Updated 6-3-24. Growing your mobile Notary business is all about making the right connections. While referrals and recommendations are important, I've also made contacts through strangers I meet through my daily activities, touch base with those I know well and those who are too far to see regularly and reach out to those who gave me the opportunity to provide Notary service.
I have discovered that the way you approach these everyday encounters regularly pays off.
For example, I recently was sitting in the lobby of a medical building, waiting for a doctor who had hired me, and started chatting with the person next to me. My new acquaintance didn’t realize Notaries would travel to a home or an office. After I shared with him what I do, he asked for my card, and the next week he contacted me for services. Not all first meetings result in assignments, however, it is amazing how many times it has for me.
So how can busy Notary professionals leverage these opportunities and make the best use of their time? Here are 4 tips to follow to make the most of your chance encounters. These may seem obvious or timeworn, but sometimes the best advice is common sense.
- First impressions matter
- Talk to people
- Get involved with your community
- Stay in touch with people
Tip 1: First impressions matter
From the moment you come into contact with someone, you are making an impression. You want to come across as a friendly and competent professional instead of stressed or angry.
We work with people we know, trust and like. The first 2 take some time, however the last one can happen instantly. Smile! Too often, we focus on the immediate task before us, whatever that happens to be, and forget that our face shows whatever frustration, stress, urgency, or irritation we are experiencing. We may be puzzling out how we will accomplish something, but the picture our expression paints tells a different story.
Smiling makes you appear approachable, friendly and engaging. Not every connection leads to business, but your positive impression may be recalled down the road, and it will help you stand out.
Tip 2: Talk to people
Be open to conversation and pay attention to what is said. Everyone wants to be heard, and you can be the one excited to hear what they have to say.
I have many conversations on my way to somewhere else, or while waiting for a client at a public place or office. By the time I leave, I’m often asked for my card because they either use Notaries in their line of work, or they want my information for their own personal use. I don’t even have to offer my card — I’m usually asked first.
Tip 3: Get involved with your community
While it’s always important to be open to the countless daily, casual encounters, I find that getting involved with my community and contributing my skills is a great way to multiply those encounters and make more connections. From those connections, people remember me and call me for my notarial services.
For instance, I volunteer for hospice clients in my town, and the hospice hires me as a Notary for administrative work in their office. The families remember me long after Grandma is gone and ask to hire me later. I am also on the board of directors for a senior advocacy organization, and that office refers clients to me who need mobile Notary services.
Tip 4: Stay in touch with people
I have found staying in touch with people in my network has helped me grow my business rather than constantly chasing new clients. Strengthening weak ties and nurturing my current circle of family and friends reminds them about my Notary services. It also encourages them to refer me to other people they know outside my network, which in turn expands my reach. Sometimes I can even ask if someone in my circle can introduce me to a potential new contact that they know.
Some examples of staying in touch include the following:
- Reaching out to friends and acquaintances you haven't spoken to in some time. Refresh the relationship even if just virtual, Lead with reconnecting, if an opportunity comes of it later, that is great.
- Let friends and acquaintances know you are thinking of them and asking how they are doing.
- Show an interest in the activities of people in your network. I might buy a ticket to an event, donate directly to a contact's organization, or send a note of congratulations or support, depending on what is appropriate.
- I send thank-you notes to clients to show appreciation for allowing me to serve them.
In the end, I’m most successful when I concern myself with others and see friends instead of strangers wherever I go. I keep a smile on my face and look for the connection rather than the job, and the work seems to follow.
Laura Biewer owns Coach Me Laura in Modesto, California. She also teaches seminars for the National Notary Association and is a regular presenter at the NNA’s annual Conferences.
Related Articles:
Your guide to building a successful Notary business
By fluke and design: How 3 Notaries built thriving businesses
22 ways to make money as a Notary
Additional Resources:
Signing Agent Certification