Category: Notary News and Advice

While doing outreach and marketing yourself is vital for a notary when business gets slow, it’s simply not enough.

You can’t really wait until things slow down to decide it’s time to get started bringing in more clients. By that point, you’re already behind. Rather than let that happen, there are some specific ways you can market yourself on a consistent basis, so you keep your income as steady as possible.

By having a gameplan each and every month, and adjusting that plan as necessary when you see what works and what doesn’t, you notary business can achieve its highest level of success.

1) Reaching Out to Local Title Companies

Do the local title companies know about you? If not, why not? Make sure you have a good list, updated periodically, of the title companies in your local area. Decide how far you’re willing to travel to offer your notary services, and then get on the databases of all the companies in the area that could possibly use those services.

The more companies know about you and have your contact information, the higher the chances that you will have consistent work all the time. That can help you build your business, so you don’t see those dips in income during slower times of the year.

2) Touching Base with Companies That Haven’t Called You Recently

Full-time notaries can earn $36,000 per year or more, and part-time notaries often earn between $10,000 and $15,000 per year, on average, though their are ways to make more money.

With that in mind, it’s clear that you need to keep working and expanding your business if you want to be successful. Keep track of the companies you work with, and how often they contact you.

If you haven’t been contacted recently, you need to reach out before too much time passes. There could be a specific reason they haven’t contacted you. If there is, you’ll want to find out what you can do to get them reaching out to you more frequently.

3) Spend Time Regularly Updating and Improving Your Listings

There are directories for notaries, just as there are for many other types of professionals. You want to be in those directories, but make sure you’re listed the right way.

Think about what you would want if you were hiring a notary. What would you look for? When you know what your clients need, you can offer them the things that matter. Your listing needs to have that information, so people who are looking for a notary know that you’re the right one for them. Some databases allow you to input more information than others, so it’s a good idea to have several variations of your information.

Make sure that all of your information is up to date in all databases, and that includes the correct spelling of your name and any company name you might use, your address and phone number, your email address, and your website. The more ways people have to contact you, and the more consistent you keep your presence across all directories, the easier it will be for you to avoid business dips, slow seasons, and waning times in your notary service. Marketing yourself is a full-time job, and should be treated that way as a big part of your business. By contacting Sunshine Signing today, you can get a notary that will give you prompt, courteous service and make sure your documents are correctly signed. That can give you peace of mind, as it’s important to use a notary you can trust. With the right notary and the ability for them to come to you, your individual or business needs can be met more easily, allowing you to get on with your day.

4) Diversify

The more different types of signings you do, the better prepared you will be if there is a dip in the market. They say don’t put your eggs all in one basket, and it is true here. Adding diversity to your work helps to level out any changes in business in one sector.

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Like banking and related fields, notarizing documents is generally a Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 type of job. If you are not at the bank during those hours, whatever you need notarized will simply have to wait.

That can be very problematic for people who need something notarized on the weekend or after hours on a weekday. Fortunately, there are options beginning to appear that will forever change the notary business. With a mobile notary signing service, for example, you can have documents notarized anytime, anywhere, on a 24/7/365 basis. But, most people do not know about mobile notaries, and getting the word out is important.

If you really want to succeed as a mobile notary, there are some specific things you can do to build your business.

Get Certified to Help People Recognize Your Skills

The National Notary Association offers certification options. These are not required for a notary, but they can set you apart from the pack.

Being certified may also help increase your business, because it indicates that you are actually able to do the job you are offering. You would not have the certification without passing requirements for a governing body, which can put people’s minds at ease when they are considering hiring you for their notary needs.

Make sure you prominently display your certification on your website, so people will notice you have attained it. If you do not have a website, a service like Google My Business is probably straight up your alley, as it is easy and free. You should have a listing there no matter what, even if you do not use their website builder.

Reach Out to Title and Real Estate Companies

If you create relationships with title and real estate companies that have regular needs for signings, you can increase the level of business you do. Most of these signings will be on a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday basis, but that is not a bad thing. It simply gives you more business and frees up your weekends and evenings to work with other clients.

As a mobile notary, you can go anywhere at any time, so traveling to title companies and real estate companies around the area can be a great way to create consistent work.

Always Answer Your Phone, or Call Back Promptly

If you are not going to answer your phone or call people back quickly (for example, if you are in the middle of a signing and cannot answer at that moment), you may not get far as a mobile notary. People will be calling you because they need your services at that particular moment in time, or because they need information about your services quickly.

When they do not get a response, they may decide that they are just going to move on and look for someone else. While it is possible they will not find another mobile notary to help them, it is also possible that they will work something out that does not involve you. If you call back hours later, it could be far too late to get their business, so make a fast response a continued priority.

Be Ready for Those 3 a.m. Phone Calls

Providing service after hours and on the weekends is one of the main ways a mobile notary can be successful.  We know even the thought of being a 24 hour notary is rough, but even if you are not sure why someone would need anything notarized at 3 a.m. on a Saturday, you should still be available.

That can be difficult, and the on-call life can be stressful, but the odds are low that you will get many of these types of phone calls. Regular business hours, early evenings, and weekend afternoons will likely be much more typical.

Still, being prepared for any eventuality can make all the difference when it comes to success and setting yourself apart as a mobile notary.

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Notaries offer clients the convenience of having a professional notary travel to them or meet them in virtual space. While clients greatly appreciate this level of convenience and flexibility, they still will lose faith if critical notary errors are made.

When this happens, it is likely that the notary will lose their client.

Here are 6 mobile notary errors you need to avoid in order to retain the majority of your clients. And don’t forget our other article on notary mistakes, which this article builds on.

Some notaries prepare for every signing as a hard signing, so they get their preparation checklist filled out for every notarization.

6 Mobile Notary Errors to Beware

Scheduling Mistakes

Few mistakes doom a mobile notary quite like making a scheduling error. Whether the mistake is showing up too early, late, or missing a scheduled appointment entirely, this is a mistake you cannot afford to make.

After all, much of the appeal of a mobile notary is that their professional service revolves around the client’s schedule and needs. When that schedule is violated, expect a client to look elsewhere for their notary needs.

Being Overly Opinionated

A mobile notary has one job function above all else. Namely, the job is to have the qualifications, credentials, and equipment needed to legally function as a client’s notary public.

Please avoid this most heinous of notary errors, and avoid putting your nose into the client’s business. Don’t have strong opinions on matters that do not concern you. A common example is giving a strong opinion on a loan. For example, if the notary looked at a loan’s interest rate and mentioned that the interest rate was too high, expect a client to get annoyed.

As a mobile notary, you cannot know the signer’s credit rating and financial specifics. Those terms may have been the best rate they could receive. Regardless, keep the strong opinions to yourself and don’t make one of these notary errors.

Failing to Follow Instructions

Failing to follow instructions leads to trouble in many client-based professions, and the same holds true for mobile notaries. Ignoring important instructions may lead to missing important deadlines that prevent a loan from being properly funded on time. When the blame on such matters is traced back to a notary who did not do as they were instructed, a client is probably going to find a notary who will follow instructions.  This is one of the notary errors that will lose you clients quickly.

Lack of Professionalism

Mobile notaries who fail to dress the part or speak professionally will give clients reasons to doubt their choice in notary.

A suit and tie may be overkill, but simply dressing professionally, demonstrating good hygiene and being well spoken will do wonders for a mobile notary’s reputation. And, when the alternative is losing clients, behaving professionally and looking the part is the clearly correct path for a mobile notary to take.

Poor Social Media Behavior

In today’s online world and socially driven era, businesses and professionals must also ensure they appear professional in their online interactions. Rude and insulting online interactions will lead to a potential client looking for a different notary. There is no reason to sabotage your professional prospects when searching for clients because of hostile discussions on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Overbooking

Finally, you may think that having a healthy book of business is a good thing, and in most cases, it is. However, notaries must pay close attention to their appointments to avoid notary errors. Cutting appointment times too close can lead to late appearances and last-minute cancellations.

Before long, you may find your big book of business became much smaller, because you did not space out your appointments accordingly. Be smart with your scheduling and give yourself the time and flexibility needed to provide punctual and professional notary services to all clients.

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Cold calling is a sales and marketing technique that is often avoided because many people are uncomfortable picking up a phone and making calls. We have found much success with this tactic and even included Cold Calling in our list of ways mobile notaries can earn more business. When done correctly and consistently cold calling is very effective at helping mobile notaries find business. Here are our 6 tips for you can improve your cold calls.

Set a goal

Set a goal for the overall objective of your cold calling campaigns such as getting added to the list of notaries for Title Companies and Signing Services. Setting a goal will give you structure and allow you to evaluate the performance of the campaign.

Have a Script

It is hard to ad-lib on the spot, especially when you are trying to get new business. It gets easier as you gain experience, but you still need to make sure you hit the big spots.

Having a script gives you something to stick to. Someway to explain your services succinctly and effectively. You may sound a little robotic at first, if you are nervous, but you will get over that very quickly.

Having a script seems simple, but it can be an important part of your marketing plan.

Have a Plan

Before you pick up the phone, make a plan that will lead you to your main goal. That may include smaller goals for each phone call such as finding the name of the person you want to talk to. When you plan make sure you consider the following:

• Use research and past success to create a list of companies to call to add to your call list. Look for areas where you have established accounts that you can use as referrals.
• Plan what you are going to say if you get sent to voicemail. Your message for a voicemail should be just as polished and focused as your main message. Good voicemails spark interest.
• You should also plan what time of day to make your calls. Test different times of day and see when you have more success.

Don’t Talk Too Much

Once you have met the goal of that call be careful not to oversell yourself. Be comfortable sticking to your plan. Once you get your “ask” don’t worry about pushing for another in this call, your plan is already taking care of the next ask.

Know Your Value Propositions

Are you available for notary services 24/7? Do you speak another language? Do you have expertise in a certain market? All of these are examples of what some of your value propositions may be. Make sure you have your value propositions ready to answer questions are likely to receive from the companies you are calling. Through your research, you will know which of your value propositions align with the companies you are calling.

Watch Your Tone of Voice

The more you make cold calls, the more you will be yourself. In the beginning, it is good to be aware of the tone of your voice. You don’t want to seem shy or too pushy. You want to be affable and business like. You know your value propositions and their needs. Your voice should mirror the confidence that you are helping them fill one of their needs.

Keep Records

Of course, you are going to record the leads you find but don’t forget to keep track of all the valuable info you are learning. Note the time of your calls and the days of the week and see if any patterns emerge that will help you with future planning. Keeping records can help you improve the efficiency of your cold calling campaign.

Staying consistent with your cold calling plan. Focus on building relationships and providing value. Your success as a mobile notary depends greatly on people trusting you and relying on you. Your cold calls should promote that same brand of reliability and comfort.

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