Posted by D Jones on 7/12/05 3:15pm
Msg #51348

www.notaryclasses.com

I am the person responsible for the advertising on Notaryclasses.com. Allow me to post a response regarding our recent advertising campaign. It is not unexpected that those in a business would be concerned about adding competition to the market, but anyone who knows this market should already knows that a successful signing agent is one who develops business relationships through tenacity, professionalism and good marketing strategies. Finally, there is never a replacement for hard work. The majority of notaries do not become good signing agents because to do so requires more effort than many are willing to put out. Yet, lets be real about this.... signing agents make $100 and up (in fact way up) for a 45 minute signing. This is great money from anyone's perspective if a notary is willing to put out the effort for the return.

Those of you who may be concerned about a saturated market should consider that California has maintained well over 200,000 notaries for years yet you all know that you stay as busy as you want to be...or at least you should be if you are aggressively seeking clients. There is a lot of work out there and there is absolutely no reason a notary cannot make $100,000 and more unless they lack the business skills or tenacity to go after the work. Like any business, there will always be a demand for those who are good, reliable and aggressive. The real estate industry is overwhelmed with agents who lack these skills and make a pittance of their professional counterparts.

I bring this to your attention to remind you not to be concerned about increasing the number of notaries in the market, rather focus your on business energy on becoming better and more successful than you are. There is enough business out there for experienced signers to start their own business as a signing agency and start employing others on their behalf. There will always be those who are successful and others who complain about the success of others. Seek success for yourself, even if it means you must work a bit harder in order to achieve it.

Now, regarding the radio ad... I have already pointed out that successful notaries make over $100,000 per year and if you are reading this message, you should be too. If you are not, perhaps you are not in California where the market is. Otherwise, marketing yourself aggressively and consistently will change that if you are good. If not, find another business because someone else who is good will come along and take your place anyway.

The California Secretary of State has adopted new legislative requirements for mandatory education which requires all notaries now must complete a 6-hour course prior to commissioning. This can even be done at home. Perhaps someone out there knows of another industry where in 6 hours of preparation a professional license can be obtained, but I do not know which industry that is. In fact, I have many years of college and post college education and my particular degree still would not be sufficient enough for me to make $100,000 within even 4 or 5 years.

It is indeed easier to become a notary in California than ever before. Notaryclasses.com has instructors who make the state handbook understandable to the average person. Can anyone really say that attending 6 hours of preparation is difficult, especially when the material to be tested is broken down in intelligible language? Most of us who have been notaries for over 20 years could no longer pass the CPS exam without preparation. In fact, most notaries have no idea what a Subscribing Witness is or even the difference between and Acknowledgment and a Jurat. Notaryclasses.com is helping new people as well as seasoned notaries to pass the exam the first time. I have never spoken to a seasoned notary who was not surprised at everything he or she did not know.

Notaryclasses.com does a terrific job. Students have the opportunity of advertising for free for one year as well as going through a fantastic Loan Signing program. The student receives far more for their money than any other program out there...without reservation. The company even offers a ride-along program for new notaries who feel uncomfortable with their first signing. I certainly wish I had such an opportunity when I started.

Ok...enough. I rarely have time to post messages or read messages on boards, but I was directed to this one and felt compelled to respond. Forgive the verbacity but sometimes it takes more than a few words. I wish you all continued incredible success in this business.

Reply by BEE---CALIF. on 7/12/05 5:07pm
Msg #51380

AMAN ! D Jones I hear ya

However as you posted :The California Secretary of State has adopted new legislative requirements for mandatory education which requires all notaries now must complete a 6-hour course prior to commissioning.

Could you please explain here how one can obtain six hours on your on-line notary class ? Do I have to be online 6 hours ?, How do the school keep track of students time, how do the school know in fact that the person that enrolled ONLINE with a online class is the person who they say they are .In other words please tell how the on-line class work.


P.S. I know that class room training is avil. But for personal reasons [at this time] I must choose a on- line class if some out there can show me where its Calif. SOS legal.

Reply by D. Jones on 7/12/05 6:39pm
Msg #51402

I would be happy to assist you with information about the on-line course, but this forum would not be the right place for me to provide such information. It may be construed as inappropriate advertising. Sorry about that. Anyway, you know our website and feel free to contact us there and we will be glad to help you. Thanks so very much!

Reply by BEE-----CALIF. on 7/13/05 2:10am
Msg #51515

With respect D. Jones First I dont have a problen with Notaryclasses.com at all However I dont think explaining how on-line notary classe work here would be construed as inappropriate advertising unless there is a cat to let out of the bag about on-line notary classes [smile] Thats my point. Nobody have pointed out a official Calif SOS rule that say on-line Calif. NOTARY courses are legal As another poster here pointed out Online classes have been a staple of Real Estate, Insurance, Securities businesses , and college level education for years, and you can find that information and the offical rules spelled out saying so on a Calif web site, But not for California notary classes.


I will take you up on your invite with lots of questions
Thanks

Reply by Nance-Calif on 7/13/05 8:25am
Msg #51540

The reason why they won't talk about the online course. . .

. . .is because it's not a true online course. It is a PDF that you can read online or print - no online activity at all to help you learn. The customer service rep tells you that after paying for the course, you should wait the mandatory six hours before sending in your application.

Others on the board seem to think it is an okay way to go. I think it's dishonest.

Reply by Constance on 7/13/05 9:10am
Msg #51556

Nance Nance Nance...

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA APPROVED THESE COURSES OF STUDY. The only way this is a dishonest way of fulfilling the SOS requirement of education is if the student is dishonest, not the company. The NNA has the on-line course and notary Classes dot com has the PDF course and Both were approved by the SOS, I called and checked. I looked at both websites and notary classes does not say their course is on-line! The NNA does and it is on-line.

There are many, many smart, honest and self-disciplined notaries (not to mention those who may be physically challenged and cannot attend a class!) that can benefit from this course of study. I, for one and that's how I'm going to recommission this year. There are a zillion on-line courses that are well-respected -- college courses. What's wrong with offering an on-line or Home Study Course -- nothing new!?

Reply by Nance-CA on 7/14/05 10:43am
Msg #52009

Look again, Constance.

On their homepage: "AT-HOME (on-line) Instruction for NEW Notaries" leads to the PDF file to download.

I'm not talking against the "many, many smart, honest and self-disciplined notaries (not to mention those who may be physically challenged and cannot attend a class!)."

I'm talking against notaryclasses.net whose customer service representative advised me to cheat by waiting "6 hours to send in your application and meanwhile you can be looking through the course if you want to." If I had wanted a homestudy course book (PDF), that's what I would have asked for. It's deceptive advertising.

I don't know how NNA's online course works as I didn't take it, but apparently you have and found it worthy for an online course.

Reply by SamIam_CA on 7/12/05 8:55pm
Msg #51432

Bee - in case you are not yet certified; I just wanted to say that the test is not as difficult as the people selling the classes may want you to believe. I studied only from the SOS handbook and easily passed the test. Good Luck!

Reply by patricia on 7/12/05 11:25pm
Msg #51480

sam is right, I have never taken one of the classes but only studied the SOS booklet.
Never had a problem with the test

Reply by AngelinaAZ on 7/12/05 5:21pm
Msg #51386

Re: In your classes...

You forgot to address how important a good attitude is. Either that or Eve must have missed that day of class!

Reply by Charles_CA on 7/12/05 6:52pm
Msg #51404

Re: Online classes

Online classes have been a staple of Real Estate, Insurance and the Securities businesses for years. CA Dept of Real Estate has required on-going education and college level education for years and many universities now have online education. If done properly there is no problem with it other than peoples perception.

Reply by AngelinaAZ on 7/12/05 10:05pm
Msg #51457

Re: Charles???

Is this reply to me Charles because if so... I'm totally lost.

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 7/13/05 12:10am
Msg #51492

Training worth the time and investment

I am one of www.notaryclasses.com's students and have personally referred people to this program. The instructor I had was positive and upbeat. She was realistic about the potential to earning a living was in this business.

I know that many on here have issues about the notary/loan signing agent market being saturated. I disagree. I think there's room for more people dedicated to this business as long as they want to put the time and effort into it. You reap what you sow as they say.

There's more than one way to make a living in this field as well. The options are plentiful. I haven't been posting on the message board very much in the past few weeks. My business is growing and I've been spending my time scanning over messages that interest me and skipping the bashings. Only accepting positive energy and not dwelling on the negative.

I'm happy with the training I received and I'm happy that there are programs like notaryclasses.com out there for people. I wish the training was more intense and longer. I don't believe six hours of training is enough for this field. Many other states do not make training mandatory; at least California is on the right track.

Reply by AngelinaAZ on 7/13/05 12:53am
Msg #51504

Re: Training worth the time and investment

Maggie... you sound like a really 'together' SA and I've really enjoyed your posts. I would like to ask you... since you are in CA and got started with the NotaryClasses... have you found that the average payment is 'way upward of $100' and are you on track for 100K? I mean you sound positive and knowledgeable so if anybody can do it... you can!

Reply by CaliNotary on 7/13/05 1:58am
Msg #51513

Re: Training worth the time and investment

I don't think any of us have a problem with the fact that notaryclasses.com exists. Education, especially in this industry, is a great thing. The problem is that their advertising is more like that of a get rich quick scheme than that of a school that aims to create professionals.

While I appreciate the fact that D. Jones took the time to give a thorough explanation of his point of view, look at how much of his post focuses on how much money we can or should be making. To take him at face value, the only reason we're all not making $100K per year is because we're not marketing ourselves effectively enough.

And what about his statement "Yet, lets be real about this.... signing agents make $100 and up (in fact way up) for a 45 minute signing." Are all of your signings $100 and up Maggie? I know mine sure aren't. In fact, I've never once come across a signing service who has a base fee of $100. And lets be real about this, signing services are the bread and butter for most of us on this board. But look how easily he just ignores THAT fact.

Yes, it is possible to make over $100 for a signing. Yes, it is possible to make over $100K per year doing this job. But those are definitely exceptions to the rule, especially for brand new signing agents, and IMO it's a sleazy marketing method to treat it like it's the norm when in reality only a miniscule percentage of their graduates will make anywhere remotely near what is being stated in their ads.

I'm also seeing that it's their standard MO to use "just focus on your own business and don't worry about the competition" as a rationale. While I am not worried about new agents directly taking my business away from me, I am absolutely worried about the indirect effect that this flood of new, incompetent, and untrained signing agents is having on the industry as a whole. Look at the some of the ridiculously low fees that are being offered to us. Look at the increasing amount of faxbacks and handholding that we're dealing with because these companies can no longer assume that their signing agents actually know how to do the job. It's the ripple effect I'm concerned about, not the direct competition.

I agree that you reap what you sow, but I really don't want to have to continue to reap what notaryclasses.com has sown for us. If they keep this up I'm afraid we'll be sown right into an attorney only signing state.

Reply by AngelinaAZ on 7/13/05 2:15am
Msg #51517

Re: OK Schmuck... what are you tryin' to do... show me up?

I said the same thing... sort of...it was somewhere else on the board... only half as long and a quarter as eloquent... but that's what I meant dammit!

Reply by ConstanceCA on 7/13/05 7:21am
Msg #51529

Schmuck could be correct

OMG, you've made your point about a xillion times Calinotary and each time you reply with practically a novel. The owner of a company took the time to post and it doesn't matter what he had to say! You, as always, would find something wrong with it, post negatively and so long winded we get bored. I'm so glad I'm a part of a member's only message board that keeps egos in check by promoting the positive and helpful things we can do for each other. Signing Companies! MY GOSH MISTER! WIth you being so great and all, what the heck are you doing still working for signing companies! No wonder you're worried about competition.

My opinion about the test: It is tricky and a seminar is helpful to anyone, even smart people like some of your think you are.
Bee: I looked at the NNA webstite and they have an on-line approved course; I looked at the notaryclasses website, and they have an approved Home Study Course. I searched the Secretary of State website, and they are, indeed, approved courses. All you would have had to do was contact the SoS to find out.

Reply by CarolynCO on 7/13/05 8:50am
Msg #51544

Re: to Constance

what you said **No wonder you're worried about competition.**

and what Cali said **It's the ripple effect I'm concerned about, not the direct competition.**

Reply by CaliNotary on 7/13/05 4:21pm
Msg #51758

Re: Schmuck could be correct

Well then I'll make this one short and sweet and just give you a quote from a great philosopher.

Up your nose with a rubber hose.

Reply by CarolynCO on 7/13/05 8:44am
Msg #51541

Re: Very well said Cali

*While I am not worried about new agents directly taking my business away from me, I am absolutely worried about the indirect effect that this flood of new, incompetent, and untrained signing agents is having on the industry as a whole. Look at the some of the ridiculously low fees that are being offered to us. Look at the increasing amount of faxbacks and handholding that we're dealing with because these companies can no longer assume that their signing agents actually know how to do the job. It's the ripple effect I'm concerned about, not the direct competition.*

We are constantly being blamed for being critical, rude and whatever else. New posters constantly throw out that we are afraid of them as competition. That's not true, and, as proof, you've said it best. I think your post should be added to the ever growing thread that's becoming quite a bible and wealth of information.

Reply by Constance on 7/13/05 9:22am
Msg #51562

If You're SO GOOD, Why still working for Signing Companies?

That's the whole thing here with you "experienced" loan signers -- the posse here on this board: EGOS, talking about inexperienced newbies taking work away from them. If you are so experienced and so great and so wise, what the heck are you doing working for signing companies anyhow? Yes, let the newbies "in" -- that's all their going to work for at first anyhow. I don't get it.

Reply by AngelinaAZ on 7/13/05 10:41am
Msg #51589

No Constance... it's pretty obvious that you don't! n/m

Reply by CarolynCO on 7/13/05 10:56am
Msg #51597

Re: Constance ...

As Angelina says - you DON'T get it, and I'm not in the frame of mind to explain it to you.

Reply by Charm_AL on 7/13/05 11:02am
Msg #51600

Re: Constance ...

methinks constance is constipated or another name for the thirteen faces of eve

Reply by BrendaTX on 7/13/05 11:05am
Msg #51601

Constance - a note...

***If you are so experienced and so great and so wise, what the heck are you doing working for signing companies anyhow? ***

There's absolutately NOTHING wrong with taking work from good signing companies. I'll take them every single day. CALL ME!

If you have been told that you should not take ss work, you might want to re-think it. The industry is constantly evolving. No one can create a business model for you that works except you.

My favorite mentor in this business does tons of work and supports a family well...has been for about eight years. He takes work from SSs. If you have a slot to fill, why be too good to take the work if it fits within your business plan?

By the time you have been in business a few months you should be able to figure out what is going to yield a profit for you. Once I am out for the day on a more pricey signing, the less paying assignment is gravy in most cases.

Reply by AngelinaAZ on 7/13/05 10:51am
Msg #51594

Thank you CarolynCo!!! n/m

Reply by BrendaTX on 7/13/05 8:47am
Msg #51543

Re: Training worth the time and investment

CaliNotary,

Your post is well put and sincere.

Some may not be able to see this because they would rather not hear your point of view.

It is too bad that many who read what you post do not realize that you are one of the highest earners on this forum...there is a lot to gain by listening to your advice.

To address another poster's response to you regarding members-only forums, what I have learned is that a mixture of the members-only vs. the open forum gives us the most balance view of our industry, IMHO.

Both types of environments are equally as important to me and my business as learning tools. This is evidently so for several others, as well.

Reply by BrendaTX on 7/13/05 8:16am
Msg #51537

Re: Training worth the time and investment

***Only accepting positive energy and not dwelling on the negative.***

This is good advice and I totally agree, Maggie. But, even as positive as I am toward my business and opportunity, I have to be realistic and look at how many loans there are to be divided by the amount of notary signing agents to do them.

I don't think the quality of the training is at issue. It is the reality of the claims made in the ads.

**There's more than one way to make a living in this field as well. **

You are sooo right. When the number of signings decrease I hope to have established myself more firmly as a field services agent.