Each notary as an independent business person, must choose their own method of operations with regard to when a phone is answered.  I find it difficult to imagine (and quite rude) interrupting a borrower, who may be signing a multi-million dollar real estate loan package before me to answer a call from an unknown entity.  While they may be calling to inquire about appointment-setting or pricing and I certainly hope to gain their business, I wish to offer my client my full and undivided attention.  I monitor my phone by glancing at the phone when it rings but unless it is someone involved in the package I'm signing, they will need to wait for my call-back within the hour or follow the directions in my out-going message regarding texting if a matter is urgent.  I recognize that in today's world, impatience is a reality and everyone expects immediate and complete attention.  Most times in the real world, you must take a number, stand in line or wait until the person you are visiting hangs up their current call.  

For those without such maturity and patience, while I do indeed want your business, I won't compromise my professionalism to attain it.  But, by the same set of rules, when you or your client is before me, I will extend to you the same courtesy.

I am a huge believer in technology and the efficiency it affords businesses like mine.  I am GPS guided (with GPS back-up) with my blue-tooth, voice-activated e-mail, text-messaging, facebook, twitter and other similar applications and devices on-board.  But, if you don't have the patience required of a real-world human being, then I'm afraid there is a possibility you will be disappointed.

Based in Orange County, California and serving Six Southern California Counties personally, I hope you will choose "A Quick Note".

Https://aquicknote.net 

On Twitter: 

www.twitter.com/aquicknote 

On Facebook:

http://on.fb.me/9Xp0Y0

Anyone remember six months ago? That was when all the news reporting agencies were abuzz with stories about the intrusive TSA screenings and the pros and cons of privacy and the boundaries of pat-downs and X-ray technology that over-exposed us.  It was the fodder for late-night comics and others.  Perhaps we silly Americans have been spoiled for too long and have had far too little appreciation for these and other conveniences and we have truly taken it all for granted. 

Why is it that we seem happiest when we let others do the thinking for us?  Take for instance the “text-messaging” craze of the last several years that has helped us all avoid having to have an actual conversation.  Simply send a short, curt note and voila!  Communication handled.  Little do we know about the recipients understanding of the message, how it made them feel or if sending it will or will not achieve the desired result.  Nor have we taken the time to find out.  Certainly, less thought was involved there.

Today, I received a call from two seemingly charming adults requesting mobile notary service for a disabled family member.  By their appearance upon my arrival, they were bright and seemed an educated and worldly pair of individuals.  First, they handed me a stack of documents and introduced me to their wheel-chair bound brother.  From what I could gather, the documents would give certain permissions for the movement of the brother to a nicer apartment and his agreement to certain contractual requirements.  I began (as I usually do) by requesting the brother’s valid ID for the purposes of notarization.  After fumbling with his wallet for a few moments, he produced a pair of Drivers Licenses.  Both, unfortunately, were expired and both were issued more than five years prior.  [In CA a notary may use an expired ID and consider it valid provided it was issued within the last five years].

When I explained that the ID’s were invalid and asked for another “valid” form of ID, these seemingly smart individuals had difficulty understanding the concept of what notarization is.  I explained that while certainly the expired ID’s seemed to be genuine they were not valid for the purposes of notarization which is a higher standard.  Notarization means that the signer has proved their identity to me using satisfactory evidence which comes in many forms and which I listed for them.  One form of such evidence involves credible witnesses who verify the identity of the signer but because both of these family members were named in the documents, they were ineligible for that option. 

One of the family members became upset with me saying “You are a notary and he is a real person right in front of you”.  I had to explain again that while I personally had little doubt that the signer was indeed who he said he was, the standard I am required to adhere to is that he has proved it using satisfactory evidence.  In this case, I had to refuse notarization.  While I truly wanted to be helpful, I had to make that difficult choice.

So many Americans have no understanding of the notary process.  It is a process designed to protect all of us from fraud.  The notarization of a document doesn’t make the document legal.  It simply makes it notarized.  What does that mean exactly?  It means that when a document has been notarized that the signer who appeared before a notary and executed it proved who he/she was based upon the standard required.  It is up to others (Courts, Attorneys) to determine legality.

Yes, we are a nation addicted to convenience.  As a Notary Signing Agent, I provide fast, friendly and ethical service daily.  But Americans need to recognize their part.  Whether protecting you from terrorism at the airport and aboard an aircraft, or paying your cell-phone bill to ensure unlimited texting or carrying a current and valid identification so your documents can be notarized, we all must take some responsibility for these things.  Even in a world of modern convenience, responsibility has its place and thinking for yourself is really not over-rated. 

It seems that no matter what the circumstance, doomsayers show up with their little dark rain-cloud in tow overhead, to sprinkle doom and gloom all about.

"Rates are going up", "Prices are climbing", "We haven't seen the bottom yet", "Financing takes forever", "You'll get less for your money", "The sky is falling"-sound familiar?

They find it necessary to tell us all how bad things are, how bad things have been and are always sure to predict a future full of doom and gloom.  These are sad-sacks, miserable in their own little lives and determined to ruin everything that they can.  They are cut from the same cloth as the aggressive paparazzi, the gossip columnist and the 2nd grade tattle-tale.  Also fitting neatly in this category are inattentive real estate agents, predatory lenders and untruthful mortgage brokers [or is that an oxymoron?].    

The best revenge is to live your life successfully, out loud and on your own terms.  Give those jerks a big grin and an "up yours" with every success you have.  You can prove them wrong by showing off the things in your life that are good and right and positive.  Never let them see you sweat...no matter how much pressure they apply.  

While they linger in the mud you will not.  Treat them with all of the same disdain they hold for you.  Never be a tool for them or become their weapon of mass destruction.  See the glass as half-full.  Believe the best will happen and it will.  The power of positive thinking is an unbelievably powerful concept. 

I remember my Mom saying that to me.  

Still, I'm constantly amazed at the endless flow of doomsayers that continue to blog away!  The fact is, that we are all alive, we've survived the worst of it and things have improved and are now beginning to rebound. Perhaps we will never again see the "glory days" of windfall earnings and "easy" money that we once saw.  But, when you compare the grind of trying to stay alive during those rough times, don't you see that we were simply paying for all those so-called glory days?  Level is good and Good IS Good!!  No, it's not great.  But I can settle for a whole lot of good, so long as we can avoid going back to rough!

I try to put a positive spin out there when I can.  I don't always succeed.  But that is just another reason I write blogs...to remind myself [and perhaps a few of you] to be positive, believe things will get and be better and soon they probably...more than likely...perhaps, they will.

First: Do no harm.

Sure, it sounds an awful lot like the words attributed to a Doctor's Hippocratic Oath.  This "oath" is widely believed to include the words written above.  But alas, it does not.

A better place for these words it would seem, is with those who accept our advertising dollars.  As paid allies in our daily struggle to improve our top-line sales, attract clients and to thoughtfully display our wares in a manner appealing to prospective customers, their responsibility is to help us NOT hurt us.  

Business people spend their workday trying desperately to drive dollars from the top-line (sales) to the bottom line (profit).  We pinch our pennies, we squeeze our resources like lemons and we drive our employees to take on and do more in a days work, all to increase that bottom line.

To assist us in these efforts we employ various advertising entities.  An expectation is placed upon them that they will do what they are paid to do...promote our business.  It seems some have lost their focus in doing that. With the addition of Social Media to our everyday lives, Facebook, Twitter and countless other such vehicles allow us to widen our sphere of influence and if not educate, then certainly to entertain others with our dazzling insights and vast professional knowledge.  

I, for one, believe that when a paid advertising entity chooses to participate via these various forms of social media, their responsibility does not lessen, it increases.  They, after all, have been paid (sometimes handsomely) to promote and increase our business.  If they insist upon providing improper or misleading information, or false information that paints our business in an unflattering light, are they not in breach? Certainly, they are working against us or as another generation might have put it: "biting the hand that feeds them"

I'm hoping for lots of feedback on this post.  I have been struggling with the choice to renew or "not" renew an advertising agreement with an entity for which I have been an advocate.  The advertising I have paid for has been professional and my results have been mostly positive in my relationship with them.  Still, when I see them regularly providing misinformation about my profession while continuing to accept my hard earned advertising dollars, I am angered.  I simply wish that they would....

First, DO NO HARM!

A few years ago, I remember being greatly annoyed with a National Organization for Notaries where I was a member.  This organization is supposed to be dedicated to the promotion of excellent notarial practice and the support of it's membership. As a member, I soon found that their true interest seemed to be the almighty dollar.  

I am all for capitalism.  But what disturbed me was the way in which this "support" organization was taking steps to drive dollars to their bottom line while at the same time causing harm to their paying members.  As with many organizations, once you become a member you begin receiving their mail, email, newsletters and advertising. That is sort of expected.  What I didn't expect was literature informing the general public what to expect in the way of mobile notary fees.  Believe me when I say that their estimates were not even close to reality.  There seemed to be no formula for how they had arrived at these numbers and no variation based upon different markets in different states.  Wildly differing costs including fuel, tolls, parking, supplies or state specific notary fees make quoting prices a difficult proposition and they really need to be quoted locally.  

On top of this blunder of telling clients how much signings should cost, they also began promoting a "certification" program that they said made one notary more qualified over another.  The fact is that their certification program was a way to raise more revenue from the members.  They told members that the "certification" would get them more work and listed testimonials from various hiring entities.  Of course they charged a fee for their "certification course" which was nothing more than a piece of paper received after taking a generic notary exam.  They did the same thing with "background checks" which generated yet another income stream.

Notary organizations continue to sell these products and newbie notaries continue to buy them.  They believe somehow that these little pieces of paper will somehow improve their business.  Meanwhile, they have been taken to the cleaners.

There is no substitute for experience.  When looking for a Notary Public/Notary Signing Agent, look for their amount of experience.  How many years have they been doing this?  How many sets of loan documents have they signed?  Are they full or part-time?  Do they respond in a professional manner? Do they offer references? Do they ask intelligent questions about your notary needs? 

The average "Joe" doesn't know what a notary is or does.  He just knows he needs one to complete his legal document(s).  With all the misinformation floating about out there, hiring a professional Notary Signing Agent seems like the only wise move.

Best laid plans have forced me to pause (on a rare and rainy day here in paradise) while awaiting document completion at a local escrow office.  I'm taking a moment to reflect upon 2010 as a year which has assisted my business by "stopping the bleeding".  While numbers do not/have not set the world on fire, it is wonderful to see regular work again.  Perhaps the diversification of my business into Photo-Inspection, Messenger Delivery and Service of Process in addition to my core business as a Notary Signing Agent have aided in this recovery.  With mortgage rates still low and folks beginning to share a more hopeful outlook, 2011 promises to be a better year all around.  

It seems a bit of pain and some minor suffering have been in order to develop people as well as their various business entities into a stronger, more efficient way of doing business.  During the first quarter of 2007 I had been a Notary Signing Agent.  Today, on the brink of 2011, I continue to be, but am also so much more.  On top of these added skills there is a tougher and better equipped "me" to go along with all of it.  Quicker to respond, genuinely happier and more grateful to my clients.  Yes, it seems a bit of tough times has done me good.  

Please accept my sincerest wishes for a prosperous and efficient and profitable New Year.  While 2010 marked the return of stability, let 2011 show us to new heights.  "A Quick Note" Mobile Notary and Document Delivery Service absolutely appreciates your business and your faith in us.  May 2011 be our year to not just survive, but also to thrive.

It's true.  Rates are down and lenders have begun to loosen their grip on funding both purchase and refinanced loans.  November 2010 found my Notary Signing business strong and steady just before the holidays.  I'm thankful [and stated so on Thanksgiving Day] that the wheels on the Silver bullet were spinning every "work" day in November (we work just about every day!).   http://twitpic.com/1qp9ne

The gradual increase in my loan signing business since September ['09] has been a welcome and long awaited return.  While business is still nowhere near 2005-06 levels, a glimmer of hope has made itself known since about April ['10], perhaps, just in the knick of time.  The "purchase" market here, in Southern California, fueled by adjusting home prices, low interest rates and the allure of once unheard of and amazing deals has ignited Realtors, Escrow Officers and thankfully, Notary Signing Agents alike.  A rather high percentage of these have been FHA deals and although the majority are indeed purchases, a rise in the number of refinance loans being seen is also evident.   

Diversification of my business hasn't hurt things either.  While the bulk of my business continues to come from loan signings, I have seen "regular" and consistent work in all my expanded service offerings.  Those services include: Service of Process (Process Serving), Messenger Services, Photo/Occupancy Inspections and other Errand and Delivery Services.  So many of the Lenders, Mortgage Brokers and Escrow providers either left the business altogether or so greatly altered their methods of operation that my client list looks vastly different than it once did.  With the rise in mortgage loans taking place, many of those old relationships and familiar faces are re-emerging.

When your first, best destiny presents itself to you and then economic hardship hits, any movement toward a recovery is so, so sweet! I've always remained convinced that mine is a viable career but learned many lessons regarding the cycle of real estate here in Southern California.  Maintaining ethical standards, delivering upon promises and learning new skills has served us well.  Now that the economy has pulled out of its nose-dive, we are prepared to soar to new heights.

Well, in '09 I was indeed facing alot!!

...Another birthday, another year older...dear God here comes another one! 

...An upcoming 30 year reunion...and all that THAT implied...but, it was a great party!

...A teenage daughter and her entry into high-school life...(boys were to be warned-I'd bought a shotgun the day she was born and thus, had had plenty of practice on how to USE IT!)...a word to the wise: shotgun hasn't kept 'em away but on the bright side, knowing I have it still makes ME feel better!

...The challenge of building my business in a rebounding economy...and defying the odds to stay self-employed at all costs!...Well I've survived but my independence has cost me in ways I've only just begun to measure...the battle continues. 

                                                   !

     Then again, I suppose I'm not really a stick-in-the-mud either.  I did, some eight years ago, leave a middle-management career of 25 years to strike out on my own and become self-employed.  Not from an over-abundance of bravery, but rather my decision was made from a place of frustration.  Upon reflection, I suppose my very long (25 year) fuse and comfort with the familiar did little or nothing to advance my career.  Only when I finally chose to "get into it" for myself did I finally feel rewarded.  While money is wonderful to have and is certainly a measure of ones success, the satisfaction of making your own business decisions is far more valuable to me.

     So many things in life are challenging each of us.  Not the least of which is change itself.  I suppose I had usually avoided change.  Opting instead for the familiar, the comfortable and peace of mind in doing everything I'd always done and doing it the way I'd always done it.  We've all heard "if you can't beat 'em join 'em"...my new take was: If you can't get out of it, you gotta get into it! 

     As a believer in "The Power of Positive Thinking" and knowing what can be created when I remain positive, I have struggled for new and different ways to remind myself that more good things will come my way.  With so much emphasis placed upon the negative aspects of our economy and with so few sources of positive influence, I was left to my own devices to motivate and inspire myself daily.  In calling upon the frustration that had served me so well in improving my career direction, I emplored each reader to dig deep and find the good.  But, no matter where you found that good of which I wrote, it would only inspire others if they took the next step...the step of sharing it with others.

     I truly believe that today will be a good day.  I hope you believe it too and that you share your belief with all who might listen.  Make it so.

Anyone who participates on social media of any kind is engaged in promotion.  If you say you are not, I would be hard pressed to believe you.  Whether it is your opinion, your belief, your religion, your business or service or anything else that others on Active Rain have not seen before, you are trying to show the rest of us something.  Provided that you are courteous, do not use abusive or demeaning language and express yourself in a respectful manner, administrators shouldn't involve themselves.  I've noticed that some group administrators try to control all content. 

About a year ago the administrator on one of the Notary groups nixed my posts because he said that issues of the down economy did not relate to the topic of Mobile Notaries.  As a mobile notary whose business had the legs cut out from under it, I will tell you that the economy has had everything to do with the down mortgage business which has in turn negatively impacted my mobile notary business.  

For me, what I promote is my Southern California business.  "A Quick Note" Mobile Notary and Document Delivery conducts loan signings, Service of Process, Occupancy/Photo Inspections and more in Orange County, CA.  Recently, the economy and the mortgage business has improved.  I'll tell you this: As the mortgage industry has shown signs of life again, so has my business.

Have an opinion or just wish to tell me about your business and what you do?  Sure.  Go ahead.  Because we all know that you are here just to read and would never, ever "promote" yourself!