ethics: Pricing: How does a Notary stay in business?
- 08/12/13 06:12 AM
There have been a few instances in the last few years when clients or potential clients have scoffed at a price quote for the Notary Services we provide. Still, I have to be understanding, as Mr. and Mrs. Joe Six-pack in the here-and-now of 2013 continue to have little understanding about what a Notary is or does. I'm actually quite proud of my pricing structure (and the fact that I rarely alter it) but admit I wish everyone understood what goes into it.
Here is how I break things down: First of all, my services (all of them) are mobile services. I … (2 comments)
ethics: A word on Ethics...a Notary Signing Agent's Best Friend
- 03/22/12 06:32 AM
Now, after having seen our world through the prism of a downward spiraling economy, and with major businesses having failed or having been reorganized and/or downsized, the challenge to maintain standards and to practice ethical behavior is compounded. While our leaders debate the pros and cons of plans to rebuild and fortify our economy, average Americans react to job losses, higher tax burdens and they begin to emerge from their bunkers where they had gone to hunker down to ride out the storm. During times of challenge, it seems that others more desperate than ourselves are well poised to prey upon us and pull us … (6 comments)
ethics: Telephone use...and patience?
- 05/31/11 06:11 AM
Each independent business person, must choose their own method of operations with regard to telephone etiquette. I dislike (and find it quite rude) interrupting a borrower, who may be signing a multi-million dollar transaction before me, to pause and 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 … (1 comments)
ethics: Service providers Hate to say "NO" but sometimes we must.
- 03/27/11 09:30 AM
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 … (1 comments)
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 … (4 comments)
ethics: Choose wisely. Consider not just the source, but perhaps their motivation too!
- 01/11/11 08:09 PM
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 … (3 comments)
ethics: Ethics maintained and reinforced is a recipe for success!
- 06/29/10 07:34 AM
Now, after having seen our world through the prism of a downward spiraling economy, and with major businesses having failed or having been reorganized and/or downsized, the challenge to maintain standards and to practice ethical behavior is compounded. While our leaders debate the pros and cons of plans to rebuild and fortify our economy, average Americans react to job losses, higher tax burdens and they begin to emerge from their bunkers where they had gone to hunker down to ride out the storm. During times of challenge, it seems that others more desperate than ourselves are well poised to prey upon us and pull us … (0 comments)
ethics: Halloween can mean joy for your busy borrowers and be less scary too!
- 10/07/09 05:23 AM
Another "hurry up and wait" month on tap for the end of October. September saw families readjusting to the school year as it always does and very little business being conducted. Although, with the dip in Mortgage Rates seen at the end of the month, applications for a new mortgage skyrocketed. Typically, these fluctuations in the mortgage application rate mean a squall of loan signing business for us at about six weeks after the application blip. Many lenders have gotten better with the 30 day turnaround while utilizing their "skeleton crews" [appropriate for October huh?] to produce the deals for signatures. Hopefully, the … (0 comments)
ethics: I've seen a buzzkill to positive posting...I may be corny, but I'm happier for it!
- 11/06/08 04:00 AM
I was drawn to a post about the biggest lies on AR. The author wrote a funny and entertaining piece about lies told on AR. In reading the massive list of commentary-some of which was even more hilarious than the original post- I ran across this excerpt (one response): [...I have an addition to the list. "I am a fountain of positivity!" This whopper is usually told by someone masquerading as the most upbeat and encouraging person on AR, when lo and behold they reveal themselves to be among the most judgemental and petty. "Live and let live ... as long as you … (8 comments)
ethics: Three Rules of Management (Perception v.s. Reality)
- 10/02/08 07:02 AM
In a 25 year career as a middle-manager in the restaurant business, I gave this speech once to each of the hundred-or-so persons I personally hired each year. I told them: Our Company has many policies and procedures that will make or break your career based upon how you act upon them during your time spent working here.
Beyond THOSE rules, I have only 3 rules that must be adhered to in order to avoid termination: 1. DON'T LIE TO ME Regardless of any problem we are addressing on a daily basis within the operation, a lie creates an entirely "NEW" problem/issue that … (2 comments)
ethics: Translating 'Vows of Love' to improve your business life...
- 10/02/08 05:34 AM
Love is patient. awaiting success will test the boundaries of that patience. Love is kind. being kind is not so difficult, yet we easily forget to be. It does not envy it celebrates the successes of your competitors and learns from others only what you'd aspire to be. it does not boast, but rather allows the production to speak for itself.
It is not proud. be not proud of your business, but rather confident in your ethical treatment of others in the course of operating your business. It is not rude, … (2 comments)
ethics: Q: How many brokers does it take to screw up just one deal?
- 07/07/08 05:58 PM
The answer is, just one as I'm sure many of you already know... I know because I've seen a number of deals go sideways at the signing table. How? The mortgage broker insisted on "sitting in" during the presentation of loan documents by the Notary Signing Agent. Only twice in my personal experience of nearly 6,000 signings has a brokers involvement (at the table) been a good thing. Both times, the broker had very little if anything to say. Both times the broker promised to use my services exclusively in the future. While we can and do point out terms and conditions … (13 comments)
On integrity.... I made up my mind, long before entering this line of work, that my work had to represent integrity. In order to do anything well, you have to be able to sleep at night. The hardest challenge a Notary Signing Agent faces is not cutting corners. Especially when faced with an unfortunately large number of requests and the lure of the almighty dollar. My advice to all the new notaries who will listen is: Don't compromise, don't be bullied and always remember your oath.
On Responsibility.... Prison overcrowding … (11 comments)
ethics: Political correctness? (Blah, blah, blah!!!)
- 04/24/08 11:56 AM
Previously posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note" Remember when it wasn't a crime to make a profit?....when someone found a recipe for success, you would strive to emulate that behavior so as to have a duplicate result? Better yet, you'd do it better than the other guy, thus raising the bar and challenging others to compete. If they failed, you rode the wave of success. If they succeeded, you stepped up your game, so as to rival them once again. This is the way of a free market economy. "Lead, follow or get out of the way"-the saying goes. It is good … (0 comments)
ethics: Adventures of a Notary Signing Agent...
- 04/19/08 07:37 AM
Adventures of a Notary Signing Agent... Previously posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note" OK, so I arrive at a very modest, older (vintage 1950's) house after dark and the house is dimly lit. I remember I'd just gotten a new prescription for my glasses and my eyes were adjusting to them... Anyways, the lady invites me in and into her living room where we apparently will sign on a coffee table-I refer to this type of signing as a "back-breaker". Again, the room was dimly lit and a light in the corner of the room was just enough to read and see … (5 comments)
ethics: Ethics...The Golden Rule...and Us, The Notary Signing Agent...
- 04/18/08 05:28 AM
Modified from a post made elsewhere by "A Quick Note" DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE DETAILS HERE FOLKS....YOUR STATE (OR YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT CORRECT PROCEDURE) MAY BE DIFFERENT. TRY TO SOAK IN THE BIGGER MESSAGE.....We have all been approached by the last minute Loan Officer, Mortgage Broker or even the occassional Escrow Officer who wants to get the deal done in a hurry. You get through all the preliminaries, Name, Address and Phone and you've agreed to a price and know the deadline. Then comes "Oh, by the way..." or "There's just one more detail..." and it always has the smell … (0 comments)
ethics: Notarize it.... 'cuz I said so, that's why!!
- 04/17/08 07:02 AM
I'm a service provider. Nothing makes me happier than to help a client with their notary needs and to help complete their business documents. I get frustrated when, like today for example, I receive incomplete documents with blanks. I kindly instruct my client that the document must be completed prior to notarization especially since this particular document shows dollar amounts and specific, needed dates of other documents. I also explain that I am not an attorney and neither assist in the wording of nor offer advice as to the content of any incomplete document. Then, I hear second-hand that a person at the … (16 comments)
ethics: Oops! Are your credentials showing?
- 04/16/08 12:34 PM
Oops! Are your credentials showing? Modified from a previous post made elsewhere by "A Quick Note" I recognize that there is a vast difference in the goals, aspirations, education, training and especially the abilities of the professionals who visit this and other similar sites. This seems to be a theme that runs through all such sites. I must say that the constant mindless chatter seems to be less here and that most of the ridiculous posts are being made elsewhere. While this is a benefit to those who enjoy Active Rain, it is also a detractor to the participation of others...because we are … (0 comments)
ethics: Notaries put their livelihood and freedom on the line for you...
- 04/16/08 09:07 AM
Excerpts from: Amendments and New Laws Effective January 1, 2008 [Notary Handbook-California Secretary of State] The certificate of acknowledgment now is executed under penalty of perjury (Civil Code section 1189) In addition to the background check by the Department of Justice, notary public applicants' fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of a background check. (Government Code section 8201.1) The notary public journal must contain a notation that the identity of the person making an acknowledgment, or taking an oath or affirmation is based on "satisfactory evidence" and not "personal knowledge" (Government Code section … (2 comments)
ethics: Raise your right hand..."do you solemnly swear or affirm that...."
- 04/15/08 06:09 PM
Previously posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note" on May 11, 2007 Hey! CA Notaries: Did you administer your oath today?8214.1. The Secretary of State may refuse to appoint any person asnotary public or may revoke or suspend the commission of any notarypublic upon any of the following grounds:............(k) Failure to administer the oath or affirmation as required byparagraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 8205.Why do I feel like the Lone Ranger when I administer the oath or affirmation?Hmmmm....you afraid you may get into heap-big trouble Kimosabee! Often, those executing a "sworn" statement (affidavit) look upon me as if I've grown three heads … (11 comments)
There have been a few instances in the last few years when clients or potential clients have scoffed at a price quote for the Notary Services we provide. Still, I have to be understanding, as Mr. and Mrs. Joe Six-pack in the here-and-now of 2013 continue to have little understanding about what a Notary is or does. I'm actually quite proud of my pricing structure (and the fact that I rarely alter it) but admit I wish everyone understood what goes into it.
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