Posted by Sharon Taylor on 9/16/07 8:52am
Msg #211386

Marketing questions - not good; notary questions - good

I don't mind at all if anyone asks a question about how to do something relative to a closing activity. It has been sad to see some posters slam a new mobile notary for asking for clarification or advice about something to do with documents or conducting a closing. Those are legitimate questions that deserve appropriate kind answers, I think.
The one type of question that I feel most experienced notaries do and should object to is the type that asks "How do I find companies who will hire me? Who do you work for? Tell me all about how to contact the companies you work for so I can work for them too. Oh, just because I might be in your areas of coverage, surely there's plenty of work to go around (NNA said so), and you can use the competition, especially since I have no idea of what a fair and reasonable fee should be so I'll be charging a lot less than you and take all the assignments you might have gotten, oh and I'll be doing this on my lunch hour or after I'm done with my real job since this is just something I'm doing to earn a little extra money, and (shhhhh, I won't be claiming it on my income tax return either, hey it's not that much anyway), and you should give me every bit of information you have on how to get started in this business with no effort on my part to research and dig out the information for myself."
You get the point. As has been said many times before, there are not an infinite number of closings. If an area typically has, for example, 100 closings a month, and there are 5 notaries in that area doing those closings, then adding another notary to the pile DOES NOT magically increase the number of closings available. Divide 100 by 5 and then divide 100 by 6 - it makes a big difference in the income of the 5 original notaries when another notary comes on the scene. The 5 original notaries surely have a right to tell the 6th notary "No, we're not going to tell you all about who we work for so you can contact those companies and take assignments we would have gotten. If you want the fees we would have gotten, then you'll have to work for them."
We are salespeople selling ourselves and our services. Yet we are chastized and castigated for not handing over our best customers and leads to new salespeople entering the field!!!!!!!

Reply by nm on 9/16/07 9:43am
Msg #211389

I couldn't agree more. When I became a notary 8 years ago and fell into the siging agent business, I did alll the work myself that is what the internet provided for me. I had no one to fall back on or go to for information.
I feel that when you put the "effort" into something you are creating you benefit from the results.
I love this job and I am hoping that this situations does turn around and it will.
It will be interesting to see how many of us stay steadfast and stay in it.

Reply by Stamper_WI on 9/16/07 10:04am
Msg #211390

I think you have pointed out the root of the antagonism. The experienced SA's have spent a lot of time building their business, usually through trial and error. Any business does this even with the MBA's. You figure out your target market and who you personally want to do business with. That defines success. What works well. Why would I want to give away what I worked so hard to build?
Personally I would not hand out my business contacts and marketing techniques unless it somehow benefits me. I used that philosophy when organizing the network for my state. The few who know SOME of my clientel have that knowledge because by extention I consider them an asset to my business. It is still up to them to pay atention. I also have the benefit of their experiences as it pertains to my state. I have like minded equally dedicated peers that appreciate and protect all of our efforts.
Answering questions about the business does not bother me although I hesitate when they come out of laziness. Most of the answers are here if you look for them. Better yet take the course and actually study it. Its all there.
Anyone that does not understand the importance and gravity of a notary commision should not have one

Reply by Ernest__CT on 9/16/07 2:11pm
Msg #211405

When I was away during part of the EOM crunch ...

... I put a semi-local competitor's name and phone number on my cell phone greeting. Yes, we're competitors, and no, I wouldn't normally give him a list of my best companies, but I'd rather have my clients served by a good NSA than have them try someone who does not have real experience.

I'll send info to people who have made a positive impression here, and who are not competition for me or other people with whom I have a working relationship. I'll just do it via email.

Reply by CJ on 9/17/07 12:55am
Msg #211457

I was one who built by trial and error.

There was no one to help me when I started. Everything I know is because I got stuck, and I had to call the processor or the siging service, and slowly amassed the thousands of answers that I need to keep borrowers siging. So even that I am now very experienced, I still somtimes run into a new problem. I would like to be able to ask a question about how to handle it without hearing, "Oh my God! You don't know THAT! What kind of an incompitent notary are you? And you said you were experienced! I would fire you if you worked for ME!" I wish I was born all knowing, but I am mortal.

But I do agree about marketing. I spent months of cold calling before I got any jobs. Why should I help others take money out of my pocket? This is my livlihood, not my mad money. Borrowers say to me, "Wow, can you REALLY make a LIVING doing this? (salivate, salivate)". I tell them, "I can, but I can't support your lifestyle. I have a single-wide mobile home, paid off; I drive old, paid off cars; and I shop at thrift stores." Their mortage is more than my gross income. I also tell them that to even make enough money to support my lifestyle, I have to work days, nights, weekends and holidays. And if I make a mistake, I have to go back for FREE! Then the borrowers say excitedly say, "Yeah, but you get paid overtime too, right? And don't they reimburse you for milage . . . ." No.

So I am not interested in helping anyone help themselves to my paycheck (or any other notary's paycheck). And now, even with all that hard work building up a clientele, everyone is down 50%, and it's only going to get worse.

Reply by PJM/MI on 9/17/07 6:58am
Msg #211462

Re: I was one who built by trial and error. ME TOO

When I first got into this business, the ONLY website was the NNA, and they had a list of companies I printed out and faxed/ emailed/snail mailed an introduction letter to. I can't even begin to count how many nights I was burning the midnight oil marketing myself while keeping my full-time job.
I have given my vendor list to only ONE person.. a friend of mine I have known for almost 40 yrs. I helped her get started in this business, but she lives one state away. I would NEVER give out my vendor list.
On the other hand, I am trying to get into another line of work, posted my advertising on the website, and I had a WONDERFUL man who lives about 5 counties away from me contact me via email asking if I would be willing to take anything in my area if he got called for it. (Of course). I explained that I have been a mobile notary for 9 yrs, and business was slow, etc., etc., I did ask him if there any companies he would recommend, and he sent me over his ENTIRE vendor list! WOW!
So once again, I faxed/emailed, snail mailed out an introduction letter to over 100 companies from that man's vendor list.
Due to a recent situation with me, I cannot go out and find a full-time 40 hr. job, so I MUST work from home. I have no problems working my tail off advertising, marketing, making cold calls, etc., It is what brings $ into my house.
I do get frustrated when I see the posts from the "newbies" asking the question, "how do I get started, and who can I work for?"
Unlike with CJ & me, the internet has TONS of websites and far more information now than it did in 1999. If a newbie can find notary rotary, then they can find the rest of the websites to get busy on.
If I were a "newbie", I wouldn't even start in this business. You've got to be a mole in a hole to NOT know what is happening in the home market industry. (I did have one woman tell me, "So what if homes aren't selling, what has that got to do with a closing agent?" DAH!). Some people don't get it, and never, ever will.
That's JMHO.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 9/17/07 7:01am
Msg #211463

Re: I was one who built by trial and error. ME TOO

"When I first got into this business, the ONLY website was the NNA, and they had a list of companies I printed out and faxed/ emailed/snail mailed an introduction letter to"

Pamela, do you mean the NNA or do you mean NASA. NASA was the only organization out there for signing agents. NNA only got into the signing business when Susan Pense sold out.