Notary Biz Blog

It’s the world we live in as a mobile notary: no pay and slow paying companies just come with the territory. No matter how many mobile notaries post on the web about payment issues, “no no” lists, or warnings against signing services, everyone just seems to want to get even.

Maybe instead of getting even, it’s time to get smart. It’s time to develop your own collection system.

With a mobile notary payment system you’ll set yourself apart from the rest of your competition. Your actions will show that you’re a pro and your collection rate will increase.

Below is a guide to help you, the mobile notary, set up and run your own collection system.

First, you are going to need a way to log your invoices. Logging your invoices is an essential part to any mobile notary collection system because without knowing what you have done, you won’t know what each signing service owes you. As a mobile notary it’s important that you spend some time researching the various options available to you to log your invoices, from a simple paper log to advanced computer programs. Identify what you want to accomplish, then determine what your needs are for logging your mobile notary service invoices.

Second, identify the payment terms that the signing service has agreed to pay you on. As a mobile notary it’s always bad form to call and demand payment from a signing service for an invoice that is not yet due. You should set up your collection log to reflect the terms that you are to be paid under and learn to work under those stated payment terms.

Third, log all the payments you have received. It can be embarrassing and detrimental to demand payment from a signing service that has already paid you. Not only will you be remembered as the mobile notary that creates extra work for the signing service staff, you will also be remembered for being unprofessional and a hassle to deal with. Do you really think that the signing service is going to call you again?

Fourth, create a time line for your collection process. Time lines can be very helpful in identifying what needs to happen at a particular time in your collection process. As a mobile notary, you should be sending late notices to the signing services that you have outstanding invoices with. For example, if an invoice becomes 10 days past due, send out a polite notice to your contact at the signing service and notate your log that this notice has been sent. If the invoice becomes thirty days past due, send a second notice and notate it in your log. Most companies will resolve outstanding invoices, but it does take time. As a mobile notary, remember to always be a professional and to remain patient. Come up with a time line that you can live with and stick with it.

Fifth, learn to know when an invoice is uncollectible. As a mobile notary, as with any business, you are not going to be paid on 100% of your invoices. You need to learn to know when an invoice is uncollectible and chalk it up to the cost of doing business. It’s important that you keep notes on which signing services are in good standing with you and which are not.

Finally, don’t change your mobile notary collection system with your mood. Let the system you have created work, give it time and you will see a noticeable improvement of your collection rate.

As a mobile notary accept that there are slow paying signing services, accept that at times you will not be paid, and remember it’s not personal to anyone but you.