I was so excited when I started my Notary business in 2001. At first, I had no idea I needed to build a profitable and successful business. But after more than 2 decades as a successful Notary professional and educator, I’ve learned there are 3 important skill sets you must have to own and operate a Notary business:
1. Know your state’s Notary laws
2. Learn the essential tasks every Notary business owner must perform
3. Develop a positive attitude and good work ethic so your customers trust you
1. Know your state’s Notary laws
Though it may seem obvious, if you want to succeed as a mobile Notary, Notary Signing Agent or any other kind of Notary business, you can’t succeed unless you learn your state’s notarization laws. This means more than just take any required training courses or quickly peruse a Notary handbook and then put it away. You have to constantly refresh your knowledge and stay aware of any changes to state laws and regulations. There are many ways to do this, such as:
2. Learn the essential tasks every Notary business owner must perform
The second set of skills I needed were the essential tasks for running the day-to-day aspects of my business. I could be the best Notary on the planet but if no one knew about my business, I would not be called for an assignment. And my Notary skills would not do me any good if I did not make sure my business was organized and properly running.
Among the essential business skills I needed to learn were the following:
- How to market my Notary business effectively
- Managing the back end tasks for my business, such as bookkeeping, income taxes and organizing my financial records.
- Leveraging online resources like Yelp and Google My Business Profile to add to my business’ visibility.
All of these required me to master new knowledge and skills so I could make my business visible and easy to find for potential clients and customers.
3. Develop a positive attitude and good work ethic so your customers trust you
The third set of skills I needed to master were a positive attitude and good work ethic to build my customer’s trust in me and ensure they came back to me when they needed notarizations.
These skills are not about selling and marketing Notary services. It is about how Notaries present themselves to clients, signers and colleagues, including the following:
- How you interact with customers. Are you courteous? Friendly? Do you present yourself in a way so that customers have a good experience asking you to notarize for them?
- How do you deal with pressure or problems? Do you become stressed, angry or rude? Or do you stay calm, courteous and professional, showing customers you know the proper way to handle things when they go wrong?
We cannot choose what life offers us, but we can choose how we respond to it. This last set of skills is critical for deep satisfaction and enjoyment of a Notary business career. It is what helps us connect with others beyond a simple transaction transaction. Cultivating the right attitude and approach to interacting with people can change you from an impersonal Notary in the eyes of your customers to a caring human being who is appreciated for sharing knowledge, working professionally and compassionately, and going above and beyond to provide good service.
Laura Biewer is founder of CoachmeLaura.com and owns At Your Service Mobile Notary in Modesto, California. She also teaches seminars for the National Notary Association and is a regular presenter at the NNA's annual Conferences.