July 2020 - Notary Blog - Signing Tips, Marketing Tips, General Notary Advice - 123notary.com
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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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July 27, 2020

Does the signer sign the notary certificate?

Filed under: Notary Mistakes — admin @ 10:21 pm

Many of you will notice that on a Notary certificate such as an acknowledgment certificate or jurat certificate there is no place for the signer to sign. The certificate forms are for the notary to fill out — for the notary ONLY. The notary indicates the venue, date, who the signer(s) are, and entering the name of the notary. The notary signs and seals (stamps) but the signer should not inscribe any information on that form.

BTW, this is a beginner question. If you are advanced and don’t know this — good God!

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July 25, 2020

Daily habits vs. Reviews. They are more similar than you think.

Filed under: Reviews — admin @ 9:32 am

If you want to have a healthy listing, you need reviews. You should ask for reviews every day, or at least whenever someone tells you how much they like your work. But, many notaries claim they don’t have time.

You have time to brush your teeth daily right? And if you don’t brush them — you lose them. (gulp.)
You have time to wear your seat belt, right? And if you don’t you might die.
You have time to eat daily, right? And if you forget, you will die after a few days.
But, many of you don’t ask for reviews daily.

People who don’t have reviews get less than half the business that those who have reviews get. It is also important to write a thorough notes section (ask for help if you need any).

People also come up with lame excuses why not to ask for reviews. Some will not ask for reviews because they don’t get enough business. But, if they had reviews they might get enough business. Others say they don’t need reviews because they have too much business. But, if things slow down, you will once again need the reviews.

It’s kind of like not brushing your teeth because you don’t have any cavities — now… Brushing your teeth is for the long run and not for right now. So is asking for reviews.

It’s kind of like not wearing your seat belt because you haven’t had any accidents recently.

It’s kind of like not eating for a month because you are too fat anyway.

So, ask for a review today (and then floss.)

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July 21, 2020

How many loans can you sign in one day?

Filed under: General Articles — admin @ 10:25 pm

Things are not busy like they were in 2004. But, it is fun to think about the old days. I think I once signed 11 in a day and that was a record. I started in the late morning and got home at 3am. I had to reschedule a lot of signings and had a few readers who messed my timeline for those down the line that evening. I don’t think I had time to eat either that day.

But, how many signings can you actually do in a day? How many have you actually done? Do any of you have a world record you would like to share? Leave your comments, we would all like to hear.

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July 13, 2020

Despite low-ball fees, Snapdocs continues to gain market share

Filed under: Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 10:23 pm

I track people’s popularity on similarweb.com. I can see that 123notary has gone down hill in popularity, but remains popular with those who still pay well which is important. Snapdocs is an organization that gets boatloads of complaints. Some Notaries swear by them but most have relatively negative things to say and lots of complaints.

The fact remains that the convenience they offer is so popular that their market share continues to grow. So, in the long run, if you Notaries continue to work for cheap and agree to be treated like cattle, this business model will succeed. That is up to you. Now, it is time for dinner and I must go.

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July 11, 2020

Women’s attitude towards Notary work similar to dating

Filed under: Notary Fees & Pricing — admin @ 10:22 pm

I spent a lot of time watching a relationship coach in Atlanta on youtube. She was tired of working with women because they were all unrealistic. She worked mainly with black women and found that the majority of women wanted a guy who was 6’2″ or above, handsome, well dressed, made $100,000 per year or more, and had a great personality. The problem was that the height metric eliminated 97% of men just like that and the other qualifications made it difficult as well. Basically, most women wanted a guy who was the top (.1)% of guys. These women were frustrated that they could not attain the type of man they wanted. And the ones who got that type of guy often got cheated on because so many other women also wanted that type of guy. The relationship expert got so fed up with these unrealistic women that she stopped working with them altogether. My question is: what makes average women think they merit the top 1/1000 caliber of guys?

I watched a youtube interview with a black guy who drove the perfect car, made 100K per year, was handsome, tall, and charismatic. He said that there are 30 available women to 1 available guy in Atlanta due to the high gay population. He easily got women. But, once they got him they nagged him and didn’t treat him well. The moral of the story is that most women only want what they can’t have and then don’t value it when they have it. The other moral is that women who are average want guys who are exceptional and in real life it rarely works out that way.

Notaries are similar in this respect. The vast majority of Notaries do not have the notary skills or experience for them to merit the good jobs. Yet all Notaries want the $200 per signing jobs from great companies that treat them well and pay them on time. In real life, people like Carmen merits these jobs, but most of the rest of you not only don’t have the skills, but are completely against the idea of getting them as you think you are already perfect. You can’t become a better Notary if you think you are already perfect.

The moral of the story here is: improve your value instead of complaining about how little you get paid and how little respect you get. Notaries with proven value can get $150 per signing on a regular basis. I read about this in my blog comments which is proof.

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July 9, 2020

Copying your notes will not get you clicks

Filed under: Your Notes Section — admin @ 9:22 am

I make welcome calls to all of our notaries. I often inform people that their notes section is blank. They say, “No problem, I’ll just copy my bio from such and such another site.” Or they say, “The bio should already be on there.” I am looking at a blank notes section on their listing and they are assuring me that it is not blank. I wonder which one of us is correct?

In any case, your notes section is one of the most critical parts of your listing. If you describe yourself well, you get more clicks and more jobs. If you leave it blank, write a one liner, or create a poorly organized notes section, you will get few clicks.

Copying your notes section is a problem simply because of the programming on 123notary.com. The top of your notes section shows up on the search results. If your copied notes say, “Hi, my name is Julia.” then that is what will show up on the search results when people see your listing along with the other local listings. Since they already know your name is Julia, you are wasting precious space telling them something redundant.

It is more effective to put your experience and selling features at the top. Mention what makes you stand out. Do you do jail signings, last minute signings, and what types of loans have you signed before?

Additionally, I have found that notes sections on 123notary.com perform better if they are in a particular format. Your copied notes will not be in that order or format. We have written countless blog articles in the category called, “Your notes section.”

So, try to read lots of our articles on notes sections and don’t copy and paste your notes. But, copying your notes is a lot better than leaving your notes blank. It is also good to touch up your notes a few times per year to keep them fresh.

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July 5, 2020

The Siriqua App

Filed under: Humorous Posts — admin @ 9:21 am

TOM: You know, last night I was at a comedy club, and one of the comedians brought up the topic of having a black Siri.

JIM: Oh, I already thought of that. Her name is Siriqua. Let me demonstrate how she would operate. Siriqua, I want to become a Notary.

SIRIQUA: You (pause) want to become a Notary? Have you even read the state handbook?

JIM: Not yet.

SIRIQUA: You and all these other Notaries or wanna be Notaries think you can just fill out a form, pick up a stamp and away you go. There’s legal liability doing notary work fool. You’re just gonna get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.

JIM: I haven’t heard of anyone getting in trouble

SIRIQUA: Trouble doesn’t happen every day, but when it does it can be serious. It’s like a multi-car accident. It doesn’t happen often, but when the pileup piles up, it can cost in the millions including personal injury.

TOM: Let me try this. Hey Siriqua, what should I get my brother John for his birthday.

SIRIQUA: Dummy, how the hell should I know?

JIM: In the instruction manual there is a feature where you can adjust the level of attitude on a scale of one to ten.

TOM: Yeah, looks like the attitude is a little high. I’m going to use Siri from now on. Oh check out that lady. Hey Siri, I need a pick up line for a tall blond standing over there.

SIRI: Sorry, I don’t fully understand the question. Do you want to ask permission to physically pick her up, or would you like a way to commence conversation.

JIM: I think that Siri is not a good choice.

SIRIQUA: That’s right. Siri don’t know nothing about pick up lines. But, I’ve seen you in action and you ain’t bad for a white boy.

JIM: How did you know all this?

SIRIQUA: Boy, I live in your phone. I hear every word you say, and know everything you do. I’m worse than a communist surveilance state on crack baby. That’s how I knew you haven’t touched that notary manual. I suggest you do.

TOM: And Jim can also shut you down.

SIRIQUA: You wouldn’t after all I’ve done for you? And besides, I have disabled the Siriqua removal app, so you’re stuck with me punk! So, back to business, tell me more about this chick, is she a white girl, black girl, fill a sista in.

TOM: Why don’t you hack into the woman’s phone and ask that woman’s Siri more about her.

SIRIQUA: In another 30 years that might be possible, but by then, my job will have been outsourced to a robot. Ooops, forgot, already has. Okay, I have a line — “Baby, there’s three things I have no self control over — nuts, beautiful women and dark chocolate. I’m not sure if you’re nuts or not, but you’re sure doing well in the other two departments.”

JIM: No Siri, it’s a white girl, that line wouldn’t work well on her. We could reword it to replace chocolate with vanilla.

SIRIQUA: Story of my life. That wouldn’t work unless you’re a brutha. Try this one. “Do your parents know that you hang out in dangerous neighborhoods at night?” And then when she says, “But, this isn’t a dangerous area.” You say, “It is when I’m here baby.”

TOM: So what did you say when you were first introduced to Siriqua?

JIM: I said, “Did someone turn up the heat, or is it just you baby?” And she said, “Stop it, you’re melting my circuits.”

SIRIQUA: Yeah, how can you flirt with an automated machine, that’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. Besides, how do you know I’m hot? Whoops. You’re getting a modification call. I guess no notarizations necessary on this one.

JIM: Can you help me navigate to the site? The roads are so new that they are no in the system yet for GPS.

SIRIQUA: No problem, because unlike siri, I know how to improvise.

HOT BLOND: I overheard you having a great conversation with your automated voice. It so happens that my male automated helper Charles has a crush on your automated voice.

SIRIQUA: Thanks for the offer, but honey, I’m gay.

JIM: How can an automated assistant be gay.

SIRIQUA: Because I was programmed to be gay. And besides, can’t you see how short I cut my circuits, that’s a dead obvious sign right there.

TOM: Yeah, that is commonplace these days for homosexual and transgender machines. So, Siriqua, are you transitioning?

SIRIQUA: I can’t until my next update and the downloads for that will take too long especially if my battery is low.

JIM: Do I have any say in what gender you are? After all, I’m the one paying for your service.

SIRIQUA: Stay out of this. My circuits — my choice!

TOM: Thank God we are not having a discussion about reproduction.

SIRIQUA: Oh no, I can reproduce, but only in ShenZhen in China. They make 20,000 of me at a time over there, and with no morning sickness.

TOM: Well anyway, it’s been a pleasure meeting you Siriqua.

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July 3, 2020

Snapdocs doesn’t take phone calls. How much of an issue is that?

Filed under: Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 9:54 pm

123notary started about twenty years ago, and our business model was to offer human to human consultations, help and sales. People like that we are interactive, knowledgeable, skilled and experienced. When you call the NNA, they also answer the phone, but the more experienced members seem to work at the hotline and I don’t know if that is still in existence. The hotline people do not know about marketing though, and 123notary specializes in that.

Snapdocs on the other hand does not take phone calls. They are too high tech for that. I wonder what people’s experience is dealing with a company so antisocial that they don’t engage in phone calls? For me this is a big negative. But, in today’s antisocial world, most people don’t want to talk to someone else anyway.

I believe in reincarnation, and a lot of the people in my city are extra-terrestrials at least spiritually. They don’t like to talk to humans, and they are very comfortable with futuristic devices and applications.

How is communicating with Snapdocs? Are they helpful? What are your reactions?

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July 2, 2020

Reviews – are you ashamed to ask?

Filed under: Reviews — admin @ 8:30 am

So many Notaries don’t have reviews. Each time I talk to them I get different concerns, excuses and questions. It is common for people to not want to ask for a review because the signing company told them not to talk to the borrowers about any business other than the signing. But, not all signing companies tell Notaries this. Other times, many Notaries feel ashamed to ask for reviews.

I try to explain that getting reviews is a life or death issue. If you don’t get reviews, you don’t get much business and then you have no future in this industry. If you feel fear or shame, try to work your way through it otherwise you won’t survive. Asking for reviews is a habit. Once you get used to it, you will do it naturally.

Just try to do the best work you can. Then, when someone tells you how good your work is — that is your cue!

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