Posted by Charm_AL on 9/11/06 11:53am
Msg #145145
Suggestions for the organizer...
Another delightful yummy from the Mother of all organizers! Thanks BrendaTx
The leader must be aware that leadership has it sacrifices and it's privileges. You will have to be understanding, but very tough on the integrity of your group.
The leader cannot charge a membership fee. If you do, your network just becomes another notary website. It is a wholly volunteer position and the leader should stake their reputation on those in the group.
On the other hand, the benefit of not charging is so that you are able to put things together at your own discretion and make decisions that will be good for your own vision.
Only charge a fee for special marketing projects to cover materials.
Do not let any one member bully another member. Put a stop to it immediately.
Early on, pull the plug on any member who constantly challenges your goals by not doing their marketing, not posting regularly on the forum, who does not do any REAL sharing of contacts, or who just flat disagrees with all your plans, or who wants to debate everything you say and do.
Send out occasional roll calls and ask everyone to answer the call. You will have "special" ones who are narcissistic, untrustworthy, who want it all, but do not want to work for it all.
Do not, do not let these stay on your group because they are there for the ride and not there to be a part of a network. They will actually destroy any work you have done. They will constantly be gossip mongers behind your back.
At one time, my network was up to 20 members. It is now at 15. Several have been added, several have been removed. Early on the biggest problem I ran into was people who did not answer their emails. From time to time I would issue a call for everyone to answer their email and when they did not, "click" they were removed.
Attempt to delegate, but be aware that you will do most of the work of marketing, etc. Be determined before you take on this project.
When you create your first website or brochure, do not allow your people to request changes on it for an infinite amount of time. Set a deadline and make it a deadline. Tell them you will update the brochure on another date, or delegate the work of the brochure over to them.
Early on reinforce that you are not interested in excuses, you want action. Try to get one or two of your members to keep track of commitments made and commitments accomplished.
Recognize that 20% of the members will do 80% of the work.
If you reach a point where you have three to five good workers, congratulations! You have a functional network. However, PUSH for everyone to do their part. Especially the five new contacts each week. That's really a very small number. If you have ten people doing five each week that 50 contacts made each month.
Suggested Leader Goal: Right now, get a website and put your name on it as primary contact for joining the group.
Suggested Leader Goal: Set up a forum where you can all chat. Try yahoo.com, googlegroups.com, topica.com. I found and installed a PhP forum just tickled me to death, but it was unlikely the members could remember how to get there, to check in daily, etc. Email groups are better for this purpose.
Suggested Leader Goal: Put out the call for any notaries interested in networking. Determine if duplications in one area will keep them from marketing the whole group.
Suggested Leader Goal: Make this decision - One decision you must make is whether or not the members of your group will send back flyers to the title companies in the packages done for signing services. I think that is a bad idea. It will show a lack of integrity to the signing services you are currently working for. They might be in a title company some day. There ARE good signing services, but there are screwball, low-bidding malfunctional types as well. Keep the good, ignore the bad. Decide whether or not YOUR network will market to signing services' clients. I say no. Work around the signing service model by professional, high integrity means.
Suggested Leader Goal: Members must visit the county recorder's offices. Have everyone read this link on visiting the country recorder's office.
http://www.texas-signing-agent.com/free-notary-book/chapter5.htm
Set a date 15-30-60 days out that all the information gleaned there should be in. You will get a lot of griping about how there's bad parking, etc. Use that to cull your group down considerably. If a person cannot go to the county recorders office to find out the lenders/title companies working your state, this will be a good indication they are lightweights and want to be along for what the network can do for THEM. (This is more likely going to work for smaller volume states.)
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