#1 Mistake You're Making as a Notary Signing Agent While Marketing

Hi there. I'm Mark Wills, educator of the loan signing system. I teach thousands of notary public loan signing agents across the country how to build a successful notary business. And every Monday I go live on Instagram to coach notaries one on one. So if you're looking for coaching on how to market your notary business strategies that are working in today's market and find solutions to problems you're currently facing, then these live sessions are for you. In fact, here's the latest episode. Make sure you take notes so you can implement these strategies today. Okay, Tell everybody your name, where you're from, and I want to help you on this next yes, sir page.

My name is Hugo. I've been a notary for five years and I'm here in Miami beach, actually. So I do closings all around South Florida and it's just crazy. It's changed my life. You know, I started this. The opportunities just keep on coming to me. As long as you look for them, of course. So when I first started four years ago, I was literally making a thousand, $2,000 a day. I stopped for a little bit because it slowed down, but now I'm back at it because I used to realize how much I love this. So I guess I'm stuck at getting more direct people. I don't have to go market. I have some direct that have been using me for four years. But now every time I try to. I don't know if emailing marketing works, but what should I do when I go to someone's office, I try to take them something, introduce myself, drop off a business card, but it doesn't seem to work too well.

Okay. Yeah. Stop it, stop it, stop. Are you. Are you an LSS student? Correct?

Yes, correct.

Okay, so a couple things. I don't think I've seen you on some of those one on one coachings that come included. So I can't give away the farm for free on here. I will help you, but my point is make sure you sign up for those in the course. They don't cost you any money. And one on one with me, not another team member. So make sure you hit that up and I'll go. But let me just say this. You ready? Loan signing agents don't get direct business is because they make the business about them and not about your client. So let me tell you, let me explain that to you more deeper. We walk in with goodies and we're like a. I would love your next closing.

Okay.

You failed because you made the conversation about you. So the loan signing system way is making the conversation about them. So may give you an example. You walk in with goodies. Oh my gosh. How was business? I hope it's great. Is there anything I can I do to help your business? Do you see how it takes the walls down?

Yep.

Does that make sense?

Yes, sir.

You're in the bubbling in business for you. So let me give you another harder example. Okay. This is macro. This is like verbatim what you can say. But before I teach it to you, I want to make sure you understand. You walk into a title office. Who are the title officers?

Clients, mortgage companies and realtors.

Okay, I'm walking down the steps here. So if you know that the title officer makes money from realtors, let me ask you the next question. Do you know any realtors?

Oh, yeah, of course I do. I do. I know a lot.

Hold on. Okay, so you know realtors and you know title officers make money from realtors. What do you think the next step is?

Oh, put them in contact.

Ah, so contact. What if the conversation sounded like this and I'm a local notary public loan signing agent before and talking about that. I know that you, you, you know, make money from realtors. I know a few. Is there any value in me connecting you with some of my realtor contacts? Oh, there is. Email, text message. I want that set up. What if the conversation is about them and not you? What do you think would change?

Yeah, for sure they'll remember me more.

Everything. Let me say that one more time. When you make the conversation about them and not you. But the problem is it's not working. Because when you walk in, who's it about? That's right. Who should you make it about?

About them, of course. Helping them, servicing them.

Does that make sense? But this is where you're misfiring. Okay, you're making the calls. But how can I serve you? I serve Miami Dade. I'll drive up to Palm Beach. I'll get up everything that you do. What about helping them? Like, oh my gosh, I go to networking events every week. Do you want to join me on one? I know realtors. Can I connect you? Like, what can I do to help your business? What if that was the conversation? What if you never asked for business but you asked for business on the follow up? Is this clicking?

Yep. Of course.

Remember the scripts in the course. Go back to the course. There's specific scripts on how to add this value. There's specific words, word for word scripts and what to do to a realtor because Remember, the realtor isn't our end game. It is getting the realtor to refer us to their title officers. The end game. Even ask for business until the follow up, you know, I mean, drop off your goodies, try to create an authentic relationship. If you dropped off goodies and ask for a thing but only offered, would that not change the game?

Yeah.

Now I'm not telling you not to ask for the business. I'm just saying don't do it on the first time.

Of course. Okay.

You see what I'm saying? So maybe then a week later you come in, you're like, oh, I know if your notary gets sick, I'm your guy. But. Oh, you're the guy who just put me on an email with the realtor. Oh yeah, that's me.

Got it. All right, I'll do it from.

Now that makes sense.

Yes, sir.

Remember, the loan signing system way is to give value. Don't just take give value and then it will come. Remember, we're in the long game here, not the short game. So maybe you don't hear your first closing for three weeks. Okay? Like we're in this for the next five years, not the next five days.

Understood, sir. Yeah, I got it. Thank you so much.

Set up that one on one webinar. The next one's on Wednesday. Email me if you don't have it. But I'm proud of you, brother. Proud of you for. Hey, thank you for being alone. Science Nation representing. Keep going, baby.

All right, thank you, man. Take care.

Oh God, your smile brings me the energy. What's up?

Well, I had to get on here. I said I gotta tell Mark I have my first signing today this morning.

Come on. Can we give our girl a fire emoji in the comment? Her very first signing today?

Yes.

Woohoo. Okay, how does that feel? How does that feel?

You know, I wasn't really, I wasn't really nervous because, you know, I told you I work in a legal field. So notarizing for me is like, you know, it's no big deal, it's just a matter of. And it was very easy. It was a partial claim. Now I will say that my only thing is the signing service. Cloud signings. Yeah, not responsive at all. And so the other guy just answered part of my question in terms of the mobile, you know, do I need to do that? But you know, my heart is the wrong.

Yeah, well, let me say this, let me make sure I say this real quick because I don't want my new students running out buying a printer you should. I tell every new student the only time you should think about a mobile office. I didn't even say buy think is when you start getting more than one signing a day because then you guys spend the gas to go back. But if you're doing one closing a day, you're good as is. Okay so only start thinking about it. And the only time you really what I would say is necessity is when you're consistently doing two or more signings a day is when it just makes financial sense to do it. So I think you're a ways off from that. I do have some students who are on gung ho. I'm not against it but I know you know I don't want you spending more money than you need to start the business. But girl, first off are you seeing all the fire images the community rooting for you in the hallmark.

Thank you, I appreciate it. I had to really work well I actually posted you know in the Texas. Because I'm in Texas.

Yeah.

And I posted in a group listen. I put my, my virtual business card. I said listen, looking for work. Send me what you got. And then I got one but I've had one from them before. So I guess my other question is, is the norm that sometimes assigning services are not going to be available? So let me tell you what I did. I wanted to make sure once I got it, text them, email them, let them know I got it. When I get to the assigning, text them, call them, let them know I'm there when I leave. Same thing when I get home, get them scanned up. Now they have their process online where you know they, they actually help with. They have like bullet points that you got to complete. So did that part but I never got any. And so some of the emails that I got back were a little conflicting because one was saying no, wait until I give you approval after you scan the docs back in order to send the FedEx. And then another email said no, go ahead. And some like yeah, let me get confirmation. I said I was told that I shouldn't send anything back until I get approval.

Everyone operates differently. There's some signing services you're going to get annoyed from because they over communicate with you. And there's something like this company here is not communicating at all. Your job is to do what you do and create good habits. So I love the good habit of over communicating doing it now but I will say is I teach this in the course and make sure you hear it. Making FedEx is more important than anything your Job is to scan back. Wait until the last moment is before you can make FedEx. You want to make FedEx that day. And then in your emails and communication to them, you're like, look, I waited and I didn't hear from anybody. But because I'm an educated notary public loan signing agent, I know you need the docs back in order to fund. So you've been scanned it. I hope I didn't do anything wrong, but I wanted to err on the side of giving you the docs first thing then waiting for it. So I've sent you the scans at 2pm Whatever time that is. So the communication is protecting yourself, but also letting them know is like, I know how important this was for you to get. So.

And I, even after I left FedEx, I got the receipt, took a picture and sent that to them as well. So they know they're in, they're done.

You are going to be an amazing signing agent. I mean, honestly, this business comes down to one thing over communication. And a lot of notary public loan signing agents under communicate then like, welcome. I don't get business. Well, I'm like, you're not communicating as a business owner. And so I love you take a lot, but because your background in legal, it makes sense. A lot of this comes naturally. But I want to make sure that I am giving you a lot of validation that it is a skill set that's going to transfer greatly to the side. So I'm proud of you. Congratulations, man. And let's go.

And I got my picture. I'm posting it.

Let's do it. LSS Loan locks. I'll get you, girl. What's up? What's up? How are you? I'm good. How are you? Amazing. Hopefully you're not driving, but we're like par. Okay, well, tell everybody where you're from. Let's have a conversation.

I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska.

Love it. Yeah. What can I do with you to help you today?

So I'm struggling with the going in person.

Okay.

There's like eight escrow offices in. In town. There's not a lot of them. I went to my first. Well, I was trying to.

I saw that in the Facebook group I was gonna post. I will comment on it. But I'm so proud of you. You did it. Scared. Yeah, I did. Yeah.

I was trying to nail the real estate agents and I walked in and there's the title office right there. And I'm like, oh, no.

Okay, first of all. Okay. Let me just say I'm Proud of you. Thank you. People don't do it scared. Everybody talks a big game, but not everybody does it. So you did it. So thank you. So what I want, what I want to coach on here first is expectations. Because discouragement comes from unrealistic expectations. In the beginning, when you've never done this, the actual goal is just getting the courage to do it. Like that's it. The goal is not getting signings and then you build upon those goals. So today was a massive success. The fact that you're judging on that it did or didn't go great is me helping you realign those expectations. The next is like saying three sentences and the next one after that is getting an email. And so your job, my point is, is to build upon each step. A lot of times we get discouraged as new students because you live an expectation that you should be great at a script you've never said or you should be great at something you've never done.

I mean, I think that might be probably my biggest hang up is just, I guess understanding that they weren't expecting me to walk in the door. And just doing that is a win 100%.

I'm telling you right now, it will get easier with each one and you'll learn kind of the dance that it takes. So now the question is, what does your follow up process look like now the next time you go in, it's not weird. You're like, oh, it's me again. And you're having the same pitch. So remember what you did today was setting you up for the follow up. It's getting that awkward moment because we as humans, we love familiarity. And so now the next time you go in, there's familiarity. The first part's the hardest. The follow up's the easiest. You did the best thing today. It's doing it scared. Okay, here's what I'm going to end with. All right, as you're like, oh, mark of eight title companies, that's a lot. Why? Remember that title companies are for profit organizations. So they're not employing one title officer. And then remember that one title officer in order to keep a job is probably at a minimum closing five title orders a month, a week. Like minimum.

Right.

So that one title officer is probably closing 15 or 20 because if they didn't, they wouldn't have a job. It's not a nonprofit. So the point I'm trying to tell you is that you have a ton of business if you have eight title companies. And let's imagine each one of those only had One title officer, which is not true, but let's just imagine that. Okay, so you have eight title companies with one title officer minimum 20 weeks. What's 160 closings a week in your area? That is a lot. Okay, see the reframe there? You should almost go into every relation, every conversation, assuming they have a relationship with the notary. Don't make it weird. You're like, hey, I know you have a notary. Cool. So if the notary gets sick, goes on vacation, gets stuck in traffic, needs to go to their child's baseball game, I'm your girl. So there's another myth that I gotta have notary public loan signing. Early signing agents make is like, you're trying to replace the number one. No, you're not. You're trying to be number two. Once you're number two, you then try to replace the number one. But there's an order to this. Does that make sense? So my point is this. Your job is to go into all eight of those title companies and just present yourself as a backup option. That's it.

So should I ask like for office manager there? Or should I be trying to narrow down every signing or every title officer.

Looking for the title officer? Okay, in the perfect world. But honestly, beggars can't beat you. Whoever you talk to, just talk to them like, hey, I'm a notary. I'm a notary signing agent. I know you guys might have a great notary in your office in case. I know you ever get sick. I just want to give you another option. And that's literally a 40 second pitch. You're out. Come back the next week. All my students always say, mark, what do I say the next week? I'm like, the same thing you said the first week. You know what I mean? So we don't need to overthink the follow up. What makes this business great is that notaries can't be at every appointment. You know that. So it's impossible if their best notary is scheduled for five, that notary can't do a four and cannot do a six. And remember, we work around the borrower schedule, not the notaries.

Right?

So if the borrower calls the title officers, I'm available at six. They know that their current favorite notaries out of five, like, oh, who's that girl who walked in? Who's that lady who walked in? They find her card. And now it's just a matter of you getting enough cards in front of enough people to make this a real business. And that's why? I'm going to circle back to the first thing. I'm so proud of you. Because most people just don't do it scared, right? There will be a moment. Someone is in a bind, period. Notaries get sick. Notaries have vacation. Notaries are mothers and their fathers. You're just like, hey, I want to be your backup, right? Once you're a backup. Now I've done my job and now it's your job to create relationship. I've helped you get that first closing. It's now up to you to create that real authentic relationship. And go build. So girl, get a glass of wine. Do something. I celebrate. This is huge. Okay? So just keep in mind this is a marathon, not a sprint. Most notaries fail because they expect a sprint. You're an LSS student, okay? We have a realistic expectation. My goals in the first 30 days. You get something now within the first week, okay? So gotta go week.

My first week was very successful.

You're doing it great. I'm so proud of you. Using the scripture, using the course, using everything you're taught. And I tell every student, everybody has the same course. Not everybody does the same thing with it. You are doing what I want everyone to do. Do it scared and do a scary. Until scary doesn't come. Scary. It'll be a point. So thank you for just following what's in the course. It is working. It is. Sit louder.

It is working.

So. But yeah, I'm proud of you. So remember, reframe, celebrate small wins. Go to all eight invented people. Talk to everyone you can and build this business. Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Bye. All right, so you talk to me, brother.

This came from a signing service where I get my whole bunch of documents late in the night. Then I get early in the morning on my way by, print out my documents, and when I'm heading home, they say, they call me and say something like, hey, you know, we sent some updated documents and we downloaded and we love it three hours ago, but you never downloaded it. And I was like, huh, what now?

The truth is it shouldn't be like this. That's the truth. The truth is that the signing service should have gotten you those documents earlier. That's the truth. But sometimes it's the loan officer or the doc prep department that forgot to send the docs to the signing service. And they're just the middle person to getting you that information. And so it is not a knock against you for not having. But you are, I would call you a fairly successful signing agent. And I Would say the four or five hundred bucks for the tax deductible mobile office is probably the best solution. It's one of those things. I am 46 years old, so I remember when we didn't get email to our phone and I'm like, man, you don't need email to your phone. And then I'm like, oh man, I love email to my phone. So my point is, I think you're gonna have that same moment with the printer. You're gonna be like, oh my gosh, I don't want to do it. And then you're gonna get it and you're gonna be like, okay, I love it because now you're saving money on gas and trips. So it's like, I remember you probably remember phones with no email and you're like, oh, that stupid. That makes no sense. And then you're like, okay, that's actually kind of cool. And I think the books, I could print it from the borrower's house. And they're like, oh, so it actually is a selling point for notaries.

I do agree completely.

I think it's a win, win. And it's one of those like, I hate to admit it moments, but bro, let's get on it.

Another one. This is a little bit more technical, but I don't know who to ask. For example, yesterday I had like a signing affidavit which some time ago requires one simple signature and it explains that this person is known as with all these. Nowadays they are three pages and each variation requires a signature from the guy.

Yep.

So those standards, where do I learn them? If they are really the right way or do I just have to swallow them?

You see more notary they'd rather work with because you say what you just said. If you have any last minute docs, I can print it from the borrower's house. And they're like, oh, so it actually is a selling point for notaries.

I do agree completely.

I think it's a win, win. And it's one of those like I hate to admit it moments, but bro, let's get on it.

Another one. This is a little bit more technical, but I don't know who to ask. For example, yesterday I had like a signing affidavit which some time ago requires one simple signature and it explains that this person is known as with all these variations nowadays they are three pages and each variation requires a signature from the guy.

Yep.

So those standards, where do I learn them? If they are really the right way or do I just have to Swallow them. You see, sometimes it's a reverse mortgage and the guy barely sign and now he wants seven signatures on one page.

Well, let me educate you on why that is even there. Okay? And by the way, it's not relative to new school, old school. It's more relative to how annoying the underwriter is. But anyways, so what happens is, is those names show up on the person's credit report. So I always said when I was in the trenches as a notary public loan signing agent, because some people are like, how come my name's misspelled 18 times? And the truth is, if an 18 year old at Best Buy ran your credit 17 years ago and they incorrectly put Mark with a C not a K, that's on the credit report for life. And so what the bank is making you do is acknowledge those name variations that show on your credit report in a name affidavit or signature affidavit. So some lenders require you to do sign just as it appears, which basically is making you acknowledge, oh, those name variations appear on my credit report. So the answer is yes. If you see them on listed out on a name or signature affidavit, you need to sign as it appears across from it. What really stinks is when a buyer or borrower refuses to sign. So then they're like, well I'm not signing that. Then you're like, okay, now we got a little bit of an issue because some lenders want you to put non applicable on the signature line. Some lenders still want you to sign. Some lenders want you to cross out an initial. So whenever a borrower says I don't want to sign like that, the appropriate thing is to call whoever gave you the signing. If nobody answers, then the next appropriate thing is to put the words not applicable on the signature line and then make sure you email whoever gave you the signing. I called someone at 8:30 at night, nobody answered. So that is what you do is if they refuse to sign, but yes, you should have them sign. And reverse mortgages, there's so much legality around predator lending that they really make them do all the different ones. So they're really acknowledging, oh, I did go by those name variations. So I hope that helped on how to handle a name signature affidavit. But yes, you do need to get them to sign as the name appears on the other side or do what I just said, if they refuse to sign.

Okay, thank you very much.

I was going to talk to you, Carlo. He's my man. Patricia, what's Up.

So I just need encouragement. I failed that test two times and I just haven't gone back to. Because I have. I just don't. I don't feel like a failure. But I've never been failing things like I've failed that test.

Yeah. Yeah.

And everything you say, I feel like I know it.

Okay, first off, there's no such thing as failing. There's learning and succeeding. And so that's the first thing I want to do is a reframe. There's literally no such thing as failing. Failing is when you quit. You're not going to quit. You learn and you succeed. We got to reframe the word fail. Everybody who's on right now live, okay. With my girl Patricia. Every. Everyone watching right now, how many people didn't pass the LSS certification? How many people put in the comments so Patricia doesn't feel alone? So while people do that, let me give you some encouragement. I require a 90%. So I am testing you hard on purpose so it's not like you are getting. Not like you're not getting. Look, right here. Three times. Amy, me. You're not alone on this. So just remember, I test you hard because when you get out in the field, you got to get an A. Yeah. You don't get an A, then you don't get more business. Okay, look at this right here. Failed the first two times, took four times. The past see the vulnerability of the LSS community. You are not alone. Remember, there's no such thing as failing and there's just learning. So I wanted to. Here's my biggest thing. I'm going to coach you on. On the way on this conversation, and I tell us to every student, is the most important thing you can do in this journey of starting your own notary public loan signing agent business is learn how to give yourself grace. Because I'm going to be very honest with you. There's going to be more moments in this business. You're going to get tested. It could be when you're out marketing your business or Realtor, you're like, ooh, that didn't go so well. The grace you got to give yourself is when you're new at something, don't hold yourself to the standard that you should be great at something you've never done. Now, you've never been in this business, so why are you frustrated that you haven't passed a test after two times in a brand new industry? That's the reframe. That means because honestly, you're going to keep beating yourself Up. And this is why people don't succeed.

People got me depressed.

Yes, you got to reframe. That's all it is. Because, look, if you. If you made me take the realtor exam, I would fail. And so one of the hardest things I had to do in my life as I became older and I don't know if you've known my. My personal journey of being in foster care and out of foster care, all these inner conversations, is that, you know, grace is what I really had to give myself, is I am good enough. I meant to be here. And just because I'm not brand new at something, because I'm brand new at something doesn't mean I'm not great at something. And so I just want to pass it on to you. You are good enough. You are amazing. You are smart enough. It's just being brand new at something. That's all it is. And I always say this. This. This helps me because I don't think anyone's smarter than me. I just think they've learned something different than me. There's two different paradigms. Like, I don't think a brain surgeon is smarter than me. I just think they've taken 10 years to learn how to be a brain surgeon. So I don't think the brain surgeon's smarter than I am. They've just chosen taking the time to learn something I haven't learned. My point to you is, you're still smart. You just haven't learned this yet. So don't beat yourself up like, oh, I'm not smart enough? I don't know why I don't do it. You've never been required to study five mortgage products. That's the answer. So it's not that you're not smart, it's just that you haven't learned it yet and give yourself grace on the journey. Because, girl, be honest with you. Very honest with you. There's going to be other times in this business you're going to get knocked down, and your job is to give yourself grace, and your job is to be like, I've learned something from it. I'm new. Why do I have this expectation I should be great at something I've never done that is like societal pressures we put on ourselves. But as you can see, by the amazing community, there was 15 people said, I haven't passed into four times, two times, three times. So you're not alone. Okay, you're amazing.