Posted by TheDudeCA on 8/6/05 4:52pm
Msg #57405

"notaryclasses.com" Radio Advertisement

This is getting heavy airplay here in Los Angeles:

A lady is so excited because she snagged a notary to marry her. "Yes, there are notaries that make $100,000 a year!

I thought to myself, if you find and marry a notary that makes that much, get used to never seeing them. They'll be on the road 24 hours a day!!! There may be a few notaries that make that much. I don't know any. I do know that it would take an EXTREME effort to make that much, though. And lucky.

Unbelievable how these companies get away with this con job. I was a member of NNA until they started pulling this crap. Every newsletter with the flyer about making the big bucks as a signing agent. I gave them the boot for that.

Shame.

Nothing against notaries becoming more knowledgeable, just don't represent this as being easy money. Nothing easy about it.

Reply by Donna_CA on 8/6/05 10:52pm
Msg #57434

I heard the same advertisement today, ironically on my way home from a morning signing.

And after everyone signs up for that misleading load of crap, I have a Brooklyn Bridge for sale. Hopefully enough people will realize If it sounds too good to be true, it is!!!!!!

Reply by Pete/NY on 8/7/05 12:03am
Msg #57442

Hey Donna

If you sell the Brooklyn Bridge - how am I going to get to Brooklyn???? Only by subway???? Arizona already has the London Bridge, CA has enough bridges already!!!!

Reply by Bobbi in CT on 8/7/05 8:12am
Msg #57447

Notaries PUBLIC do not make $100k ...

I believe it is physically impossible for a Notary Public, commissioned public official, to earn $100,000 per year strickly on "notarization fees" in any state. That's why I HATE advertising like this. It demeans a public official position to a "make it rich" scheme.

The advertising should be for signing agents, bankruptcy processors, immigration document processors, UPS store managers, and others to make $100k as independent contractors who ALSO hold a Notary commission.

What ever happen to the NNA promotion that notaries should EARN respect as public officials serving the public. Now it's all skip the respect, EARN Big Bucks from the public, not their respect.

If there is a Notary Public out there who earns $100,000 a year from 25 cent, $2, $5 or $10 notarizations alone, let's hear how you do it.

Reply by Allison B/SCal on 8/7/05 8:32am
Msg #57450

Yes, they can

To address DUDE and Donna, you dont' seem to understand big business: Number one, the radio sales staff assists the company who wants to advertise with ideas and they write it -- in the case of this ad (and I've heard it), the idea is to be so stupid, they get your attention. And they did so it worked, right?

To Bobbi: I've seen your name on the boards for years, your posts are often helpful but you also complain -- CT is a little tiny state - what do you expect? I know of notaries public IN CALIFORNIA who DO make big bucks signing loans. Working hard in 2004, I got pretty close to that and , you can have a life but you have to be very flexible and willing to travel SMART -- you don't drive 4 hours one way - you keep your area reasonable so gas doesn't kill you and you have time to close more loans (what I mean is don't step over a dollar to pick up a dime). You MUST WORK SMARTER not harder! You do not work for signing companies - you work directly for lenders and title/escrow. You make your base fee for overnite docs at least $150 for escrow and add $45 for edocs, MINIMUM. I work for lenders who pay $200-$300 every day of the week. I also work for out-of-town escrow companies so you're not burdened with the local ones making you jump thru hoops all day long in exchange for loyalty (there is none anyway). These kinds of fees add up and fast.

If you're into mobile notary work aside from signing loans, spend the money on a yellow page ad (a big one) and your phone will ring off the hook. Get an 800 number and give the appearance that you are big business and you will have to turn down work. Take a look at the one "A Notary Public - J Ewing" has in San Diego. Call him and ask if how much mobile work he gets - I bet a lot! My ad is not half that big or expensive and I get calls 7 days a week and I'm not even in an area half as large as San Diego.

Come on people - get over the NNA and notary classes thing. Spend your time marketing yourself and having the confidence to move on in your biz or just get out.

Reply by Bobbi in CT on 8/7/05 8:58am
Msg #57456

Allison, so EXCLUDING NSA fees ...

Your and Joe's yellow pages ad GROSS at least $100,000 a year income just from notarizations. I am impressed! I know California, unlike CT's 35 cent per mile maximum, doesn't have a limit on what a Notary can charge for a travel fee for a straight notarization.

Glad to hear you both are able to earn that much just from straight notarizations. Size of state has nothing to do with it. It's what each state law allows a Notary Public to charge when performing ONLY a notarization.

Reply by AllisonB on 8/7/05 9:28am
Msg #57458

Re: Allison, so EXCLUDING NSA fees ...

Bobbi - I'm sorry but you've misunderstood me: I don't know Joe, but have heard a lot about him and of course have read his posts for a long time too and based my remark on what I've read/his posts. I am sure he signs loans too along with a lot of moblie work (which comes from the yellowpage ad no doubt - it's a full page). My statement for earning big fees FOR ME comes from BOTH the yellow page ad I have (quarter sheet) and the escrow/lenders I work for signing loans - I probably should have not mentioned Joe (but now I'm going to find his email and ask the question). I still be he makes quite a bit (most of his posts are found on gomobilenotary)

With the "little state thing", I was thinking "notary per capita" (which could limit your earning potential if it is high). California is so big and per capita, I doubt there are as many notaries (practicing notaries) as a little state, but I could be wrong and I never considered your limit on mileage fees. I don't know how'd you'd ever make a lot of $? I also don't pay any attention to competition of flooded market or saturation - if I did, my business would be doomed.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 8/7/05 9:45am
Msg #57459

Re: Yes, they can

Allison, I think you misunderstood Bobbi's post.

Sure, it is possible to make those big bucks if you do loan signings, but to make $100,000.00 strictly from notarization fees I doubt is possible.
Even in California where you can charge $10 per signature, I don't think you could make $100,000 a year just from strictly notarizations. That would be 10,000 signatures notarized a year, which is close to 200 a week, so working only 5 days a week you would have to do 40 a day, and in an 8 hour work day that is 5 every hour.

Reply by Dogmonger, Ca on 8/7/05 11:32am
Msg #57474

Better by pens and journals by the pallet

And if you were driving between those signatures, perhaps a new car once a year:-)

Reply by Allison B on 8/8/05 7:40am
Msg #57524

OH, I get it: You're NOT including TRAVEL!

In CA, as you know, we can charge what ever the market will bear so I stand corrected and appreciate the clarification!

Reply by kynotary on 8/7/05 10:30am
Msg #57462

Re: Yes, they can

I agree with Allison. I just met another notary in my area yesterday and he told me that he never turns down a job. He takes jobs for as low as $50 and I asked why? Well to make a long story short, Allison has it right. I am an appraiser and it is the same in this field (a mobile notary too) and the locals will try and make you jump through hoops to get their low dollar business, when the national market is a much better market with a lot of plus'es like, easy to work with, higher pay, less hassle. and don't ask you to do any questionable business practices. Most often, they also pay faster and with less bother. The national lenders/title companies etc. do sometimes require some kind of additional software or uploading for the appraisals, but it is worth it due to the higher pay and less hassle.

Just a note to help back up Allison's post.

You will only find me on these boards when I have time, otherwise I am either busy working or marketing, like Allison suggested!!!

Good post Allison, hopefully it will wake up some of these people who are giving away their services, but if that is what they feel their time is worth, then I guess that is quite possibly what they feel their self worth is too. I do feel for them, but also as long as they are doing the low dollar closings, then that leaves the high dollar closings for us, wouldn't you agree Allison?

Reply by Donna_CA on 8/7/05 7:58pm
Msg #57503

Re: Yes, they can

I love this forum, although I still hold to my opinion as stated.

Financially I do just fine but just as I hate infomercials that claim to work wonders overnight or take 30 pounds off in 30 days, it's portrays an unrealistic view of the profession as a whole.

Reply by TheDudeCA on 8/7/05 8:19pm
Msg #57504

Exactly, Donna

You got the point. These ads are a gross misrepresentations of the truth. And they are designed to SUCKER in those that need money. Reminds me of snake oil salesmenship.

Reply by Allison B on 8/8/05 7:48am
Msg #57527

Dude & Donna - I think you're jealous!

... and perhaps your own worst enemy! Try to "get out of your own way" and don't worry about what others are doing. It's almost like magic when you focus on yourself and your goals. Dude and Donna and those who care as much as they do about stupid ads: Try reading "The Four Agreements" (I think Miguel Ruiz).

Thanks KYnotary for supporting THE TRUTH of the matter who is far too busy making money to post often

Reply by CaliNotary on 8/8/05 11:15am
Msg #57570

Jealous? Please.

Good lord Allison, how many times are you going to use that lame response about being to busy to post in here? It only makes you look like you have no idea what the nature of this job truly is and/or are trying to shill for notaryclasses.com.

I'm quite happy with the number of signings I get and I don't particularly want the additional amount of signings it would take to get me to a 100K annual income. I make a good living, yet have plenty of time to surf the net, watch TV, walk the dog, or do any number of time wasting things.

The TRUTH of the matter is that these notaryclasses.com commercials ARE making this career sound like a get rich quick scheme and there are a lot of people out there paying a couple of hundred bucks with the expectation that the work is going to just start piling up for them as soon as their commission comes in. Unlike you, some of us are not completely self centered and are actually bothered by this. Not because we're jealous or worried about our own income, but because it's WRONG. Sorry you don't have the ethics or intelligence to see this point of view.

Reply by Donna_CA on 8/8/05 3:53pm
Msg #57643

Re: Jealous??

Hardly. Don't see anyone or anything to be jealous of. It's a trait reserved for those who aren't secure enough to be happy with who they are and what they have.

And for your information, any opinion expressed by anyone is just that. Get a grip.

Reply by Mike T on 8/8/05 11:22am
Msg #57573

Re: Notaries PUBLIC do not make $100k ...

Let's do a little math. If you charge and receive 100.00 per signing. (That is about halfway between the fees that siging services charge escrow and the fees they should be paying signers.) To earn 100K you have to do 1000 closings per year. That is 3.65 closings daily, as in every day, as in today, tomorrow and the next day. Don't forget all the days in the future! Miss a day, it's 7.3 the next! My little boy says "Ain't no way Dude!" He's pretty smart, huh? Can you say "Ain't no way?" I thought you could.

It's a wonderful day in the notary neighborhood. (Sorry about the Mr. Rogers referrence.)

Mike T

Reply by Anonymous on 8/8/05 11:46am
Msg #57582

Re: Notaries PUBLIC do not make $100k ...

Even charging $200 a signing, you'd still have to do at least 2 a day, every day to earn that much, and what is the bottome line after all of the additional expenses??

Reply by Allison B on 8/8/05 1:25pm
Msg #57600

Whew! Hope ya feel better after that Calinotary...

I think I've figured out who you really are Calinotary -- your tone sounds familiar - maybe you are from San Diego, the area that most signing agents complain is absolutely just flooded, just saturated with wanna be's all due to THE EVIL EMPIRE OF THE NNA and NOTARY CLASSES: Angry, resentful, jealous, worried, feels threatened, biz dying, ego-based personality, can't move on, difficulty making friends, money problems, can't seem to get solid biz plan, etc. Well, a person like you is always good for a laugh, and then some sympathy because it's all so sad for you and then, then, then losta business for a person like me because everyone gets tired of a person like you. Keep it up so I stay busy - thanks!

Reply by Anonymous on 8/8/05 4:53pm
Msg #57668

Re: Whew! Hope ya feel better after that Calinotary...

***Angry, resentful, jealous, worried, feels threatened, biz dying, ego-based personality, can't move on, difficulty making friends, money problems, can't seem to get solid biz plan, etc.***

Wow! this describes you to a tee! No wonder you have anger management issues, get into an office behind the scenes where you don't deal with the public. Or is that where you came from. You should try and acquire a little more class and maturity before posting on an adult professional forum.

Reply by Ali B on 8/8/05 5:45pm
Msg #57686

Yup, I'm laughing all the way to the Bank :) NM

Reply by CaliNotary on 8/8/05 6:08pm
Msg #57692

Re: Whew! Hope ya feel better after that Calinotary...

Yeah, you've got me figured out alright. You must have been a psychology major in college. Or at the very least read a book by Dr. Phil.

But since you asked so nicely, I'm in Los Angeles, I have a BA in Business, I quit my day job about a year and a half ago and usually make from $5,000 - $6,000 per month doing signings and generally end up turning down 10-20 others per month on top of that. I haven't done any marketing in about a year because I'm basically too lazy, and because I really don't want any more work than I'm getting right now, which keeps me working about 30 hours a week on average.

Based on some of the laughable advice I've seen you give on this board I'm not exactly trembling in my boots that I'm going to lose business to you, trust me. Like you, I have a lot of people who get annoyed by the tone of my posts. Unlike you, I don't get a lot of people telling me what bad advice I'm giving to other notaries. Our peers have spoken, you lose.

And that you chalk up so much of what you see on here to jealousy on our parts tells me pretty much all I need to know about you. Your ego and mouth obviously far exceed your business skills. You're a perfect example of something my former coworker used to say - if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.

You've obviously got that in spades, sweetie.