Leave a business card and get BLACKLISTED!

For general notary work?

Maybe I’m missing something but I don’t see where they say don’t leave a business card.

I always offer my business card at the door. I am an independent notary and I present myself professionally. No one can direct you to NOT leave your card. After all, it introduces and “legitimizes” you to the client. If the client may have other GNW and wants to use you, why not?
I think the signing services who prefer that you don’t offer a business card are fearful of the notary pimping their future business opportunities. Fair enough - one should not do that, espcially when it’s loan closings involved. But GNW? I don’t see the problem. If I’ve overlooked something, one of you notaries out there should set me straight. :upside_down_face:

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I think Mr. Ewing may be referring to leaving your card with a company which you have been referred to via a signing service. Signing services may view this as a threat simply because the title company now has direct access to you, the NSA.

One thing I do have concern about. The picture you posted has personal information on it. Though it doesn’t have the customer’s name it still has their address. You may want to condiser taking it down if possible. Just my 2 cents.

Some States say illegal to leave business card, or even share contact info. CRAZY makes no sense. When I am asked for my business I explain I do not have one ( rules ) . SAD

I don’t see any problem leaving a business card with anyone. Whomever I am doing business with already has my name and contact should they wish to get in touch with me. A business card simply adds professionalism.

I saw a similar notification on a recent signing through an LC, but after reading it, it was explicit- “if the business card left is outside of the scope of work i.e., notary/LSA”. So it can’t reference any type of other services. I have business cards for both. As yes its a conflict of interest. I work with a group of loan officers that use different signing companies and I have to jump through hoops to get approvals sometimes as it’s alwasy special request my LO’s just moved to the cheaper TC or SC, or just got bad service and asked for me as a vendor. I do my best to accomodate, but these SC do not want “someone” who works for the competitors so I make sure the cards I leave reference no training nor the fact I’m licensed for those. Just my general contact info and website details. .

Firstly the Loan Signing Agent is almost always a stranger. Usually, the lowest bidder, or the first to respond, or both, is located in the geographic area of the borrower/signer. Chances are slim to none that the signers will ever see them again. But that Loan Signing Agent is now responsible for the signer’s privacy “forever”. It’s also highly possible that the signers haven’t experienced a Notary Public visit to their home. If the meeting went well, there’s no reason not to leave a business card unless that card was for promoting your Rug Cleaning Business.

Agreed! As long as its notary services only. Leave those cards or if you’ve packaged your docs with a contact coversheet. Before getting business cards I made quarter sheet cards out of cardstock that had my contact details and services. I stapled to my folders and as I finally figured out what I wanted on my business card I designed that.

I personally only leave a business card when the client asks for one. It HAS netted me future GNW business with some of them, but not on a large scale…certainly not enough for signing services or title companies to make a fuss about it. If they ask for one and you tell them “I don’t have a business card” it makes you look unprofessional and in my opinion, also makes the company that hired you look unprofessional (in that they’re not hiring professionals to do their closings).

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