Even the most dedicated notary can't answer the phone every time it rings. At some point, a notary has to:

• Sleep.
• Take appointments.
• Spend quality time with loved ones.
• Take vacations.
• And otherwise enjoy your life and service your clients.

Answering the phone during your chosen business hours is, of course, critically important, but it's just not possible that you can answer every single call. 

That's okay! 

And...

If you can't answer the phone, it's imperative that you have a system in place that let's your customers and prospects know that you're a business that is still interested in serving their needs, even if you can't answer the phone at the time. How do you do that? 

3 Easy Systems For Being Responsive, Even When You Can't Answer the Call

I've written extensively about how to answer the phone promptly and professionally (read "Hello…1876 Called and Wants Its Phone Greeting Back here). 

But if you can't answer the phone, make...

When I played football in high school, our coach had a slogan above the door that led to the field that said, “Go Forth With Reckless Abandon.” 

Coach explained that only one game matters-the one you're in. Will you choose to fully engage in such a way that leaves it ALL on the field for that one? And then the next? And the next, until you’re on a winning streak?

A streak gives you the momentum of a racing train, nearly unstoppable. 

In my blog today, I'm going to help you get on a S.T.R.E.A.K. of your own.   

Six Practices to Ignite a Winning Streak 

What I’ve learned through the years is that staying engaged with your goals and dreams with reckless abandon does NOT mean wild, careless, random, or desperate activities done with your fingers crossed, just hoping something works. 

The freedom we seek is found through discipline. Not all willy-nilly, but with intention…daily. 

That’s how you...

Repeat Customer Success is Guaranteed When You S.M.I.L.E 

If they needed a notary once, they’ll need one again…and again…and again. 

And if they don’t, they’ll know someone who does. 

This exponentially increases the lifetime value of your customers. 

It works for any line of service you offer under the “notary umbrella” too. If they needed: fingerprinting/apostilles/field inspections/trust delivery/medical facility work, they’ll need it again or they’ll know someone who does. 

That means the person you notarize today might be the person you fingerprint next month. And next year, that person might inherit land in Italy from their grandparents and need international document authentication services like an apostille. Then they find the love of their life and decide to get married right there in your town, and need a wedding officiant. 

Maybe that’s an extreme example, but maybe it’s not....

Sell Without Selling

Your email signature is prime real estate in an email and you can leverage it to do some of the heavy lifting in sales or brand edification as a notary public. 

The cool thing is, there is really no right or wrong way to do email signatures. Depending on the expert you listen to or the blog you read, you’ll get different opinions. In my experience as a credentialed professional and notary coach, a few strategies have emerged as either effective or ineffective with email signatures and I’m going to share them with you today. 

12 Suggestions For a Kick-Ass Email Signature

Here are a few tips for creating an email signature that will get attention and help you sell your products and services. You don’t have to use all of these elements in your email signature. Pick and choose what you like and mix and match throughout the year.  

1. Simple is Okay

Simple can actually be better. You don’t need anything fancy. All email...

Like with all big goals, small consistent steps make them happen. If you're goal is to work with estate planning professionals, you have to connect with more estate planning professionals. 

That's it. 

It's a pure numbers game. 

And in this fantastic interview with Jennifer Cooper from JKC Notary Courses, we talk specifically about the daily or weekly activities you could implement right now to move you forward on your goal. 

It's not that complicated. 

But...

If you're anything like me, you're analytical brain can overthink a pebble. Sometimes a pebble is just a pebble. 

No matter which Specialty you're pursuing under the notary umbrella, there is tried and true systems for connecting to your dream clients. 

Jennifer and I discuss exactly what that looks like when marketing to estate planning professionals on this episode. 

Watch it here (PS- Don't forget to like and subscribe to Jen's YouTube channel) 

Plus, I collaborated with...

New podcast episode released: If you're a mobile notary and loan signing agent feeling the pinch as mortgage signings slow down after the pandemic surge, you're not alone. Still, even as the market normalizes, more opportunities have been revealed for notary entrepreneurs.

Laura Biewer and I (and Jen Neitzel in spirit) were guests on the Peak Signing Agent podcast with Derek Van Otten and shared about the new adventures in the estate planning field delivering living trust presentations.

Appointments like this have the potential to replace even your most lucrative loan signing months (with no printing expenses!).

You can watch/listen on YouTube, or anywhere you like to listen to podcasts. 

Making a list of your potential attorney prospects is one of the simplest steps you can take on your journey to work with estate planning professionals.

I call this my Fab 100 list, but you may find with attorney work it’s more of a “Fab 600” list, especially if you’re in a large metropolitan area. Why is this?

Contrary to the loan signing industry where there are only 55,000 or so escrow officers across the country, there are over 216,000 estate planning attorneys in the US, with an estimated 5,000 more graduating every year. That gives you a lot of prospects! If you're in a smaller community, expand your radius out to the surrounding areas. 

Right now, your list doesn’t have to be 100% accurate. Use the internet and online directories to search for estate planning attorneys in your area. Keep in mind that the attorney doesn't necessarily have to have an office in your area in order to have a client in your area.

To make this even easier...

How to Make Memorable Introductions Within Your Professional Network

As you elevate your network, the necessity for more effective introductions will rise in priority. High performers in any industry, including estate planning professionals, hospital administrators, university staff, or essentially anyone you may consider your ideal client as a credentialed professional, will protect their time more than anything. 

So tactics like telling your client referral, "Call Bob and tell him I sent you," or "Here's Bob's number, just give him a call," are ineffective at best, and damaging to your reputation and relationships at worst. 

If your goal is to help more people, which I am sure it is if you're reading this and in my orbit, then take a few extra minutes to refer the right away. And if you don't have time to do it right, wait until you do. A great introduction sets the new relationship upon a solid foundation that can get off to the right start faster & easier, and...

I love to read. Until this year, I've focused mainly on personal and business development books, almost entirely non-fiction. I don't read one book at a time, and I don't read to adopt 100% of the author's opinions, strategies, or ideas. 

Just one. 

If I can extract just one thing from a book I read, it's worth it. 

Sometimes it really is just one thing. And other times, I end up underlining or highlighting an entire book. That's the real treasure hunt: finding the right author, the right idea, at the right time. Some of these books have been sitting on my shelf for years, and then one day they seem to call out, "it's time to read me now." 

And just as there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come, there's nothing that can silence a book whose ready to be read. 

The following is a list of those books that were ready to be read this year. 

Don't be overhwelmed. You don't have to read like me. Read like you. But read. These...

Did you know you can make money as a notary public? 

Chances are if you're following my blogs and email, you probably already know that. But if you're brand new to the notary world, or even if you've had a commission for years, but never knew what to do with it outside your 9-5 job, I've got some good news for you. 

You can build a thriving business as a mobile notary through, what we call, Specialty Notary Work (SNW). 

There are hundreds of millions of documents that get notarized every year, and most states allow notaries to charge travel fees in exchange for the access to your services in the convenience economy. People value their time more than anything right now, and if you're willing to travel to them, you can build a business as a notary public on wheels. 

Depending on the type of appointment, and the state your commissioned in, you could generate anywhere from $60-$150 (or more) per appointment. 

How to Monetize Your Notary Commission Through...