“The Successful Notary” 6/07 Newsletter
by Sharon Hassler, President, Go Get Experts
GETTING SPAM EMAILS every week from new directories and associations? Don’t miss this month’s article, “Start Your Own Association,” for tips on telling the winners from the losers.
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ALL MEMBERS: START HERE
If you’re new, don’t forget to log in and create your page! If you’re too busy right now, at least add your basic contact info. Visit the START HERE page for important tips first.
If you’ve had your page for awhile, review the tips on START HERE to make sure you have the best and most competitive web page possible. Many members skip this page because, like me, they don’t like to bother with instructions, manuals, guides, etc. Plus, our template is so easy to use, you may have just jumped right in and created your page, however, you may be missing out on business if you haven’t optimized your page yet. (Yes, step-by-step instructions are boring, but the end result will be worth it!)
ACCURACY COUNTS - DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO…
As mentioned in our previous message, some of the business cards we collected at the NNA conference appeared hastily created and had not been proofread prior to printing. And guess what? I was just as guilty. In our rush to get everything to the printer, I quickly proofed our materials and okayed them. Our phone number was right on our flyers but WRONG on my own business cards (800 should be 888), and this was for the biggest notary convention of the year! I broke the number one rule of proofreading: Always have someone not familiar with the item proof it for you. Why? Because you know what’s supposed to be there so your brain sees what it wants to see. Errors like mine are particularly unfortunate in the notary industry since it demands attention to detail. As the adage goes, “Haste makes waste.” If your contact info isn’t correct, you’re wasting your time and money on marketing. Lenders, title companies and signing companies aren’t going to contact you if your marketing materials, both online and off, are sloppy, and they can’t contact you if your phone and email address are wrong. Please take a moment to carefully review your business cards, web page and website for accuracy.
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MEET THE UNITED NOTARY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Our friends over at the Midwest Notary Association (MWNA) have changed the organization’s name to something more representative of their nationwide growth: MWNA is now UNAA, United Notary Association of America. Responding to an obvious need, UNAA is establishing state chapters and they’re already in California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Iowa, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee with more in the works. I think they’re onto something with tremendous potential here! If you’re interested in joining a state chapter or starting one in your state, please visit MWNA.net (updated UNAA site coming soon) or call Hazzaa or Linda Kassis at 712-255-5243.
SIGNING COMPANY DIRECTORY ADDITIONS
We’ve added two companies to our signing company list:
FISERV - FISERV is particularly seeking more certified notary signing agents with background screening in Louisiana, North Carolina, West Virginia. I spoke with Vincente Lapenta, Closing Affiliate Manager for FISERV, at the NNA conference and he asked me to emphasize the more info on your web page the better. He said he reads every word to find out about the notary so he knows who’s representing FISERV at a signing. Testimonials and photos can make a big difference, too. Consider his comments about your web page content as advice coming straight from the horse’s mouth…
RealtySignatures.com - This service prides itself on the quality of signing agents in their database. They require a minimum of 250 signings and verifiable references. Founder Andrew Springfield contributed an article to us this month that deserves reading, “What Is A Preferred Notary.”
ARTICLES
Featured Notary for June: Michelle Smith - This month’s interview with Michelle Smith is full of great tips. Michelle is a Certified Notary Signing Agent in Taylorsville, Kentucky, with eight years in the mortgage arena, four as a loan officer and four as a notary. She started her career in California and recently moved to Kentucky. Michelle is an excellent example of a notary who’s building a successful and profitable business and doing it right.
Start Your Own Notary Association by Sharon Hassler, GoGetNotary.com - Yes, you, too, can start your very own notary association. How? By coming up with a name that includes “association” in it and having a designer create a website and logo that look official. You don’t even have to tell anyone who you are… Protect yourself from the steady stream of email messages promoting new associations and directories; learn how to tell the winners from the losers.
What Is A “Preferred Notary”? by Andrew Springfield, RealtySignatures.com - As a notary signing agent, founder of a signing company, and former loan officer and escrow officer, Andrew is uniquely qualified to share his view of what distinguishes a “preferred” notary signing agent from the others. Find out what qualities these outstanding notaries possess that make them the ones signing, title and mortgage companies “prefer” over the competition.
Accounts Receivable 101 for Notaries by Melissa Haley, Notary Public, Certified Notary Signing Agent - Here are some tips on getting paid! Melissa has personal experience in this area and explains steps for organizing your business and collecting on payments due.
Easy Marketing with Your Business Cards by Gerrie Pierre-Fleurimond, CNSA, Instructor, NotaryTrainer.com, TheNotaryCoach.com - This is a timely article with our talk about busines cards. Gerrie’s provides the info you need to create a professional notary business card. It’s an excerpt from her popular book, “Marketing Advice for Notary Signing Agents.”
The Notary Public - A Person in A Position of Trust by Carol Salter, Notary Public and Office Coordinator, McKee Medical Center - Carol’s article should make you proud. Read it to remind yourself of your responsibilty and the reason why you can say with pride that you’re a commissioned Notary Public.
JOAN BERGSTROM’S NOTARY KEY HOLDER
If you try it, you’ll definitely like it. Joan’s clever key holder that keeps you from losing your keys in your purse or briefcase will soon be available on NotaryClasses.com. Or you can contact Joan directly.
NOTARY NETWORKING GROUPS
If you belong to a notary group holding meetings in your area, please email us with details on your group, upcoming meetings and contact info so we can post it on our networking groups page.
AS ALWAYS…
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