(CA) Thought I’d drop by with a few thoughts. . .
50 years ago, Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel (remember them?) penned this lyric in a song called El Condor Pasa: “I’d rather be a hammer than a nail, oh yes I would, I surely would.” I think of this line often as I read the sad lament of so many notaries who can’t seem to find the endless and lucrative work they heard about, lo, these past two years. Seems too many notaries feel like a “nail”. Sad, really.
Wanna NOT feel like a nail? Here are some things to think about (right out of my own workshop on business improvement):
Answer (on your own pad of paper)
What is it that you do that you’re the absolute best at?
Consider that:
You offer a product / service you didn’t invent. . .
You use a formula you didn’t invent. . .
You use a delivery method you didn’t invent. . .
Have you truly branded your concept?
Have you identified and/or isolated a market segment?
What do you do that creates a unique user experience?
Why would an investor put serious money into your business?
Do you fully understand your business’s raison d’etre? (look it up)
Do you want to go to the health club, the hospital or the morgue?
That should at least get you started.
Sadly, the title of this forum discussion is “Why haven’t I Received a Signing Yet?” Did the author of that title really pose that question expecting an answer? Whaa, whaa, whaa. That’s a question from a “nail.”
My advice for those who have the courage to admit that they are not having much success as a notary is this: Concisely post your query fronted by what you have done that hasn’t worked; what you’re thinking of doing next; and, what you want the outcome to look like. Be specific. Be thoughtful and creative. After all, that’s what you’re expecting in return from the wise sages who are kind enough to respond to you. In other words, make your time on this site worthwhile, not only for yourself, but to others as well who will learn from your mistakes, misfires, etc. Makes it a richer experience for the responders as well.
Y’know, I opened this rant with some clever, yet salient, Paul Simon lyrics. I’ll close with an anonymous quote I’ve used for years: “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken s**t no matter how much mayonnaise you put in it.”
If that quote resonates with you, you’re starting to get it; if not, just keep asking why you’re not getting any signings.