The Top Five Reasons to Become a Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent

The Top Five Reasons to Become a Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent

I collaborated with two of my favorite friends and colleagues, Laura Biewer and Jennifer Neitzel, to create the Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent program (CNTDA) for three main reasons: 

1. With the slow down in refinance/mortgage transactions, notaries needed another source of revenue.
2. Even though we've been advocating for the shift to estate planning and living trust presentations for two years, most notaries didn't make a move because they didn't know how to do it. 
3. And, after talking to hundreds of estate planning professionals and attorneys, it was clear there was a major gap in three arenas that had to be addressed: Awareness, Skill, and Communication. 

The Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent program bridges all three of those gaps with the industry's most comprehensive training and certification program designed just for notaries. 

The notaries that take the course and pass the test will gain the skills they need to deliver a full trust competently, AND they'll learn exactly how to identify and communicate with their ideal clients so they get more of the appointments they most enjoy. 

At the same time, the attorney or legal plan company can be confident in the abilities of the CNTDA and relinquish even more of their appointments to their new trusted ally. 

It's a win-win if I ever heard one!

I think the biggest value the certification has though is how it's shifting the conversation about the relationship between notaries and attorneys. Every day, I'm in awe about how many law offices do not fully understand the immense network of mobile notaries that exists in this country. 

We're here and eager to serve, but many attorneys and legal plans don't know it yet. 

A properly trained and committed notary can greatly enhance the impact and revenue of an estate planning firm. How cool is that? I get to share a network of the world's best notaries, and newly designated trust delivery agents, through our partner directory, Gotary.com, with estate planning professionals all over the country? 

Everyday!

It's a "stop the press" kind of moment when you share this certification with an estate planning attorney. This is what I have found so inspiring over the course of this last year with intentional conversations: Most, if not all, estate planning attorneys chose this law specialty because they are passionate about helping other people (usually triggered by a traumatic story from their own family). So they love when a notary is equally as passionate about helping others-so much so, that the notary goes through the added expense and rigor of obtaining a special certification just to be of more service. 

This trust delivery certification is powerful!

The Top Five Reasons to Become a Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent

 #1: Replace Lost Loan Signing Revenue

Let's face it, money is at the top of your mind right now, especially after the last few years we've had in this business. Refinances and other loan signing appointments were practically falling from the sky, and we were rolling in revenue. But it's different now (for most markets). The dust is settling, and we're returning to a pre-pandemic "normal" as part of the cyclical nature of real estate. This has left many notaries fearing for the future of their business. 

Estate planning documents, like living trust presentations (trust delivery) aren't tied to the real estate market. In fact, it's one of the most stable legal specialties out there, which is why there are over 200,000 estate planning attoneys in the country. 

Trust delivery is similar in many ways to loan signings in that you offer bundled services like: travel, document presentation, signature gathering, and more, so you can charge a commensurate fee. These fees can vary between $100-$250 depending on where you're located, whether an attorney is present, and who hires you. 

So you can see, with great clients and solid online visibility, you can easily meet or exceed your loan signing revenue. 

#2 Deliver Joy and Peace of Mind

One of my favorite aspects of trust delivery (besides the great income) is overall energy and feel of these appointments. Most take place at the signer's home, or the attorney's office and there is this energy of relief, knowing that they have their final affairs in order and their hard-earned legacy is protected for their family. 

Many of the signer's you'll meet have been "shoulding" all over themselves for years (sometimes decades), knowing they should have a trust in place, but never got to it...until now! They are so grateful to you and the overall experience!

As a trust delivery agent, you deliver more than just documents and notarization: you are delivering peace of mind. 

What's better than that? 

#3 Stand Out From Competition

Picture it: Two notaries walk into a BAR Association meeting and share their services. One has gone through the added training and certification to become a Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent, fully understanding documents, processes, etiquette, and even ethics. Addiitonally, because of the training, this notary understands how to bring even more value to the relationships through referrals and mutual prospecting. 

The other notary relies solely on their pamphlet and their E & O coverage amounts. 

Who is going to get the client? 

If you want to stand out in a sea of sameness, follow Bonnie Rait's advice: Let's give 'em something to talk about. 

Your CNTDA designation is a conversation starter and a head-turner. 

#4 Master the Documents

As a trust delivery agent, you don't have to prepare any documents-just like you wouldn't prepare a Deed of Trust or a Promissory Note in loan signings. You get the gift of having a very distinct lane to stay in. With your CNTDA training, you'll understand the various documents included in a living trust and how to briefly describe (not explain, cuz that's outside our lane) them. 

We're so proud of this training because we worked with an advisory board of estate planning attorneys, paralegals, and legal plan companies to design the Signing Table Mastery module, equipped with sample trust documents, scripts for describing the documents, and pitfalls to look out for when notarizing (or not). 

Believe it or not, for the majority of trusts, these documents are quite simple, and in no-time, you'll be a seasoned pro and master of the documents. 

#5 Access More Clients

Three million attorneys. Another 35,000 law school graduates every year. 210,000+ estate planning specialists. 

That's a lot of potential clients to work with, and that's literally just the tip of the iceburg. 

In addition to attorneys, many states of "paralegals" (or legal document preparers, or a variety of similar names), and legal plan companies that also draft this important paperwork and utilize notary contractors to fulfill trust delivery. 

But did you know that an attorney is not required to create a living trust? That means that members of the general public  are your prospects too. In fact, it's estimated that there are nearly 180 million adults in the US that need an estate plan that don't have one...yet.

Which probably explains why there is 210,000 estate planning attorneys vying for their attention. 

And there are hundreds of DIY document companies providing downloadable resources to help people create their own trusts. 

That's why, outside of the Signing Table Mastery module, the majority of the CNTDA program is focused on helping you get more clients by both enhancing your online visibility so those DIY customers can find YOU when they Google, "Notary Near Me," and elevating the relationships you have with your ideal attorney/legal plan clients. 

We know implementation and practice is key to your success. A certificate is worthless unless put into action. 

With the CNTDA, we give you the exact strategies, words, and skills to put this certification into practice immediately. 

Miss that ringing phone? 

Enjoy it again as a Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent now. 

Here are a few resources for you:

If you want to check out the program specifics and see the pricing, click here.

If you just want some free training about living trust presentations, check out this 45 minute webinar we offered called, The Next Big Boom for Mobile Notaries: Living Trust Presentations here.

If you still want some more info, download the free chapter about Trust Delivery Agents from mine and Laura's book, Beyond Loan Signings: The Ultimate Guide to Monetizing Your Notary Commission Through Specialty Work here. 

If you want the whole book, get it here. 

And if you're still humming the words to "Something to Talk About," watch/listen to the full song from Bonnie herself on YouTube, here. 

Now Is The Perfect Time

There has never been a better time to be a mobile notary. The over-inflated mirage of a pandemic refi boom has subsided and now reality is clearer, and much more exciting. Estate planning thrives always, and completely unreliant on housing trends and mortgage interest rates. 

Your services are needed,and will always be needed. And now that you have that clarity, you can focus on the next big boom for mobile notaries. 

Get Certified Now