The best money I ever invested.

When I was a kid, I bought a $1000 lawnmower that could mow 3x as fast as a regular mower. It was 36 inches wide. I had to have two long planks to get it in my pick up. I made tons of cash with that machine. My marketing skills that I use for 123notary were developed as a child hustling my lawn mowing business.

College is the biggest rip off. Five years of my life and very little to show for it. The Chinese I learned is mostly from myself and very little learned in a classroom. But, socially it was very involving.

My business 123notary was a good investment. It got me a high paying and interesting career that kept me busy for two decades.

Notary advertising if done correctly can get you tons of money. You might have to spend $1000 to get $12000 of business, but that is not bad.

When I first started advertising on Google adwords it was 5 cents per click. That got my business going well and it was cheap. It went up over several years to over a dollar per click for a high spot. I had to get strategic when that happened.

Giving to charity helped me get favors from God and the angels. Never underestimate the power of tything which is God’s commandment to us as humans. You produce, you make money, you share, you prosper even more.

But, surprisingly the best investment I ever made was today. I got Israeli style hummos and shawerma with spices I’ve never tasted before. It was a little bit Indian and a little moroccan, sweet, and juicy. I have never had food that good and only $10 during happy hour. Then to top it off, I got brioche at Whole Foods – only $6 but the best bread I’ve ever had.

So, don’t count your chicken shawerma’s before they hatch or get cut from the rotisserie and spend effort and money buying effective advertising. Let us be your coach because we give free tips on what to do.

I was reading a very long and detailed response to on of my blog articles about Snapdocs. It was written by a Snapdocs staff member (see it in the links section) explaining that our claims about Snapdocs might be distorted in certain ways and how they are a great portal. In any case, there are signers who get paid well on Snapdocs.

Some signers who use Snapdocs have lots of experience and in my opinion value. A handful of them receive texts for jobs paying low ball fees. The signers just write a counter offer for a higher fee and explain their experience and why they are worth it. Sometimes they get their fee. In real life you cannot always get your fee, but if you do a particular percentage of the time you can make good money and a good profit margin after expenses.

I was reading another comment from a Notary in a remote area who claims they get paid well by Snapdocs jobs simply because they are in a remote area where there are no other options — so the company has to pay the Notary’s asking fee. Interesting.

More links.

More on Snapdocs the Uber of the Notary Industry!
See a detailed response from Snapdocs themselves in the COMMENTS section of this entry.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16236

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

This is a new one for me. I was reading blog commentaries and one Notary said she got several requests for the same job after she had turned down the job. How annoying. I have heard that recently multiple signing agencies are sometimes assigned the same job to see who can handle it more quickly. Sounds like something airlines do where you book a flight on one airline only to find that you will be on another because they play tag team with their clients.

So, this poor Notary is being text-barded with a barrage of unwanted texts. She asks people to take her off their list as well since it is so annoying. Personally, I am glad I am no longer a Notary. I can’t put up with all of this last minute nonsense.

Another Notary writes that in Los Angeles, several hundred Notaries can be contacted at once and you have about 3-5 seconds to respond. Good God. I think that in rural areas, Snapdocs might be nice for the Notary, but in Los Angeles the competition from desperate people is too much.

You might also like:

Cattle call notary offers
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9841

Read about lowball notary fees
http://blog.123notary.com/?s=lowball

I have heard that SnapDocs helps (or sometimes helps or wants to help) their Notaries get paid in a timely manner, but how? How long does it take to get paid from a SnapDocs assignment? Let me know your experiences.

Yesterday, one of our more motivated Notaries called me to ask me a few questions. She asked, how she would know if a call for a Notary job came from her 123notary advertisement.

The answer is that there is only two ways to know:

They tell you.
You ask them!

Ideally, a serious Notary who wants to know their ROI on various forms of competing advertising needs to keep a journal and write down the source of every job that they got. Sometimes it is repeat business who already knows you. Sometimes business comes from a referral. Other times they forgot. But, if you get enough referrals from 123notary, then definitely upgrade and get certified.

Each quarter you can tally up the jobs that claimed to come from each respective directory and see how much you are paying each directory to see which is a more effective use of your money.

However, don’t forget, 123notary advertising works a lot better if you have a notes section individually checked by Jeremy himself. If he thinks your notes are lame, so will the browsers, and you will not get hired much. Put some unique and juicy material in there about yourself. And you need reviews as well on a regular basis. So, don’t judge 123 unless you did your part in making your listing pop.

You might also like:

How does pricing work for top placements on 123notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19355

She was on another directory for 8 years without a single call, then she joined 123notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15398

There is a common misunderstanding out there. I often ask notaries how many loans they have signed. I get mostly roundabout answers that just don’t give me anything to work with.

ME: How many loans have you signed?

NOTARY: You mean total? In my life?

ME: Yes, otherwise I would have specified a time period. Once again, how many loans have you signed?

NOTARY: Can’t you check on SnapDocs?

ME: I’m not on SnapDocs, I’m on the phone with you. Do you not know what your experience is?

NOTARY: I don’t keep track every day.

ME: Your # of loans signed on SnapDocs is not a total number but a number of loans you signed through their platform. Your total number might be far higher.

NOTARY: Oh, a few hundred.

ME: A few hundred could be anywhere from two hundred to nine hundred. Once again we are not getting any answer I can use to make an input on my form. Hmm.

NOTARY: Just say 250.

ME: Finally, after tugging on you 9x we get an answer. Thanks. Please fill in your notes too.

You might also like:

Your number of loans signed just went down?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21236

The evolution of American commerce and Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22275

SnapDocs charges its users a lot per transaction. Every time you download documents, or use the system to find a Notary to dispatch for a job, it costs. The fee is based on how comprehensive the services you use for that particular job and they might have package rates. I am not an expert on what they charge, so don’t hold me to this.

But, they have expenses as well. SnapDocs is a sophisticated portal where they have huge technical expenses as well as rent, salaries, insurance and more. They are running on a margin. And I’m wondering how their margins are when business is sluggish like it is now. Their income goes down, but their expenses remain the same.

And what if they had staff turnover and the new staff lacked the mojo of the more experienced staff who understood their system and business model well, and cared tremendously about the success of their enterprise?

Snapdocs came out of nowhere a few years ago and nobody knows how long they will last. I guess we will find out.

You might also like:

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

Snapdocs – when the texts stop
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21163

Many people start out with a free listing on 123notary and then upgrade once they get work. When they upgrade, the best positions are not always available. So, what should they do?

In my opinion, just get the best spot that is available and then wait for a better spot to become available. But, what else do you do?

The way the system works is that Jeremy decides who is offered a free or paid upgrade and who is not. This is not done based on a personal preference, but based on stats. If you have better stats than the others in your area, you might be the first to be offered or given an upgrade.

So, what can you do to merit more points in your stats? Just get more reviews, develop your notes, ask for help, and try to get our certification (which takes a lot of studying.) Good luck and you can always email us to see what is available.

You might also like:

What is a high placed listing on 123notary worth?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16720

High placed listings – which ones get more clicks?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22116

I just wanted to say thank you. I spoke with Carmen a few days ago. She was extremely helpful and kind. I had contemplated upgraded my position on 123 Notary for quite some time and after speaking with her I pulled the trigger. Well, within a day, I received 2 phone calls and already have a job lined up for next week. Thank you for the amazing job you have done, building such an effective directory!

Comment from Jeremy @ 123notary.
“Did you have the safety on when you pulled the trigger? Did you use a silencer?”