Managing Your Mobile Notary Customer Contact List

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

“The money is in the list,” it’s often said. A customer or client contact list is one of the most vital assets any business can have. But once you have a list, how do you manage it effectively? Here are a few suggestions to help you store your list more efficiently, maintain it more effectively, and use it more profitably as a marketing tool.

1. Storing Your List Efficiently

There are two popular ways to store your mobile notary contact list: spreadsheet programs like Excel, and specialized notary software like NotaryCRM. NotaryCRM is tailored for mobile notaries, so it’s not surprising that it’s a better choice for storing your mobile notary contact list.

Excel allows you to manually enter names, addresses, and other information in rows and columns, which you can later search and sort. This is useful as far as it goes, but it only goes so far.

NotaryCRM allows you to store the same information in fields that you can easily see on a monitor or cell phone, without having to search through rows and columns.

It also combines this information with a calendar that lets you see at a glance when you have appointments for that customer scheduled.

It also provides a map with driving directions to the site of your appointment with that customer.

It also lets you store, email, and fax documents for that customer.

It also tells you how much that customer has paid you and how much they owe you, and lets you send invoices to that customer.

And it also tells you how your customers have paid you and owed you collectively, with the results totaled in monthly reports, so you can track your bottom line.

And you don’t have to enter this information manually all over again if you’ve already got it stored in Excel: NotaryCRM staff will help do this for you.

And finally, NotaryCRM is free to sign up for: just go to the NotaryCRM home page for your free account.

So those are some reasons why NotaryCRM is the preferred way to store your list.

2. Maintaining Your List Effectively

Once you’ve got your list stored, what do you do with the information? There are a few important things you should do to maintain your list:

  • Make sure customer contact information is up to date. If you’ve got a customer you haven’t heard from in a while, check to see if their information is current. You can use the opportunity to get back in touch with them.
  • Check your NotaryCRM calendar on a daily basis to see when you have appointments with the customers in your database.
  • Use NotaryCRM’s financial tracking feature to send your customers invoices, track collected payments, and see which customers owe you outstanding payments.
  • Use NotaryCRM’s financial analysis display to see which of your customers are generating the most income, so you know who your best customers are.

3.Using Your List Profitably as a Marketing Tool

You can also use your list strategically as a marketing tool. Here are just a few ways:

  • Supplement your list of existing customers with a list of prospective customers in your target market.
  • Add an opt-in list to your website where you can capture contact information from prospective new customers.
  • Use your customer contact information to send out periodic thank-you notes, gifts, or free information to let your customers know you appreciate them and their business.
  • Call, mail, or email customers periodically to let them know you’re available for business and ask about their business needs.
  • Contact your customers periodically to invite them to let others know you’re available for business.

Conclusion

If you store your list efficiently, maintain it effectively, and use it profitably, it can prove to be one of the greatest assets to your mobile notary business. The money really is in the list!

Don't forget to check out NotaryCRM if you're looking for a simple way to manage your signing agency. Thanks for visiting!

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Mobile Notary Public App for Loan Signing Agents Released

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

From Archive News:

NotaryCRM, a mobile notary software provider, has released the first mobile notary public app for loan signing agents. The app allows notaries to use their cell phone as a central location for managing client contact, appointment scheduling, driving directions, document storage, document delivery, invoicing, payment collection, and financial tracking. The app also includes team management features for loan signing companies and other clients employing groups of notaries.

The app is the creation of Paul Singh, an experienced designer of time management software for businesses. Paul originally invented NotaryCRM to help his mother with her mobile notary bookkeeping, after he noticed she was only getting paid one third of what she was owed due to ineffective payment collection procedures. Paul’s wife is also a mobile notary, and when Paul noticed how much time she was wasting babysitting the fax machine, he decided an upgrade was needed to allow more family time.

NotaryCRM’s website offers a free account and notary directory profile to all notaries. The free account includes tools to assist with calendar scheduling, driving directions, invoicing, payment collection, and financial tracking, and allows management of up to three clients. Virtual document storage and portable email and fax features are included with a premium upgrade package that allows management of up to twenty-five clients. An unlimited client package with team management features is available for professional loan signing companies and other companies employing groups of notaries. NotaryCRM also provides mobile notaries with free marketing tips, data entry support, and email alerts about signing status updates.

To try the NotaryCRM app free, visit http://notarycrm.com/

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Find Mobile Notary Jobs

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

Where can you find mobile notary jobs? There are two keys:

1. Knowing what to look for.

2. Knowing where to look.

1. Knowing what to look for

The first step is to know what types of employers you’re looking for. Here are a few major types of businesses that frequently employ mobile notaries:

  • Loan signing and reverse mortgage signing companies, along with other markets associated with mortgage loans, such as financial institutions, real estate agencies, title companies, and escrow companies
  • Law firms and other law-related markets, such as jails and bail bonds offices
  • Hospitals and other health-related markets, including convalescent homes and nursing homes
  • Marriage licensing services

2. Knowing where to look

Once you know what you’re looking for, where do you look? Here are some tools you can use to find businesses in specific industries:

  • Online local business directories like Google Places and Yahoo! Local, and business review sites like Yelp. In addition to the big directories, don’t forget to look for smaller directories based in your area, which you can find by adding your geographic location as a target keyword to terms like “business directory”.
  • Online general business directories like Jigsaw.
  • Business social networking sites like LinkedIn.
  • Your local Book of Lists.
  • Directories of professional associations. You can find these listed in Thomson Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations (EA) and Encyclopedia of Associations: Internal Organizations (IO), The National Trade and Professional Association Directory, or online directories such as associationcentral.com or the Internet Public Library’s Associations on the Net page.
  • Directories of consumer magazines and trade journals. Standard Rate and Data Service publishes Consumer Magazine and Business Publications directories which are particularly useful.
  • Directories of newsletters. Consult the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters. Working Press of the Nation also has a useful volume on Internal Publications, covering internal employee newsletters.
  • Other specialized directories.

If you use tools like this to assemble a list of potential employers, you can then begin promoting yourself by email, mail, and phone calls, using some of the strategies outlined elsewhere on the NotaryCRM blog.

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How to Become a Notary in Las Vegas, Nevada

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Jennifer Gallagher

So you’d like to become a notary in the great city of Las Vegas, Nevada? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll make the process so simple that you’ll wish you’d have found us sooner!

These are the basic qualifications you need to know in order to become a notary in Las Vegas:

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or a “lawfully admitted permanent resident,”
  • You must be at least 18 years of age and,
  • You must be a resident of the state of Nevada.
  • You must not have had a felony conviction.

Do you fit all of those? Great! Now we can move on to the good stuff!

The first thing you’ll want to do is fill out the notary application. Make sure you sign the application using the exact signature as you want it to appear on your appointment because this is the signature you’ll use to sign all of your notarial acts.

Second on the list is to take a notary class. This class is very important because it will teach you everything you’ll need to know during your term as notary. The class description and application are available here.  Also, here is where you can find the most current schedule of the class as well as where they’re available in the Las Vegas area. After you complete the course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion. You’ll need to attach a copy of this certificate to your application.

Third, you are required to obtain a $10,000 surety bond. This bond protects the public from mistakes you may make during your term as notary. You can obtain one of these bonds at most insurance companies, bond agencies or notary organizations listed in the Las Vegas Yellow Pages.

Now it’s time to take the oath of office. This oath must be taken in front of another notary, or at the Clark County Clerk’s office:

200 Lewis Avenue. 5th Floor
P.O.Box 551601
Las Vegas, NV. 89155-1601

At this time, you’ll be asked to file your surety bond. The county clerk will then verify that you have the bond and have take the oath and will give you a “Filing Notice.” Attach this Filing Notice, as well as the notary class certificate of completion to your application and mail them, along with a check or money order in the amount of $35.00 made out to the Nevada Secretary of State to:

Secretary of State Ross Miller
Notary Division
101 North Carson Street, Suite 3
Carson City, Nevada 89701-3714

If all goes well, you should receive your Notary Certificate of Appointment in the mail within 7-10 days.

Once you have received your certificate of appointment, you’ll need to purchase some supplies. Take your certificate of appointment with you to any office supply store and purchase a rubber notary stamp and a notary journal.

And we’re done! That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now you can officially call yourself a notary in Las Vegas! Congratulations! Make sure you come back and drop us a line to let us know how it went. We always love hearing your success stories.

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How to Become a Notary in Nevada

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Jennifer Gallagher

In today’s post, we’ll explore what you need to do in order to become a notary in the state of Nevada.  Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be starting your own business as a notary public in no time!

First you must meet these basic qualifications:

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or a “lawfully admitted permanent resident,”
  • You must be at least 18 years of age and,
  • You must be a resident of the state of Nevada.
  • You must not have had a felony conviction.

Now that these items are taken care of, we can move on to the good stuff.

1. Fill out the notary application.  Sign the application using the exact signature as you want it to appear on your appointment.  This signature will be used to sign all notary acts.

2. Next, you are required to take a notary class. This class will familiarize you with everything you need to know in order to serve as notary in Nevada. You can find out more about the class, as well as download a class application here.  Also, there are times and dates for the most current schedule notary classes listed here. After you complete the course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.  You’ll need to attach a copy of this certificate to your application.

3. Obtain a $10,000 surety bond.  This bond protects the public from mistakes you may make during your term as notary.  You can obtain one of these bonds at most insurance companies, bond agencies or notary organizations. Check your local Nevada yellow pages or your favorite internet search engine.

4. After you get your surety bond, it’s time to take the oath of office.  This oath must be taken in front of another notary, or at your county clerk’s office. A list of county clerks offices can be found here. At this point you’ll also file your surety bond with the county clerk’s office.  The county clerk will then verify that you have the bond and have take the oath and will give you a form called “Filing Notice,” which you’ll need to attach to your application along with the notary class certificate of completion.

5. Mail the application, your certificate of completion from your notary class, Filing Notice form, along with a check or money order in the amount of $35.00 made out to the Nevada Secretary of State to:

Secretary of State Ross Miller
Notary Division
101 North Carson Street, Suite 3
Carson City, Nevada 89701-3714

If your application is complete, you should receive your Notary Certificate of Appointment in the mail within 7-10 days.

6. Now that you have your certificate of completion, it’s time to get your supplies. You’ll need a rubber notary stamp (make sure to have your certificate of completion on hand when you go to purchase your stamp) and a notary journal in which to record all of your notarial acts. Both of these items can be purchased at most office supply stores.  Check your local Nevada yellow pages or your favorite internet search engine for stores that can provide these items to you.

And that’s it! Simple, right?  If you’ve followed the above six steps you’re well on your way towards starting your notary business in the state of Nevada.  Make sure you come back here and tell us how it went, we always love hearing success stories!

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I Want to Start a Notary Business

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

I want to start a notary business, you might be thinking to yourself, but where do I start? I’ve broken it down into ten steps for you in another article called “Mobile Notary Public Quickstart Tips How to Become a Notary”. In this article I’m going to focus on some keys to the first steps in the process to help you get the ball rolling.

By the way, this article will focus on mobile notaries, also sometimes called loan signing agents, but some of the information here will be useful to all notaries. In case you’re wondering what the difference is, a notary public gets paid to be a third-party witness to sworn statements and official document signings, while a mobile notary public specializes in traveling to perform this service on short notice. Mobile notaries often perform this service for mortgage loan signings, hence the term “loan signing agent” for those mobile notaries who work in this area.

So how do you get started? Here are some of the first steps:

1. Start with a solid business plan for your mobile notary public business

In business as in sports, it’s always wise to start with a good game plan. For help with writing a business plan, you can find a free guide on the website of the US Small Business Administration:

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/SERV_WRRITINGBUSPLAN.html

A good business plan for notaries should ideally include these elements:

A. A brief description of your notary business and the services you will offer.

When you fill out paperwork to set up your business, when you run into potential clients, or when you create your promotional tools, you will need to have a brief description of your business handy. 90 words or less is ideal for getting your point across quickly through most media. For forms and microblogging tools like Twitter you will need an even shorter description.

How would you sum up your business and what you offer? Here are some questions to help you answer that:

  • Would you best describe yourself as a mobile notary, a loan signing agent, or another specialty like a jail notary?
  • What geographic region do you serve?
  • Who is in the market you serve? Mortgage loan signing companies? Law firms? Jails? Hospitals? Marriage licensing services? (See more on this below under 1C.)
  • Do you offer any special services, such as late hours, rush service, or bilingual service?

B. A practical management strategy.

Your management strategy lays out your goals and the practical steps you will take to achieve them. It’s best to get these down on paper so you can clearly visualize what you’re working towards. Here are some questions to help you with that:

  • How much money do you aim to earn with your notary business?
  • How many clients will you need to reach that goal, and at what price per client? (If you’re wondering how to set your prices, you can read more in this article: Mobile Notary Public Tips on How to Set Your Prices.)
  • How many hours per week will you need to work to serve that many clients, including travel time, bookkeeping time, and promotional time? How will you fit that into the rest of your schedule?
  • How will you book your assignments and travel to them?
  • Will you need anyone else to help you with scheduling assignments, travel, bookkeeping, taxes, or other tasks?

C. A list of who the clients are in your target market.

You will need to know who the clients in your market are in order to find them and promote your services to them. The mobile notary market includes a number of different segments you can specialize in. Here are a few major ones:

  • Loan signing and reverse mortgage signing companies and other markets related to mortgage loans, financial institutions, real estate agencies, title companies, and escrow companies
  • Law firms and other legal-related markets, such as jails and bail bonds offices
  • Hospitals and other health care markets, such as convalescent homes and nursing homes
  • Marriage licensing services

D. A promotional strategy for how you will let your market know about your services.

How will you let the clients in your market know your services are available? Here are some tools you can use:

  • A verbal sales pitch explaining what you do in 30 seconds or less (called an “elevator pitch” because you should be able to say it between floors during an elevator ride)
  • Business cards
  • Flyers
  • A directory listing
  • A Yellow Pages ad
  • An answering machine script
  • Phone scripts for cold calls
  • Sales letters
  • A website

That last item should be emphasized in today’s Internet-oriented business environment. A website you can link to from profiles in online business directories is one of your most important promotional tools. To help you with this, NotaryCRM lets you create a free profile:

http://notarycrm.com/list-your-mobile-notary-services

E. A budget estimating your expenses and income.

If you want your business to be profitable, it’s important to keep track of your bottom line, including expenses like costs of equipment, promotion, and travel, some of which you may be able to deduct for taxes. (And if you’re wondering about notary tax questions, you’ll find some basic information here: Mobile Notary Public Tax Filing FAQs.)

2. Apply for a notary public commission and set up your business

Since a notary is a commissioned government official, you need a government license in order to become a notary. Every state has its own notary licensing procedures. Steps typically include:

  • Meeting eligibility requirements for age, residence, and lack of felony conviction
  • Applying and paying application fees, which can be done either directly to a government agency or indirectly by going through a notary association
  • Completing training and passing exams, if any are needed in your area
  • Waiting for finalization of approval
  • Taking your oath of office and filling out any necessary paperwork

You will find more detailed instructions on how to become a notary in your area on the NotaryCRM blog.

After obtaining your commission, while you’re setting up your business, be sure to fulfill your state’s requirements for business licenses and tax filings. You may also choose to set up a business mailing address and a business bank account.

3. Obtain your basic notary supplies

To work as a mobile notary, you will need some basic equipment, including:

  • a notary stamp and/or seal
  • a journal
  • a mobile phone
  • a means of travel

You will also find it tremendously helpful to get software to help you manage things like your client list, schedule, document sending, and payments. A software tool that lets you do these things from your laptop or cell phone is NotaryCRM. NotaryCRM’s website offers a free account and notary directory profile to all notaries. The free account includes tools to assist with:

  • Calendar scheduling
  • Driving directions
  • Invoicing
  • Payment collection
  • Financial tracking
  • Management of up to three clients
  • Virtual document storage and portable email and fax features are included with a premium upgrade package that allows management of up to twenty-five clients

You can sign up for a free NotaryCRM account at:

http://notarycrm.com/

4. Taking the next steps

NotaryCRM can also help you with later steps in the process of starting your notary business, such as organizing your time management strategy, creating an online profile to start promoting your services, and setting up your payment collection method. You can read more about these steps and other tips for growing your notary business by browsing the other articles on the NotaryCRM blog, located on the NotaryCRM website:

http://notarycrm.com/

Good luck with your notary business! I look forward to hearing about your success!

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Share Your Mobile Notary Business Success Stories

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

Do you have any mobile notary business success stories? We’d like to hear them! Your experience and example can help inspire your fellow notaries and set a model for what makes a successful mobile notary. So please take a few minutes to post your comments below. We’d like to hear anything you can tell us about questions like:

  • What is the single thing you found helped you most with your mobile notary business when you were first starting out?
  • What are the most important things you’ve learned about the keys to being a successful mobile notary public?
  • What is the biggest mistake you ever made as a notary? How did you learn from it?
  • What are the most common mistakes notaries should avoid?
  • What advice would you give to someone starting off as a mobile notary?

Thanks in advance for your participation! We appreciate it, and your fellow notaries will as well!

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Ten Mistakes Notaries Make and How to Avoid Them

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

Notarial errors can be costly both for your client and for you. Here are ten common mistakes notaries, mobile notaries, and loan signing agents make, with some tips on how to avoid some of them:

1. Failing to keep good journal records. Keeping good records will prevent many problems.

2. Failing to find an error in the notarial certificate. For example, sometimes documents get notarized out of state with certificate errors. If an error is discovered in notarial wording, you must correct it before finalizing the notarization.

3. Failing to attach your notary seal.

4. Failing to attach your date of appointment expiration.

5. Leaving an unclear seal impression. A recommended solution to this is to make a second, clear impression close to the first one, while being careful not to cover any text or printing on the document.

6. Failing to sign the notarized document.

7. Failing to include names and dates from acknowledgments, oaths, affirmations, and other supporting documents.

8. Putting the wrong date on the notice of right to cancel. This can cost your client thousands of dollars.

9. Failing to properly administer the oath.

10. Failing to require a signer to appear in person. This can cost you your commission and land you in serious civil and criminal trouble.

Good record-keeping, attention to detail, double-checking, and maintaining professional standards will keep you from most of these mistakes. It also doesn’t hurt to keep a list like this as a checklist so you can double-check to make sure you’ve got your bases covered.

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How to Choose a Mobile Notary or Loan Signing Agent

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

How do you choose the right mobile notary or loan signing agent? There are some wonderful, experienced, professional notaries out there. There are also some notoriously bad notaries, who have been made infamous in the news recently. How do you make sure you find a good one? Here are some of the most important things to look for when picking a mobile notary or loan signing agent:

1. Customer Service
2. Specialized Expertise
3. Professional Standards
4. Professional Credentials

1. Customer Service

Customer service is as essential a quality in a notary as it is in any other service industry. A good mobile notary should be committed to meeting your needs, not just getting your signature and your money. Your notary should:

  • Answer any questions you have about the language in your document, or let you know if you need a specialist to answer your question. Some notaries are also attorneys or specialists qualified to give expert opinions on certain topics, while others are not. Good notaries know what types of questions they are qualified to answer and what types of questions are outside their expertise.
  • Ask you ahead of time for all important background information.
  • Plan with you ahead of time to make sure you will have everything you need ready for your signing appointment, including the necessary number of witnesses.
  • Be able to explain to you if a document cannot be signed, the reasons why, and what needs to be done so that it can be signed properly.
  • Provide you with up-front fees for travel, odd-hour service, or other extra services.

2. Specialized Expertise

If your document involves a specialized field, such as mortgage loan signing, your ideal notary will be a notary with expertise in that field. You should feel free to ask your notary:

  • If they have any training in a particular area of expertise.
  • How much experience they have in their area of expertise.
  • If special customized language is appropriate for your document. Avoid notaries who attempt to cover lack of expertise by using generic documents to address complex situations. Seek a notary who can handle the specific needs of your document.

3. Professional Standards

A notary is a legal witness bound by professional ethical standards. Never work with a notary who engages in sloppy or unethical practices such as:

  • Notarizing an incomplete document with blanks to be filled in later.
  • Notarizing a document containing false information.
  • Notarizing a document that has been signed by someone who is not present.
  • Notarizing a document without proper identification being presented.
  • Notarizing a document with a forged signature.
  • Notarizing a document without proper witnesses.

These types of practices put both the notary and the validity of your document at risk.

4. Professional Credentials

To make sure you’re dealing with a notary committed to professional standards, look for a notary whose profile displays professional credentials, such as:

  • Professional association membership.
  • Notary bonds or errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance) where applicable (specific requirements on these vary by state, but if a notary has them it is generally a good sign).
  • Testimonials from satisfied customers.

NotaryCRM provides you with a free directory with detailed notary profiles to help you find a notary public who’s right for you.

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What Should I Name My Mobile Notary Business?

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Roy Rasmussen

Recently some of our readers have been asking for ideas about what they should name their mobile notary business. What is a good name for a mobile notary public business? Here are a few ideas:

First of all, consider how your clients will find you in the search engines. What keywords will they be searching on? It’s common for notary employers to search on a term like:

find a Los Angeles notary

or

where do I find a Los Angeles loan signing agent

Two types of keywords stand out here as particularly vital:

1. Keywords identifying your service or specialty. Will your clients be looking for a “notary”, a “mobile notary”, a “loan signing agent”, or some specialized service like “jail notary services”? Choose a term that best describes what your client is looking for. You might want to do some keyword research to see which way of describing your service is getting the most search volume.

2. Keywords identifying your geographic location. This is what distinguishes you from notaries in other parts of the country offering similar services with similar names.

So a combination of your geographic location with a description of your service or specialty is a good starter formula for a business name.

But what if there is more than one notary in your area offering similar services? Here is where you can make yourself stand out by refining how you describe your services. Ask yourself questions like:

  • Is there a particular specialty you can offer that has less competition in your area?
  • Is there a specific industry you can focus on?
  • Are there special services you can emphasize to make yourself stand out, such as service at odd hours?
  • Is there a narrower geographic region you can target?

You can use the answers to these types of questions to refine the basic starter formula suggested above. So for instance, by modifying the basic formula:

Los Angeles notary services

you might come up with something like:

24-hour Calabasas loan signing services

If you serve several distinct markets, you might even consider operating under more than one business name.

I hope this helps you brainstorm some names for your business. And if you have any suggestions for your fellow notaries on how to name their businesses, please feel free to share your ideas and experiences by commenting!

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