Posted by SamIam_CA on 5/13/05 10:30am
Msg #37494

Competition vs. Networking

It seems to me that some new notaries think that the established notaries are not helpful because they "fear competition". I just wanted to give my 2 cents...

Although our main bread and butter may be working as NSAs - our job is to act as notaries PUBLIC. Serving the PUBLIC. Last week a member of NotRot who is my 'competition' passed the signing of a marriage dissolution (divorce) over to me because he couldn't make the appointment.

Yesterday I passed a marriage dissolution over to another member of this board because I couldn't make it - and I feel great! I'm not saying you should give your neighboring notaries the names and e-mails of your favorite loan officer or title company. I am saying that it is in everyone's best interest to network with your fellow notaries to serve the public better.

Reply by ERNA_CA on 5/13/05 10:57am
Msg #37498

I have done the same thing. Passed on to a notary in my neighborhood a signing I could not do and gave her info to the SS, I get assignments the same way from another notary, if she cant do it she passes it on to me. It works and that way you never have to turn down a signing you just pass it on to a FELLOW notary(not competition).

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 5/13/05 11:09am
Msg #37501

Sam, your referral was very much appreciated by me and I will reciprocate! That's a given. I agree with you 100% about the networking.

Two of my 3 signings yesterday were for notaries. That seemed really strange to me. Yes, I know we can't notarize our own signatures or the signatures of someone we have a vested interest with/in.

What surprised me was that these two notaries didn't have a fellow notary to call and give their business too. The one woman Sam referred to me was frantically calling every notary she could find. No one wanted to notarize her signature until 6 p.m. or later.

I believe having trusted friends in this industry is important. People who will refer me and I can refer business to them. People who aren't going to steal my corporate clients out from under me and know that I will not do the same to them.

It definitely takes time to get to know people and to get a feel for who you can trust. I do think that some people on here do indeed have trusted friends that they refer business too. I think Sylvia's SS is hand picked by her in that she reads the various notary boards, finds out who knows their stuff and would be an asset to her service. She probably even invites them to join her SS as opposed to opening up a database and getting anyone and everyone to sign up. To me, this is networking.

What I've said here about Sylvia is an 'educated guess' on my part. I haven't ever met or personally spoken with her. My only communication has been thru reading and posting on this board and one email to her. So, I could be totally wrong on how she does her SS.

Reply by SamIam_CA on 5/13/05 11:13am
Msg #37503

And here I was going to keep your name a secret

Why didn't either of your notaries go to AAA or the UPS store yesterday?

UPS charges $10 per signature and AAA charges only $7. Just think, if you were doing your own HELOC, you could take the papers to AAA and pay only $14 (DOT and Ltd POA for E/O).

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 5/13/05 11:29am
Msg #37505

Good question...

I'm not sure... With UPS advertising heavily about their new storefronts and notary services being available you would think people would catch on. I think some people feel if they're going to a Postal Annex or someplace like that, they're not getting a "real notary" and feel like they need to find someone who is professional and is doing this type of work for a living, not a sideline.

In the situation yesterday, the soon to be ex-husband is a fireman and had to be at the firestation, they weren't able to hightail their butts someplace to get the papers notarized. She could have, but he couldn't.

BTW... The husband yesterday was a cutie and she was beautiful. He's still in love with her, you could tell. Really nice couple. The kind that made you wonder what went wrong and why couldn't they couldn't work things out.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 5/13/05 11:51am
Msg #37508

Re: Competition vs. Networking - MaggieMae

Your "educated guess" is correct
I do not invite everyone to sign up with me, I like to "handpick" the signing agents I use.
I do read the various notary boards, but mainly I recruit Signing Agents who are from the Signing Registry and have taken and passed their test. But, if there isn't a SA on the Registry in an area I am filling an order, then I will come to Notary Rotary, and I will check the profiles of the signing agents in the area, It is nice if I recognise a name of one that posts here frequently

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 5/13/05 12:26pm
Msg #37515

MaggieMae to Sylvia

I'm a pretty good people reader... Even online...

I pride myself in being able to read people thru their words and actions. I'm trying to get to know people on here who are in my neck of the woods so I can network with them. I want to know they will do as good of a job (if not better) than I do. Since I can't clone myself, I need to depend on others for assistance. It's important to me not to let my clients down and to provide the best for them.

I think that's why I'm an advocate of mentoring. If I mentor someone, I'm going to know the quality of their work and (hopefully, in a perfect world) they will appreciate how I've helped them and will not go behind my back and steal my clients. That's where my people reading skills comes in to help distinguish the good guys from the users and bad guys.

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 5/13/05 12:33pm
Msg #37518

PS to Sylvia

I would consider it an honor and privilege to "one day" have you ask me to do a signing. I know you take a great deal of pride in what you do and it would be nice to have someone of your caliber recognize the same traits in me.

One of my mottos is: "Say what you mean and mean what you say."

I'm not BSing you about this.

Reply by SamIam_CA on 5/13/05 1:08pm
Msg #37528

Re: PS to MM

***Say what you mean and mean what you say***

OMG! I drive my daughter crazy with that expression. It is the BEST!

P.s. - we make a good team, I am TERRIBLE at reading people; especially on-line.

Reply by Susan Axelrod on 5/13/05 1:23pm
Msg #37543

Re: MaggieMae to Sylvia

A wealth of knowledge can be gained in reading between the lines and in person body language is critical in my mind.

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 5/13/05 3:00pm
Msg #37561

Susan... Body Language!!! You're soooooo right!

Few years back I was walking my 3 boys out to our car which was parked right in front of our house. I saw a guy walking down the street towards my place. He was 15 feet away and I knew I was in trouble. There was nothing I could do, I was robbed at gunpoint in front of my own house with my 3 kids watching.

If it wasn't for the fact that the kids were in front of me and there was no way to reel everyone back into the house when I spotted the guy, I would have been able to avoid what happened.

You can just tell something bad is gonna happen watching body language. The guy was dressed nice, but the way he was walking said he was nice!

Reply by Susan Axelrod on 5/13/05 8:45pm
Msg #37667

Re: Susan... Body Language!!! You're soooooo right!

Wow, you are lucky to still be with us! Or we are lucky is more like it.

Reply by MaggieMae_CA on 5/13/05 8:56pm
Msg #37669

Re: To Susan... Body Language!!! You're soooooo right!

I almost died that night. Stupid me went out of control after the guy "walked" away with my purse. I got so angry and started screaming foul things at him. (I cussed like a sailor---Hey, I figured he was gone, he was around the corner after I started yelling... Just wanted to give him a piece of my crazy mind!)

Anyway, he comes back around the corner and points the gun at me. I put my arms up in the air (tail between my legs) and say, "I'll be quiet, I'll be quiet." He walked away, I went into my house and dialed 911.

Cops laughed when I told them what I had done and told me I was lucky. God is on my side and I'm doing my best not to cross him!

Reply by SamIam_CA on 5/14/05 11:46am
Msg #37770

Re: To Susan... Body Language!!! You're soooooo right!

That must have been completely terrifying! I'm taking an excellent self defense class. LMK if you're interested and I'll sent you the info.

Reply by Anonymous on 5/13/05 7:30pm
Msg #37638

I agree with you Maggie.I have been very lucky to meet alot of notaries and have them as friends.They refer people to me and I do the same. I do alot of motgage courier work,so I am very lucky in the fact that I get to meet alot of notaries. Plus I learn alot from this board on who to do closings for and not to. Jimmy/FL

Reply by TN NOtary on 5/13/05 3:43pm
Msg #37584

I agree with SamIam. I trained a co-worker to become a signing agent. I give her appointments I can't make. She turns a lot of them down but I try. When a signing agent ask me if I know anyone that may be available when I'm not I give them her number.

Reply by chelleCA on 5/13/05 5:18pm
Msg #37605

I am a new notary and I have only written on theboard a couple times. I have to admit it is because I am afraid of being blasted like others have been. One of the times i wrote was about this very subject.

I am happy to know that there are notaries that will pass things on to someone else. I am not out to steal anyones business, I am just trying to establish myself. I have done 5 signings so far and have my 6th one tonight so I guess I am not doing that bad.

If I needed a notary though, i would definately come to this board to see who was in my area. I am going to be refinancing soon and I think that is what I am going to do.