Chapter 6

Do you have ideas on how to market your business?

It is a proven fact that if you have a marketing plan, you are more likely to succeed than to fail.

You, personally, need to determine how you will market your business.   One way to market yourself well is to impress upon your target how you are different, better, and of more value to the targeted audience.

The following have put time into learning marketing techniques...

First Prize:  I just want to pause here and say, I personally think the marketing marvel, "Doc" aka,Stuart Posner of Nevada, has "got it going on" with his marketing!  He has a gimmick which makes him memorable.   Doc's website is "The Signing Doc."  Being memorable is key.  Doc is a notary signing agent who lives in Las Vegas, and for heaven's sake, if ever there was a place where a gimmick would work, it's there.  He has graciously shared his advertising ideas with me on occasion.  I would give him the highest marks around for marketing know-how. 

 

If you do not have a plan to make yourself memorable, you are not going to survive in this as a new notary business.  There was a time when it did not matter, but those days are o-v-e-r.  Over. 

My "gimmick" is being "the" Texas Notary, and thus my company and website name "TexNotary.com"  This title brands me.  My tag line is "Serving the Heart of Texas." It's worked wonders for me. 

My friend, Dorothy Roberts, is in East Texas and her website is complimentary to mine.  We "network" with each other.  Both of us serve the area between us, which is Huntsville, Texas, in Walker County.  Her website is, "East-Tex-Notary.com"  I think she has a splendid website.

I have another website which has the name "Texas-Signing-Agent.com" and this is the home of the Texas NSA Network.  What we do is stake out a piece of Texas to call our "own."  If we cannot get the job done, we ask our neighbor in this group.  Those you find on this website have completed many, many signings, refer signings to each other and they also market the group as a whole.  Now, this is the way to go to get yourself bookmarked by those who need notaries.  It's been my real reason for what I consider success.  Just be sure if you set up such a network, you do not allow a signing service to stake out an area on that website. 

Highest Honors for Signing Service Marketing - Andy Le's Method - Another guy who is coming up and going to stand head and shoulders above the rest with his business model is my dear friend Andy Le.  Amazing!  A signing service who is building on quality!  And, he will be doing this using only the cream of the crop of signing agents. 

I predict that Andy will stand out.  Start watching him.   He is currently developing a marketing style based on only using signing agents who will guarantee their work. He appreciates top quality.   Andy is hand-selecting his notary signing agents through careful interview.  I will work for his signing service any time.  The name of his signing service is 1st Courtesy Signer's Network His personal business website is First Call Notary.  I love this about his site; he has the following quote on it:  It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it." W. Somerset Maugham.  I think that says it all.  Good for you, Andy.  Before you go to Andy's site to sign up, he has very strict guidelines.  Here they are: 

In order to continue with the registration process, the following terms and conditions must be agreed to before we utilize your service should the need arises.

1. You guaranteed that your work will be free of error(s).
2. You acknowledged that your fee will be forfeited if there is proof of error(s).
3. You agreed to correct the error(s) at your own expense and promptly.
4. You certified that you have met our requirements for sign up.
a. You have at-least one year experience as a Notary Signing Agent (NSA).
b. You have successfully completed a minimum of 100 loan signings.
5. You will be removed from our database should any correspondence be deemed solicitation to our client.

Plan, Plan, Plan...
Why waste your marketing dollars and time on the shotgun effect right off at the start of your business? It's pointless to market to companies who are not doing business in your area!

In the previous chapter, I have given you a tool to begin marketing yourself effectively to title companies and mortgage brokers in your area. If you do what I told you to in that chapter, at the time of this writing, I believe you already know more than 90% of the signing agents who believe you have graduated in your own signing agent class, or who have signed up across the country at the same time you did.

What you also need is a business plan. A business plan and a marketing plan go hand in hand. The very best help I can give you to get real on making up a business plan is to send you to www.sba.gov. This is the website of the Small Business Administration.

If you are serious about your business, you also need to do a search on the internet for Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) chapters and the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) in your area. These are both free consulting resources which will assist you with planning and marketing for the success of your business.  

What you will learn from these excellent free resources is that you cannot run a business on fees which are offered by $40-$50-$60 signing services--in MOST instances, that is.  Small jobs three doors down from you might work at that price, however, under the very urban, high traffic business model, or the rural areas, I personally believe that would be digging yourself a bigger hole.

I will not say more on that, except to emphasize that you must learn what your business costs you, and bid your jobs accordingly.  This is what a business plan will do for you.

Can I say this enough?

It goes without saying that you also need to look at NotaryRotary.com, NotaryDepot.com, 123Notary.com, GoGetNotary.com, GoMobileNotary.com in that order, in my opinion, to list yourself with an excellent profile on each. I am partial to NotaryRotary.com and NotaryDepot.com  because that's where I am able to communicate with other notaries.

Each of these have classy profiles on which to leave your calling card.  Make it precise, exact, clear and to the point. 

However, for YOUR area, this order may not be exactly right.  The first four ( NotaryRotary.com, 123Notary.com,  GoGetNotary.com, NotaryDepot.com) all have great Google.com rankings. 

(It's just so hard to make a call on which of these you need the most.  A word on GoGetNotary.com - it has the feel of an elite, upscale site.  Sort of like the "Galleria" of notary databases.  The site's owner is working to network the lender, title, mortgage and real estate fields with the notary.  The price is reasonable and there is a very professional feel to it.  This is a site to watch in the future.  NotaryRotary.com and NotaryDepot.com both offer free memberships.  Do not overlook these when you are starting out.  However, the paid ads are the best on those sites.  Beginners need ALL of these sites, in my opinion.)

 

The reason I do not promote the site for the large organization many notaries belong to is because all it brought me were low-paying assignments.  I dropped after my first year with them.

Google 'til you drop!

Do searches on Google.com to find out which one will float to the top for your area with a list of notaries. Which notary database works for Texas, may not be the hot one for Maine, if get my drift.  

You must get into the above mentioned sites, however, if you want to succeed, in my very sincere opinion.  I wholeheartedly suggest you set aside $275 for signing up with EACH of these in order to get yourself found by hiring entities. 

Learn a little HTML

A stand alone website is also a must in my opinion.

Plan to Purchase a Car Sign from PawNotary.com

His prices are right and it's a must have for notaries who are mobile.  I have one.  You can see "mini-mart" for notaries right here.

Marketing Must be Constant and Persistent

At this point, you may be disappointed because I have not given you a magic bullet on how to market your business effectively to hit the big time. You need to develop a marketing style, learn about branding yourself, make a plan, do it regularly and without ceasing.  Otherwise, you are wasting your marketing dollars on pretty business cards, postage and flyers.

This book will give you pointers.  I have provided the above suggestions, and will also tell you to begin signing up with as many signing services as you can on a daily basis.  Put forth an hour, to two hours, EACH and every day to get started working by soliciting signing services with your applications.

Carefully Read the Signing Service Agreements

What you cannot agree with, strike, initial and return to them as they require.  Let me rephrase this to say, this is what I did.  I felt the need to be honest on the applications.  I endorse that to you as well.

The next chapter will be devoted to tips, tricks and giving you a couple of pointers on how to THINK like an entrepreneurial mobile notary in the age of the internet.

It's not exactly a magic bullet on marketing, but it will be a tip sheet that will pull your focus into thinking on being a marketing warrior. To market you must have confidence in your product. Confidence in your product will come from a sure knowledge of your business. You will also need confidence about your business and skills when developing marketing tools.

[I am often contacted to review marketing materials, write content and profiles to be posted.  I am so overwhelmed with these requests, I must now charge $15.00 each to do so.  Please be kind and think of that if you contact me about this.  I will gladly help you, but I feel $15.00 is fair  to assist you with these items.] 

AND, NEVER PAY A SIGNING SERVICE TO

BE LISTED IN THEIR DATABASE!

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