You may or not be aware, but August is National Friendship Month and yesterday I celebrated by asking my Notary Business Builder friends to invite their notary bestie to my monthly Building Authentic Relationships (BAR) call. We had a great group on the call and spent time saying how we honestly feel about our meaningful connections. There was a lot of love on the call and if I’m being honest, there were a few moments that left me a bit choked up. As humans, we don’t always remember the power of gratitude toward our friends and family. As entrepreneurs, we understand that gratitude is extremely important in business, but it’s also equally as important to let our friends know how much we love, respect and appreciate them! Today’s call had loads of gratitude and appreciation flowing and I wanted to share with you some of the practical items we discussed for ways to help support your notary friendships.
First things first though…low level thinking involves the belief that other notaries are your competition. That’s a bunch of b.s.!! Once you start operating on a higher plane, you realize that other notaries are not only a source for referrals when you’re not able to service your clients, but also a source for friendship. As Matt Miller, the President of the California League of Independent Notaries said on today’s call, “when I let go of thinking other notaries in my area were my competition and opened up to the idea of collaboration, my stress level went way down. I wasn’t constantly worried and I was able to put more energy toward my business.”
Let me share this 5 star review I received on my Google Business Profile on Feb 3, 2023
“I desperately needed same day service, and she had no appointments left. But she went above and beyond to help me find a qualified notary who could! So grateful for this professionalism” 😊 Linda
I got a review from a customer I didn’t serve because I referred her to someone who could help when I wasn’t available. Consider how impactful that is for a moment…We always talk about making things easy for people and one of the very best things we can do for our clients who we can’t help is to send them to someone who can help them!
What are some other ways you can help your notary besties? Here are just a few tips to help you forge relationships with notaries in your area:
Remember we’re not just notaries, we are notary entrepreneurs with all of the stress that comes along with owning your own business. Don’t assume just because you feel someone is “ahead” of you or “more experienced” than you that they don’t need someone they trust to share their feelings. We all need someone who understands the pains of entrepreneurship and allows us to vent, cry, laugh or just listen when it’s necessary.
Show up! Help them stuff their PopIn bags, plot out their marketing route, find networking events (or introduce them to the events you attend), swap ideas for follow up emails or blog content, attend the community fair where they’re hosting a table, offer a character review on Google Business Profile, share info about the latest training you received, engage with their content on social media or their blog posts, subscribe to their YouTube channel and share any valuable posts with your audience
Share your strengths! Are you really good at direct marketing? Do you have excellent writing skills? Maybe you’re a wiz at bookkeeping? Or perhaps you are a Canva pro creating flyers or business cards. We all have talents and strengths we can share with each other! I’m a big believer in karma/the golden rule/reciprocity in the universe or whatever you want to call it and I know from my own experiences that if I lend my talents to friends, they will in turn do the same for me when I need their help!
Offer honest feedback. This one can be tough because it can be difficult to tell someone your truthful opinion. We feel we’re making that person feel rejected or that we want to be encouraging and telling the truth would be too hurtful. Stop! We’re adults. We’re business owners and because we work in a solo capacity we need people we can trust to tell us the truth. Be fair, be kind, but be honest when they ask your opinion. You’re not helping anyone if you never give them your truthful opinion.
Show your gratitude! Tell your friends you love and appreciate them. Show your gratitude in words (written or verbal). Treat them to lunch or a special outing. Send a card in the mail just to say, “I’m thinking of you.” Take the time to appreciate the people or persons who love and support you. The good you put out into the world in the form of appreciation will come back to you!
I would love to hear how you support your notary bestie! Comment below and be sure to share this blog post with your notary groups! Let's spread some love around for National Friendship Month!
It is SO great to have found my Notary Tribe!