worth $533 in the long run.

Most Notaries typically make very bad financial decisions. Most of them chose not to get educated. Most of them chose not to try hard at their job or career. Most of them chose and choose not to study hard for my tests. They would prefer to spend time at a birthday party or working for $20 per hour rather than to study for the elite which is worth $533 per minute! If you are having trouble making up your mind, just ask yourself —

Do you prefer 30 cents per minute or $533 per minute?
Most Notaries actions suggest they prefer 30 cents which is exactly what they get if they get paid at all.

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You might also like:

Why you should consider getting 123notary elite certified
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20094

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

The elite certification study guide
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20118

Back in 2004 to 2012, many people wanted to get 123notary certified and studied hard to get this designation. In the last few years, we retested our certified members and found that the overall skill level of people on our site had declined a lot and that most people were not willing to study. This is a huge mistake. Title and signing companies care about experience above any other qualification. However, they still reward people for knowledge and the clicks and jobs dispatched prove my point. If you want to have an edge over the other Notaries, 123notary certification is one of the most effective investments of your time — the other two being reviews, a stellar notes section and accumulating mass amounts of experience the old fashioned way. Below are some significant benefits for 123notary.com certification.

1. Get more clicks (but, not on route 66)
123notary certification currently gets Notaries an average of about 30% more clicks to their listing. It is one major factor of several that determines whether or not your listing will even get looked at. More clicks typically translates into more jobs, however, this relationship is not directly proportional. 30% more clicks in real life would translate into 40-50% more jobs. Many people will click once on your listing during a query. But, if they give you extra clicks, that means they are strongly considering hiring you which is why the click to job ration is disproportional and in your favor.

2. Get more jobs from Title
One Notary wrote to me after he failed his certification retest audit. He said that calls from title dropped altogether the minute I took his certification icon away from him. This is not true for all Notaries, but was his case which is why he studied many hours to pass the scrutiny of my questioning. People who work for title want solid Notaries, and they look at a number of factors including certification — and for God’s sake, please don’t have any spelling mistakes in your notes section on your listing or you can expect your phone to be dead.

3. Feel more confident about yourself
Many Notaries who master our materials like the fact that they know what they are doing. At the risk of sounding more like a deodorent commercial — many signing agents have told me that the feel happier and more confident talking to title and going to signings. Yes, they spend many grueling hours studying for our test, but they feel it was worth it and I respect their diligence.

4. Be one step closer to elite certification
You cannot just become elite certified at 123notary. You need to have a solid understanding of Notary procedure and vocabulary as well as a 123notary basic certification. Certification brings you one step closer to being ready to study for the elite test which is very different material and much more obscure.

5. 123notary certification is sought after by particular companies
I have gotten correspondence from Notaries who claim that 123notary certification is informally recognized by 1st American Title among others.

6. You will be a safer Notary
Many Notaries put themselves at legal risk because they do not know the legal significance of how they handle situations. Not keeping your journal correctly could end you up in trouble with the FBI or a Judge in court. Not keeping thumbprints could get you named as a suspect in an investigation as it looks like a cover up. Doing cross-outs when it is not necessary can get you in trouble with certain county recorders or Lenders. Knowing what you can do, and knowing what you can do that is prudent are two different questions. Learn how to please your client without creating liability for yourself by mastering our Notary materials. We have written blog articles where Notaries have gotten into legal trouble and had to pay up to $20,000 to defend themselves when they were innocent. Imagine how much easier it would be if you kept proper records and acted prudently at all steps along the way.

7. Multiple certifications make you look serious
As someone who deals with Notaries all day long, I can attest to the fact that I have a higher level of respect for Notaries who have three or more certifications. Those who just get the NNA certification and say, “That is all I need.” seem like underachievers to me. I have a higher opinion of those who took notary2pro, NNA, and 123notary certification, or Loan Signing System. When I was a Notary I got certified by five organizations to give you an example of someone who takes this business seriously.

8. Make $8 more per signing.
We did a poll many years ago and learned that our 123notary certified members average income made per signing (according to their claims after a mass email was sent asking them how much their average signing netted) was $8 higher than people not certified by 123notary. Elite members made $14 more per signing. Making more income per signing means that after expenses, you will be making a lot more per year. The extra income could add up to $5000 to $10000 extra per year for a busy Notary which might be $200,000 in their lifetime. It only takes ten hours to do a good job studying for our test. Is your ten hours worth $200,000? That’s $20,000 per hour. What else can you do that is worth that much even if you do brain surgery (or are a hitman) on the side?

9. Get perks from 123notary!
If we notice you are 123notary certified, you would be more likely to get opportunities for free or paid upgrades that the others might be overlooked for. Stop being overlooked and get certified today! If you are late paying your bill, we might give you a little longer grace period. And in general we will value you more because you represent knowledge, quality, and come across as being a serious Notary. Over all you will get better treatment from 123notary if you pass our test.

10. Be more fluent explaining things to borrowers
In real life there are certain things you can and should explain to the borrowers while there are others that you should refer them to a professional about. If you pass our test you will know where to find the prepayment penalty, how to explain the APR, what is on the HUD or CD, and when their first payment is due. You will have this information memorized. You will know that a signer can legally presign an Acknowledgment (in most states) whether the Lender “prefers” that or not and how to administer an Oath without falling on your face. You will be more professional and smooth in all of your transactions.

SUMMARY
Certification will help you get more clicks, get more work, make more per signing, be smarter, feel better, be a smoother Notary, and get on the good side of 123notary. It only costs a few hours of study and a small fee, so the only thing holding you back is lethargy. Get off your assets and get 123notary certified today!

You might also like:

Compilation of posts about certification & elite certification
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16264

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

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

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

The lady who studied 30 hours for her elite test
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21238

We have learned through an email based poll that we administered a year and a half ago that 123notary Elite Certified members make $14 more per signing than those who are not 123notary Certified. They also get more title company work and get close to double the work in general. If you are tired of not getting paid well and want to up your education, 123notary is currently offering free education for signing agents. You can read our study guide.

Many elite members have also informed me that they are more popular with title companies because of their refined skills and also have a lot more self-confidence and feel better about themselves and their abilities.

Studying to be elite certified might take up to 30 hours of work studying from our free materials. It sounds like a lot, but it will benefit you for the rest of your life.

You might also like:

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

Elite Certification Study Guide
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20118

30 Point Course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14233

Notary Public 101
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=4561

If you are a professional, you should be able to handle professional questions in your sleep. Particularly if they are routine questions.

I have stopped phone testing people partly because people hate it so much, partly because it is so disturbing to me, and partly because it is so time consuming. Last, the companies that use 123notary care about the knowledge level of the notary, but they don’t care enough for me to merit training and testing people who didn’t pay for a program.

During the days when I was testing, people got mad because I called when they were not in a good state of mind. They were sleepy, busy, with friends, going to the hospital, and this was somehow my fault. They are “professionals” and they answered their phone, yet they could not talk about intelligent topics with me.

Is the problem your state of mind or is the problem that you don’t know your stuff and don’t have the discipline to learn your stuff or act professional over the phone.

Notaries want to get paid more, but I can make a list of Notaries who merit getting paid more. Those are people who are elite certified by us. It takes discipline to master Notary knowledge the point that you can pass that test. Those who are faking it will fail miserably. Getting 95% on Notary questions under time pressure narrows the population down to a fraction of a percent. Why the others cannot function with that level of knowledge is beyond me — after all, that is their profession.

Take your profession seriously and professionally. Don’t just claim to be professional because that sounds phony and corny. Master Notary knowledge. There is not that much to know, and if you got through college, this is much easier than college.

A Notary posts — how do I sleep at night saying that the Notaries on some other site are not as good as the Notaries on my site. And then he states that I am not even a Notary.

Rebuttal:

I am not even a Notary
I used to be a Notary for eight years. I test Notaries on Notary procedure and they normally score an average of 35%. Is 35% good enough to practice Notary work? I score close to 100% on Notary questions and got very few wrong on the very hard California exam many years ago. Of course the content has change in California, but that is immaterial. I am not perfect, but I know Notary procedure better than most Notaries on my site — the exceptions are those that work for the NNA hotline or for state notary divisions as they normally know more than I do — although I caught a lady working for the California SOS make a logical mistake understanding credible witness procedure. The law is complicated and perhaps too convoluted.

How do I sleep at night saying that the Notaries on other sites are not as good?
I sleep fine, but sleep better if I take Advil and kefir (cultured milk). What can I say, the milk calms me down, and no, it doesn’t need to be warm milk like people in India insist. Since I tested almost all the Notaries on 123notary, and also test Notaries I find from particular other sources like Snapdocs, etc., I am aware of the quality of these notaries in terms of test results. Notaries on SnapDocs very rarely score higher than a D on my test. And the notaries that are the top ranking people in their state on SnapDocs do not normally do better than a C. Higher ranking Notaries on 123notary are not always good, but at least we have a good quantity of people who are masters of their craft and also have a depth of experience.

So, I am comparing apples to apples with fair scales. I have a right to assess the quality of Notaries because I represent them. I feel responsible to offer the world good Notaries if I can. I can only do my best. Who are you in your ignorance of this profession to criticize me — I have been running a directory for 20 years and have been a Notary for 8 and done very well on multiple tests not to mention created hundreds of test variations and stimulating quiz questions myself.

You might also like:

123notary vs. Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21258

A tour of Notary Cafe
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21222

People think about the financial cost of getting 123notary certified. It is only $67.95 currently. That is not a big investment. Word on the street is that get more work and about $8 more per job if you have our certification. As of 2019, I estimate that you would get about 30% more work by having our certification, and $8 more per signing according to a poll I took.

So, if you were paying a few hundred a year for a top listing, you would get 30% more out of it which might add up to about $100 extra value for advertising each year. The other way to look at it is that you might get several thousand dollars more business each year which you would have no other way to obtain. So are you gaining $100 worth of advertising or thousands in revenue? How should you look at it?

The fact is that the big investment in our certification is not the cost which would pay for itself in days in terms of the extra work you are expected to get. The big investment is time, because in addition to our cert course, we expect you to master Notary Public 101 on our blog which is a long and comprehensive guide to basic Notary procedure. We think you should already know that stuff, but nobody does regardless of what state you are in.

So, the bottom line is that you might need 20 hours of study time, but the $30,000 extra you might make over the next decade is definitely worth your time and makes your time worth $1500 per hour. What else are you doing with your time that is worth $1500 per hour unless you are an assassin. And if my math is wrong, you tell me what the correct math is. After all I am only doing an educated estimate.

You might also have an easier time rising up to a higher spot when one comes available if you have our certification. So there are multiple reasons for getting it but only one for not — laziness and a self defeating attitude. Keep positive — and get our certification today. It is good for life but you do have to pass a phone audit as well as the online test.

You might also like:

123notary certification gets you more clicks
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22496

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

I heard from a blog comment that several… that means not one, but more than one vendors who hire Notaries are now asking for 123notary certification. That means that since I cleaned up our certification and made it up to a higher standard, that more people value it. Maybe one day it will be highly valued — imagine that.

I will keep a positive thought that our standard will be the highest standard in the land and that people will come from far and wide, and pay big bucks to get our certification. You never know, that could become a reality. We’ll find out. But, we are moving the right direction at least for now.

Our certification is for sale in our loan signing course page. We also have courses on the blog. I recommend doing both as they are different.

You might also like:

123notary certification gets you more clicks
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22496

He lost his 123notary certification and title stopped calling overnight
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22131