Marketing4Notaries 5 Year Birthday Celebration!

Today is a big day for me!  I am celebrating five incredible years of having an online presence coaching notary entrepreneurs and teaching The 5 Point Marketing System.  It's Marketing4Notaries 5 year birthday celebration! It’s hard for me to believe because it feels like yesterday that I was tooling around trying to figure out how to create a website to share what I’d learned with the wider notary community. I had dreams of longevity, but never in my wildest dreams did I think my little idea of a system to simplify marketing for notaries would be the catalyst for me to meet so many wonderful people and launch a career in business coaching!  The ride has been full of ups and downs, but as I reflect over the last five years one thing sticks out to me…the incredible people (many of whom have become friends).  I’m one lucky lady!

It all started as a way to help others find a system to help them market their notary businesses.  I found something that worked for me (and worked really well) even though it required me to move out of my comfort zone.  At that point, I hadn’t yet dove into personal development, but I did know if I was feeling uncomfortable it meant I was growing. I figured if the steps worked for me, then they would work for others, too.  So, I took a leap and with absolutely no experience building a website or working a web based business, began to build a simple platform to share what I had learned along my journey as a very busy loan signing agent.  

I remember the passion I felt about sharing what I’d learned (and that passion is even stronger today). I knew deep down that this system I developed worked, and the Escrow Officers I asked to review it had adamantly agreed:  it’s a great way to begin building relationships! They told me they were tired of getting flyers in the mail from notaries or having them stop by and just drop their business card and leave. They knew they needed mobile notaries, but the majority of them didn’t want a nameless, faceless one…they wanted someone they could trust to call them if they found an issue at the table.  They wanted someone who they didn't have to worry about skipping town with very large cashier’s checks, and who would represent them well at the table. Title offices know that the final moments of the transaction are where good referrals are made (and they live off of referrals). 

All the members on the Escrow Officer advisory board I assembled told me they prefer hiring notaries who are professional representatives of their office, but had been burned in the past by notaries who didn’t take the job seriously or just looked at mobile closings as a way to make a quick buck. They were craving trustworthiness and that requires time to build.

For purposes of accuracy, I actually got out my old notes from these meetings in 2018 and referred back to their comments Escrow Officers made about mobile notaries.  See if any of these ring a bell:

1. They don’t dress professionally 

2. They seem shy and unable to control a signing 

3. They often smelled like cigarette smoke (yes, this was mentioned by 4 of the 8 Escrow Officer’s I questioned)

4. They didn’t provide a sense of professionalism to forward a referral for future business 

5. They rushed through the documents and couldn’t answer basic questions

6. They weren’t nice when visiting offices.  Most would just drop a card at reception or send a flyer in the mail or via email (and they were rolling their eyes at how many of those fliers had spelling or grammatical errors)

7. The EOs worried during the entire mobile signing that something might go wrong because trust hadn't been established so they figured they’d just do it themselves instead of wasting an hour feeling stressed

8. Notaries tried to answer questions and invariably gave out bad information

9. Notaries crossed over into the unauthorized practice of law by trying to explain the proration of property taxes (this is a TX specific thing)

The underlying theme to all of these issues presented to me was TRUST.  They were looking for someone they could trust when they needed to hire someone outside their office for a mobile signing.  And that makes sense…this is their bread and butter and their reputation in the real estate community. I deeply understood the comments about wasting an hour or more worrying during the mobile signing so they felt it better to just do it themselves. Control issues are something I can relate to! The key to creating a partnership with title offices was building trust, but you can’t just meet someone once and instantly trust them.  It takes time and consistent effort.  

I had the green light from my advisory board that the 5 steps I laid out made sense, and as I continued to refine the steps, I started researching the basic principles of sales to be sure I was creating something that will last.  I realized that all of their concerns could be erased by authenticity (and not smoking…LOL)!  If they trusted their mobile notaries, they would be more likely to hire them when needed. If they trusted mobile notaries they wouldn’t view them as being a bother when they followed up each month with a value-added email to stay top of mind.  They wouldn’t mind a visit…in fact, they might even look forward to it because who doesn't like to spend some time with the people they know, like and trust?

Over the years, the system has been fine tuned and refined. As I learned new skills, I added them to the system, but the basic principles remain:

• PopIn (Introduction/first meeting in person)

• Follow Up (with an invitation to stay in touch and so they have your email address in their contacts)

• Shout Out (monthly email with value based information)

• Social Media (leveraging free advertising and communication away from email to reinforce relationships and learn more about each other)

• Networking (mixing and mingling in a social setting)

When I launched on July 1, 2019 the website was named Signing Agent Marketing, but  I rebranded in 2023 to Marketing4Notaries. I realized as we were dealing with the fall-out from the mortgage crisis post-covid (and from doing regular research on sales techniques) that the system I created wasn’t groundbreaking. I had collected basic sales strategies that had been around for decades because they worked, but nothing is as easy as it seems. Plus, I had done what so many notaries had done through the "refinance boom," I put all my eggs into one basket by focusing only on loan signing agents instead of all specialties under the notary umbrella.

The biggest obstacle I’ve had is helping notaries overcome their own fears that box them in to believing that they hate sales and are too embarrassed to market their own business. I completely understand that feeling that runs deep in all of us:  sales sucks and I didn't want to feel like a used car salesperson either. I knew that wasn't something that could be resolved by only watching a video module, so I added one-on-one coaching to Marketing4Notaries for those that needed the extra push to feel proud of their decision to be a business owner and spread the word to their communities. And the coaching is what really brought a smile to my heart because I was watching notaries grow and learn in real time.  I was helping guide them through their fear and celebrating their successes. What a thrill! 

Along the way, I’ve learned that the notary community has its own pulse, its own way of doing things. The messaging at the very beginning of our notary journey is clear:  Sign up for 100 to 150 signing services and you’ll have all the business you’ll need coming to you from assignment requests via text or email. Sounds easy, right?  And that plan worked until mortgage interest rates began to increase in the fall of 2022. Those notaries that depended only on the signing services were left wondering where all the “rings and dings” had gone, but those notaries that built relationships didn’t seem to be suffering as much. That’s when I realized that it’s undeniable:  we are in a relationship business and we needed to start looking at ourselves as notary entrepreneurs, not just notaries. We have to do things differently than what we’ve been told on YouTube or Facebook. We had to control our own destinies by building relationships with the people who could bring us business. 

I know it’s hard to bust out of your own box and start the process.  I experienced all of those feelings, too!  

“I don’t WANT to take cupcakes to an office to introduce myself”

“I don’t WANT to go to the networking meeting because I’m tired and not feeling like meeting new people”

“I don’t want to engage with people on Facebook or Instagram because it feels inauthentic”

“I don’t WANT to have to think of valuable information to add to a monthly email”

“I don’t WANT to follow up with an email after meeting someone new”

BUT at the same time….

I WANT to make a living being a mobile notary

I WANT to provide for my family

I WANT to be able to pay down debt

I WANT to be the first notary people call in my town

I WANT to feel accepted by my local business community

I WANT to travel and have great experiences

I WANT to be able to visit my kids who live out of town

(these were all my actual WANTS in the beginning, by the way)

The struggle between what you WANT and what you HAVE is where the magic happens.  It’s where I grew as a person, a parent, a wife and a friend.  It’s where I realized the confidence and power I have within me to make things happen.  It’s where I fully understood that the journey, the struggle to push past your own personal barriers IS the destination.

Today, as Marketing4Notaries.com celebrates its 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY I am even more convinced that we are in the relationship and personal growth business.  Every challenge we overcome brings new value and opportunity.  And every time we engage in building authentic relationships with people in our communities we learn the value of these relationships in business.  We learn to trust the process instead of questioning it.  We learn that there isn’t a finish line, but rather a path we follow that allows us to twist and bend and turn and grow until we begin to have new dreams.  We stop worrying about extending our hand to a new person at a networking event and start focusing on the bigger picture like creating something sustainable for the long haul.  We stop worrying about the possibility of having to go back to the W2 world!

Stay with it. Don’t give up. Celebrate your wins (like a 5 year anniversary) and find the support you need to build your dreams. Work on overcoming your personal obstacles. It doesn’t happen overnight, but with consistency, repetition and support it will happen! I am living, breathing proof of that!

Marketing4Notaries will continue to evolve.  I can’t wait to see how, but I know the growth will be because I’ve learned something new and that’s what keeps me excited about my business. Every mountain I climb is reflected in my work, and it’s an absolute honor and privilege to pass that along to the wider notary community that I love so much. 

Thank you for five years of learning, growth, laughs, tears, vulnerable conversations and friendship.  It has meant more to me than I will ever be able to express with words. 

P.S. To celebrate Marketing4Notaries birthday, I want to give you a gift:  Click here to get my chart of value-added topics to use for monthly shout outs to your contact list.  Now, you’ll never worry about what to say in a follow up email again!