Posted by Belinda/CA on 4/6/13 6:27pm
Msg #464777

Now, this is the ultimate all-time LOW offer.

A local bank LO called me today to see if I could do a loan signing for her tomorrow, Sunday. She said she's been an LO for 5 years and this is the first time she has had to get someone outside the bank to do a signing. I don't usually work on Sunday but was willing this time around. (Yea, a new LO contact!) We discussed the details of her requirements and I quoted her my fee. Dead silence followed.

I asked what she was thinking. She said she thought it would be $30 since it is $10 per signature for 3 documents. I said this is correct if you are asking me to simply notarize 3 documents and there would be a travel fee. If that is what you really are asking of me I can do this for x amount. However, you said in our conversation you wanted my expertise in the loan signing capacity. That you needed me to walk the clients through the docs getting them signed, dated, initialed and notarized. She affirmed that is what she was asking me to do. FOR $30 DOLLARS.

All the while I was kind, considerate, understanding, yada yada, as I always am.

I did not even have to tell her no thank you. After she told me she would find another NSA to do the job for $30 she hung up on me.
Good luck with that.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if she called me back.

Reply by hodgy on 4/6/13 6:53pm
Msg #464780

$30 - that's hilarious! n/m

Reply by HisHughness on 4/6/13 7:24pm
Msg #464783

Greedy money-grubber.

Trying to take advantage of a naive banker. She's probably trying to help out a widow with five orphanned children.

Reply by jba/fl on 4/6/13 8:08pm
Msg #464786

Re: Greedy money-grubber.

I'm sure that banker's fees are reflected thusly as well.

not.

Reply by Robert522TX on 4/6/13 9:33pm
Msg #464798

Surely someone was yanking your chain!

Reply by Claudine Osborne on 4/6/13 10:48pm
Msg #464808

Belinda..you get the all time lowest fee prize! Good for you for sticking to your fees..I hope this LO didnt find anyone on a Sun for that fee..But in reality she most likely did..How sad!

Reply by 101livescan on 4/6/13 11:42pm
Msg #464812

I have a signing tomorrow for $200 in town. I got a call for a single notarization, I quoted $50, $10 for notary and $40 for travel. It's a Sunday, my only day of rest.

How about if we come to you, can you cut the travel fee down. Sure.

How about $30.

Sunday doesn't mean jack@#@( to some people.

I happen to think it's a big deal.

Reply by CaNotary777 on 4/7/13 3:40am
Msg #464824

$ 75 is my rock bottom

Some SS' try to persuade me to lower my fee. But I dont. Last month I got an average of $93/ signing, here in SoCal. If we stick to our guns higher offers will certainly come our way. Bad notary signing agents are making it easier to get higher fee now
It's simple-- you get what you pay.

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 4/7/13 9:04am
Msg #464829

$75 is only acceptable for me if...

...the closing is across the street from my house (OR within walking distance 5 minutes)

..and IF, there are no fax backs....

Reply by sueharke on 4/7/13 11:46am
Msg #464839

Re: $75 is only acceptable for me if...

I accepted a signing for $85, 6 miles from home and 10 minute drive (one way), no printing documents, no delivering docs to title (located an hour away), 35 minutes notice.

Reply by Notarysigner on 4/7/13 12:25pm
Msg #464843

Ditto Sue $85 n/m

Reply by ananotary on 4/7/13 10:43am
Msg #464835

Canotary777- IMO 93.00 average is very low. With your

Mindset you can get that way up very fast!! Good luck.

Reply by CaNotary777 on 4/7/13 6:04pm
Msg #464853

Ana, why dont you PM me a list of high-paying SS's?

Lecturing / sermonizing is not sufficient in myopinion. Provide names, links etc pls.
I would love to do work for 150 and higher which I rarely get

Reply by JanetK_CA on 4/7/13 6:49pm
Msg #464864

Re: Ana, why dont you PM me a list of high-paying SS's?

My guess is that ananotary got her list of higher paying clients by working hard to find them, not having someone hand them over to her. I suggest you work on doing the same thing.

Reply by HisHughness on 4/7/13 8:01pm
Msg #464872

Hi, J.C. This is Richard Sears. How about you send me ...

... a list of Penney's best customers?

Reply by ananotary on 4/7/13 10:08pm
Msg #464877

I need to work on my communication skills..I didn't mean to

come off as lecturing. I really felt that you have the right mindset to command a higher average. I did mean it when I said "good luck!". Still do. Janet is correct, I have spent 9 years working on my client list. I work on it daily as much as possible. I spent a good 5 hours today alone marketing, etc. because I know I will probably not have as much free time this week.

I live in highly saturated area for Signing Agents. I am proof that hard work and marketing do pay off. I wish you the best.

Reply by Moneyman/TX on 4/8/13 7:26am
Msg #464895

YOU don't need to work on your communication skills, Ana.

Some people need to work on their own ability to accept encouragement from others without looking for unique ways to be offended for no reason.

Reply by jojo_MN on 4/7/13 11:33am
Msg #464838

Re: $ 75 is my rock bottom

That is my rock bottom only if the docs are over-nighted to me, no faxbacks and within six blocks from me.

Reply by CaNotary777 on 4/8/13 12:08am
Msg #464883

I just started , I am not as blessed as you are I guess n/m

Reply by CaNotary777 on 4/8/13 12:10am
Msg #464884

I meant i am not I am not as blessed as Sheila and Ana

may be some day..... then may be not

Reply by ananotary on 4/8/13 12:41am
Msg #464886

CaNotary777- Please don't be discouraged!

I mean my comment to be an encouragment to you. Don't give up! Bringing your average fee up is possible. It takes time and commitment to your business. Based on your post, I can tell that you have the mindset to be successful! Bring your avearage up ASAP! Good Luck!

Reply by CaNotary777 on 4/8/13 1:18am
Msg #464889

I am trying Ana. Its not easy for a newbie though

There is this saying"beggars cannot be choosers" well we can safely replace beggars with 'newbie notaries'... that is where i stand. if i start refusing smaller offers, i neither earn nor get to learn (more). what i do is this---- i write down the names of the 125 plus and vigorously persuade them to give me more work. i make sure to give npinpoint accurate signings--- prompt shipment etc. i have done close to hundred signings and have received excellent feedback/ praise from the signing companies- because i work diligently -- and put my heart and soul in my work. yet i know it will take a heck of a lot of time for my day of glory to come--- when i get $150 and more for signings. but i want to persevere, and hopefully i will. i thank you for your kind words of encouragement. God bless you.

Reply by ananotary on 4/8/13 1:46am
Msg #464890

CaNotary777- I completely understand

Like I previously said, I have spent 9 years building my client list. When I was a newbie and didn't know any better, I took the lower paying jobs. I learned that those were non-profit jobs and began my marketing program. Keep on trucking! You will have your newbie days behind you and will understand what I mean.

Keep marketing and building! You will do well! Good Luck!

Reply by SheilaSJCA on 4/7/13 4:19pm
Msg #464849

Im in CA too, My avg last mo was $154 per signing! n/m

Reply by ananotary on 4/7/13 10:10pm
Msg #464878

My point exactly! Mine was $158 per signing for March. n/m

Reply by Moneyman/TX on 4/8/13 8:24am
Msg #464900

In sales, you get what you ask for. :-)

If you have set your signing fee at $150 (for an X type of signing) but when someone offers you $75, you immediately start discounting your own fees to $90 ,or worse, actually jump at their $75 offer, you have just devalued your own services yourself. Why would they ever pay you $150 for what they know they can get for $90 (or lower)? They might even offer to pay someone else $125 before they would pay you even $100. They might do that just so that the next time they called you, they can try to get you to discount your own fees some more, hoping that you are fearful of "losing" their business.

Not knowing who is and, more importantly, who is not, your actual target market customer is a very costly mistake for any business.

(Not for known low-balling or non-paying SS's)
When I receive a call from a SS that says something like "We have a refi signing in _____ (a local city) for Tuesday @ 3pm. It pays $75 (or anything less than the fee I charge). Do you have availability?"
(I focus on the last question they asked first) I look at my schedule and, if I can schedule it, I say something like, "As of right now, I do have availability for that signing. My fee for this e-doc refi signing request, with no fax backs, is $150." --- Then, I SHUT UP! (this is the most important part).

They will either agree to my fees, attempt to negotiate (with a more reasonable counter offer well above $100), or they will keep searching for someone that is willing to discount, and devalue imo, their own services. If they choose the latter, they are not in my target market and thus, were not really a potential customer of mine anyway.

Like it or not, the NSA business involves sales. Anyone not willing to learn how to properly sell themselves and their services (i.e. mastering selling techniques) does so at their own peril.

Reply by 101livescan on 4/8/13 8:41am
Msg #464902

Re: In sales, you get what you ask for. :-)

I hate to see this gem get buried in this thread. The SHUT UP part. You gotta know when to leave it in their hands to accept your offer.

Good on you.

Unfortunately, what I'm hearing a lot lately is people sitting around waiting to say yes to anything they are offered, not negotiating their worth and letting the SS's get all the profit. Most people are doing no marketing whatsoever, just waiting for the phone to ring.

Sad, but true. I only work for the best, who pay the best, highest fees.

Availability, critical need on the part of the scheduler, meeting our fee, equals matching a fee and scope of work that makes economical sense and worth our while accepting.