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One of my favorite TV shows of all time is "Friends." My husband and I watch it entirely too much, and it still makes us laugh. Have you seen the episode where Ross asks Chandler and Rachel help him move his new sofa up the steps to his apartment? He's repeatedly giving the order to "pivot" as they maneuver a sofa up the steps that's too big for the stairwell. It's hilarious. It's also a very good metaphor for what's happening in the notary world these days. We've all been told to PIVOT as interest rates are rising and home sales are "drying up." Let me shed some light on what "pivot" should mean in this transition year we've found ourselves in vs. how it's currently being interpreted. What I've noticed is everyone is coming out with a new training program of one kind or another. **People all of a sudden became "experts" at giving advice to notaries building a business. They took "pivoting" to mean, "come out with a training program," instead of "learn new notary skills to diversify your revenue streams." Is that because they think training and coaching are easier or require less effort? If so, they are mistaken. Coaching and training notaries is hard work and include countless hours of work that may never even see the light of day. What "pivoting" your business should look like is learning new skills to create other streams of revenue besides loan signings. Interested in working with Attorneys? Learn their language and types of specialties (wills, trusts and estates); or family (divorce & custody) or adoption (foreign & domestic). Maybe you'd rather focus on being the "go to" mobile notary in your local community for general/specialty notary work. Then, you'll need to get hyper-localized SEO (search engine optimization) and a Google Business Profile page (and work to build up your 5 star reviews). Perhaps branching out as a wedding officiant is more appealing to you? Or maybe you're interested in learning about fingerprinting or Apostille agent work as a revenue stream? There are many things a notary can do to make more money, and the point is really this: Never put all your eggs into one basket! The mortgage industry is always going to be a roller coaster ride, but the loan closing business hasn't dried up. It's just normalized to the way it was prior to the pandemic rates of 2-3%. This is how the loan signing business really is as a working mobile notary. You've got to create relationships to be successful! Here's the REALLY COOL ending to this post: Notary Business Builder (NBB) has everything you need to diversity your business without wondering if the trainer is knowledgeable or the course is worth the money. It's the first-of-its-kind platform that combines the country's best notary coaches and trainers to teach you everything you need to be a successful notary entrepreneur. No more subscription fatigue, no more feeling of being in this alone, no more fear of competition. NBB has experts on staff that teach you how to level up your business, your mindset and your income. We like to say, Notary Business Builder is an elite community of advanced Notary entrepreneurs that are committed to building a successful business in any economy by leveraging authentic sharing technology and cultivating deeper relationships. Check it out if you haven't already: www.notarycoach.com/nbb **Be wary of anyone selling a training program that you've never heard of or that's priced cheaply. I'm a big believer in "you get what you pay for," so keep that in mind as you're making decisions. There are tried and true trainers out there that have solid reputations in the notary world, including my incredible business partners Bill Soroka (The Notary Coach) and Laura Biewer (The GOAT). There's also Ronnie Mickle with Notary Stars, and Mark Wills with Loan Signing System. If you're uncertain about a new notary trainer, reach out to one of us and we'll shoot you straight.

I had the privilege of speaking at a virtual notary summit last night about the Pillars of a Notary Business. My time was spent talking about the pillar of confidence as a business owner. Confidence is tricky...it can ebb and flow in us throughout the day and is certainly difficult to muster up when we're feeling down or vulnerable. One trick I learned, and shared last night at the summit (and a few weeks ago during my Building Authentic Relationships call inside Notary Business Builder) was learning how to speak more positively to myself. I wanted to share some of that information with you in hopes of improving your self-confidence! *When practiced regularly, positive self-talk has the ability to reduce stress and anxiety, increase happiness, encourage healthy habits, promote self-confidence and decrease negativity and psychological symptoms. Here are some ways to implement positive self-talk into your day: Don't fall into the negative self-talk traps: Personalizing (blaming everything on yourself) Magnifying (focusing only on the negative without acknowledging the positive) Catastrophizing (always expecting the worst) Polarizing (only thinking in black and white with no grey area) 2. Talk to yourself like you'd talk to a friend. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you, and think of all the things you have to be grateful for in your life. 3. Make self-care a priority. Spend a few moments every day doing something you enjoy. This can include meditation, exercise, playing with your kids or reading a book. Nothing is off limits. 4. Limit your exposure to negativity. If social media is bringing you down, remove the app from your phone for a while to take a break. If you have a toxic friend, cut back on the amount of time you spend together. 5. Practice gratitude daily in a journal or with a mental checklist. For me, keeping a daily gratitude journal forces me to look for things in my day be grateful for...and I love that feeling of focusing on good things in my life! 6. Change your vocabulary. Remove the words, "I can't" and replace them with, "I can!" 7. Take a time out if you feel negativity creeping into your day. Check your feelings, and think of ways to put a positive spin on the negative situation. 8. Post positive affirmations around your home to remind yourself to stay in a positive and compassionate frame of mind. 9. Find the humor in a negative situation. Laughter is truly the best medicine. 10. Work with a professional if you've tried everything on this list and you're not successful in changing how you talk to yourself. Mental health professionals can work with you to pinpoint the origins of your self-talk, as well as strategies on how to flip the script. I consider my therapist a valuable part of my team! Til next time... Jen *DPS Staff 4/23/2021

One of the perks of Signing Agent Marketing membership is the ability to book free 30 minute sessions with me, Jen Neitzel (the creator of SAM). I love the time I spend with members answering their specific marketing questions, providing motivation and support or simply acting as their accountability partner. Beginning today, I am offering 25 minute "Jam with Jen" session for non-members, too. Just click this link: https://www.signingagentmarketing.com/book-sam to schedule your session! I can't wait to talk to you!

Signing Agent Marketing launched in July of 2019, and it's been a thrill ride ever since! With the recent rise in mortgage interest rates and the slow down in loan closings, I wanted to really focus on how SAM could help ALL notaries, not just Loan Signing Agents. So, I've revamped the website! If you want to find out how to build relationships with ANY BUSINESS that needs a Notary Public then SAM is the place for you. Our Exclusive 5 Point Marketing System now includes information on marketing to hospitals, attorneys, schools, tow yards, jails, government administrators and the content is growing every month! Here's the best part....membership is still only $20 per month. Our newest feature is the SAM Shop! As a non-member you can now purchase the monthly marketing calendar that gives you actionable steps every day to market your business. Choose 3 of them a month and you will notice your business grow! We also have 2 videos in the SAM Shop; How to Identify Builder Business (this is a hot topic right now as housing stats in the US are low) and our Exclusive 5 Point Marketing Video. Each 2 hour video will give you a taste of the power of Signing Agent Marketing and how building authentic relationships is truly the key to a sustainable notary business. Til next time.....Jen