How to Build Relationships with Potential Repeat Customers and High Need Locations?
Most customers who call you will only need your services one time as they’re dealing with some kind of a major, one-off, life event. However, you will also come into contact fairly regularly with people who have a constant need for your service. A lot of the phone calls we generate from the Google Ads we set up for our clients end up coming from people at hospitals, people at skilled nursing facilities, lawyers, and so on. We tell all of our Google Ad Management clients that these types of phone calls contribute to the snowball effect that Google Ads will have on your long-term, organic lead sources. If you aren’t familiar with the snowball effect, it’s the idea of a small snowball rolling down a snowy hill, growing larger as it rolls down the hill until all of a sudden it’s gigantic. The fact that they are calling you to come to one of these types of places is an incredible foot in the door to be able to network with the professionals in those places and get future business as well. It’s very important to develop an eye for identifying these kinds of people and places so that you can parlay them into long-term, repeat customers.
Let’s start off with the first category, people who constantly need a notary themselves. Every now and then you’ll meet someone who constantly has a need for a notary themselves. Maybe they are a big businessperson who’s in an industry where they constantly need documents notarized. It could just be a wealthy individual who buys a lot of property, whether it’s houses, cars, or something else. They might mention something during your appointment about having had a notary who used to be their go-to notary, but how that person moved into a different career or retired. When you have a hunch that your customer fits into this category, go above and beyond in every way you can. Offer to show up as quickly as you can and get to the appointment early. Offer to come early in the morning or late at night, whatever works best for them. Do whatever it takes to make that stellar first impression.
You can ask them directly if they have a regular need for a notary. If they say yes, you can ask them if there’s a certain thing they look for in choosing a go-to notary. They might tell you that they need someone who is willing to come out in the evenings because that’s when they make all of their deals. They might tell you that they need someone who can come out on short notice, under one hour, because they can never predict when they will make their next business deal. Once they tell you the things that are most important to them professionally, assure them that you can accommodate them in those ways. Then, at the end of their appointment, leave them with your card, and give them some kind of a big incentive to call you back for that second appointment, for example, a huge discount ($50 or so,) or something else depending on what they’ve told you as far as what they look for in a notary.
The most important thing is getting that second appointment. Just because you went on that first appointment and did a fairly good job, it doesn’t guarantee that they’ll call you the next time they need a notary. You have to give them some kind of major incentive or reason to remember to call you the next time they need a notary. If they mention that they need someone who can come on 30 minutes’ notice and late at night, tell them that you can do exactly that the next time they need someone. On top of that, give them that $50 discount. You might say $50? Isn’t that too much? I’m not going to make any profit. We understand that, and that’s absolutely fine. The statistics say that if a customer uses your service one time, there’s very little chance they’ll become a loyal, returning customer. However, if a customer uses your service two times, there’s a MUCH higher chance that they’ll continue using you indefinitely. You should be willing to not make money on that second appointment, just so you can get it. That way you’ll continue making money indefinitely from the 3rd through the 100th+ appointment.
On a personal level, get to know them as well, and become their friend. Ask them about their personal likes and interests whether it’s food, hobbies, sports teams, or something about their kids. Find connections between them and you. Maybe, you are of Mexican background, and they tell you that they love tacos. Next time they set up an appointment with you, take them some bomb, delicious tacos. Put them on and tell them a good spot where they can go. Maybe you two have kids that are of a similar age, and they are into similar things. A lot of these little popular kids’ toys sell out and become hard to find. When you’re out hunting for that toy for your kid and you find it, grab one for their kid too. Figure it out, and get creative. Obviously, don’t break the bank doing this. We’re talking little tacos, little toys, and some ethnic food that you made at home. Things that technically are small, but have a big impact in making you memorable and set you apart from all the other options they have. The most important thing is getting that second appointment and making an incredible second impression on that second appointment. That’s going to set you up to get appointments regularly for years to come from that same client.
The second category of people who have the potential to feed you regular jobs are professionals whose clients need documents notarized. There are professionals in certain fields who aren’t notary publics themselves but work with clients in situations where they constantly come across documents that require notarizations. Pause for a second, and ponder this question: What types of other professionals are out there who have clients that need documents notarized?
Lawyers - Whether it’s a divorce lawyer, an estate planning lawyer, or one of the many other types of lawyers out there, these professionals are dealing with clients who need official documents notarized all the time. Now many lawyers out there have a notary in-house. They may have told their receptionist or some other non-lawyer employee to become a notary because they constantly need one. However, they will run into many overflow situations. If two or three clients need notaries at the same time on the same day in different locations, that one notary cannot be in two places at once. That’s when they’ll call out to find someone who can handle the overflow. This applies to law firms that are already a little bit bigger with multiple employees. However, there are plenty of small-time lawyers out there who are independent. Maybe they only have one or two assistants, and neither of them has become notaries yet. If you meet one of these lawyers, it’s a perfect opportunity to get in as their go-to, regular notary.
Financial Planners - Financial planners work with wealthier individuals who own property and are making moves with their money. They’re going to be walking their clients through plenty of situations where important documents need to be notarized.
Accountants and Bookkeepers - This may be either at the personal or business level. They are in the proximity of individuals who may do lots of business and require lots of documents notarized.
Healthcare Professionals - Healthcare professionals often work with seniors. Seniors who are getting their affairs in order, or are dealing with declining health often find themselves signing important documents related to health or finances that need notarization.
Immigration-Related Professionals - An immigrant oftentimes has to deal with certain documents that require notarizations. If you can speak Spanish or another fairly used language in the country, you may be the perfect notary for a professional who works with lots of immigrants. You may also find yourself in positions where you can upcharge for translation work.
And many more! You just have to keep your eyes open and be on the lookout. The more you actively stay on the lookout for these sorts of people, the more opportunities you will see.
If the professional themselves is present at the appointment, use the same networking and connecting skills mentioned in the previous category to make a great first impression, and set yourself up to get that incredibly important second appointment.
However, the professional who initially called you to set up the appointment for their client may not be present. They may just give you the address of their client’s home and tell you what time to go meet their client. If this is the case, follow up with the professional who sent you the lead via phone after the appointment is complete. Ask them those questions regarding their professional needs when looking for a go-to notary, and use the strategies already mentioned to set yourself up to get that incredibly important second appointment.
The third category when thinking about long-term sources of leads is facilities. There are certain facilities that you’ll be called out to where you can bet there is a constant need for notarizations. Pause for a second and ponder this question: What facilities or places out there have lots of people in them who need notarizations?
Hospitals - You’ve probably gotten these calls already. It’s usually someone who needs a Power of Attorney notarized. It could be a Healthcare Directive, a Will, or any number of health-related documents.
Skilled Nursing Facility - Skilled nursing facilities will have plenty of old folks who need health and financially-related documents similar to those mentioned in the Hospital example.
Hospice Care - Once again, documents related to seniors who are in the final stages of their life. You may be seeing a theme here. Older folks tend to start getting their affairs in order and signing important documents that need notarizations. Any sort of eldercare facility in general is a good place to market to.
Jails and Prisons - Inmates need documents notarized as well. They obviously aren’t able to leave the facility to get it done at a notary’s office. They absolutely need a mobile notary who will travel to them and is willing to go through whatever security measures the facility requires before the mobile notary can enter.
Rehabilitation Centers - People going through rehabilitation need documents notarized while they’re being rehabilitated. A lot of times they are unable to leave the rehabilitation center.
And many more! By either running Google Ads or having a strong Google My Business Profile, you’ll start getting calls from people who need you to come to all sorts of different facilities.
When you get a phone call from someone who tells you that they need you to come to a facility and gives you the address for it, look it up in advance. Research the facility and try to figure out what things they would look for in a regular notary. When you arrive, don’t just interact with the client. Interact with all the staff you can, but most importantly, figure out who’s in charge. If there’s a certain director or manager who is in charge of the hospice or who is in charge of that section of the hospital, ask them about what they look for in a notary who visits their facility. Assure them that you can provide the specific aspects of the mobile notary service that are important to them and the folks of their facility. Leave them with a card, and offer whatever it takes to get that second appointment. Make sure to connect with and leave a card with the administrative staff or receptionist in the front office too as they tend to be a hub between departments of whatever facility you’re in. Use the same professional and personal networking strategies mentioned in the first part of this section to make a great first impression on everyone and especially the leaders of the facility. Set yourself up for a second appointment with the strategies already mentioned, and crush it on the second appointment, so that you create a constant source of business referred your way for years to come.
Remember, you can totally visit and walk into one of these facilities on your own without getting a client who specifically asks you to come there to notarize a document. It’s just much harder to gain the trust of the professionals or the facilities that way. By running Google Ads, and getting a caller who asks you to come, you have a lot more credibility when you start networking. All you have to do is tell the professionals or the staff that runs the facility that you just completed a notarization appointment for so-and-so before you start setting up the opportunity for future referrals. There’s a lot more credibility when they’ve asked you to come, as opposed to walking in the cold as a notary off the street.