Notary Loan Signing Agent Training: How to Set an Appointment to Maximize Income

By Mark Wills - Course Instructor of the Loan Signing System and Forbes Real Estate Council Member

​I'm frequently asked: what is the secret to getting a borrower to sign loan docs at a time and location that is convenient for me and not them?

Frankly, it really isn't a secret at all. It is simply the power of suggestion.

What you are about to learn is the only way I am able to fit up to seven signings into my schedule every day. If I left the appointment times up to the borrowers they would all choose in the evening after they get off of work, rendering it impossible for me to get any more than three signings on any given evening.

If you are fortunate enough to have a signing service or escrow officer allow you to organize the appointment yourself, there is a way to set it at a time that allows you to stack more appointments.

But before I show you exactly how I do this, it's important to remember it is technically our job to make it as convenient as possible for the borrower. So the borrower, in theory, should choose the time and location of the signing.

Remember, we are an outside service that was created for the convenience of the borrowers so they don’t need to take time off of work and drive down to the escrow office. The borrowers aren't meant to sign when it is convenient for us as loan signing agents, but for when it is best for them.

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With that being said, there is a way to get the borrower to work around your schedule without being rude and it is the called the power of suggestion. 

I am going to give you a script that I use every time I call a borrower to organize an appointment.

Me:  “Hello Mr. Borrower, I am the notary signing agent calling to organize your loan signing appointment.”

Them: “Hello, Mark”

Me: “Would 3PM at the Starbucks downtown work?” 

It may appear that I really didn't do much at all. But let's break it down:

1. I Suggested a time and place right after they said hi. It's imperative you speak first. You want to be the one to suggest a time and place, not the borrower. The moment you suggest something, the borrower immediately starts to figure out if they can make your suggestion work. You will find most people are pretty flexible if you are the one doing the suggesting.
2. You should have noticed that I used the word “would.” Would implies you're suggesting, not demanding.

NOW, if they say that doesn't work, you simply say, “Not a problem. What time and place works best for you?”

At the first sign of pushback, you need to back off. Our worst nightmare is the borrower complaining to their loan officer that they felt pressured by the notary to sign at certain time or place. 

That means no more signings for you. 

If you want to be a little softer in your suggestion and only suggest a time that works, it would sound like this: 

Me: “Hello Mr. Borrower, I am the notary signing agent calling to organize your loan signing appointment.”

Borrower: “Hello, Mark.”

Me: “Would 5pm this afternoon somewhere at your convenience work for you?”

You come off looking like you are looking out for them by allowing them to choose the location of the signing. Once again, most people are flexible, they will try to make your suggested time work. 

I can't stress enough, you can't make it sound or feel like you are dictating when they can sign. That is a surefire way of not getting any more signings. 

I encourage you to copy my script. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how accommodating borrowers can be if you say it right.

Let's talk about one other common scenario that you will encounter and how it can be handled.

​Say you suggest 5:00, but they say they can't do 5:00 and want to do 6:30 instead because they don't get home until then. But let's say you already have a 6:00 and don't want to lose the signing. 

​This is exactly what I would say:

“Oh, shoot. I already have a 6:30, any chance 7:30 or 8:00 would work? 

Once again, you’re suggesting. You’re not telling. And in my 15 years of organizing loan signings, I am telling you most people are pretty flexible and are okay with working around your schedule, ONLY if you ask it the right way.

If there is anything you get from the video, remember this: it is better to turn down a signing that doesn't work with your schedule than try to make the borrower work around yours. And being late to an appointment because you try to squeeze them in makes you look just as bad. It is better to lose one signing than to never get a call back for business again. Trust me, you lose more money in the long run than you'll make by forcing that signing appointment to a time that isn’t convenient to the borrower. I’ve learned this the hard way. 

While most appointments will be at the borrower's home, it doesn't hurt suggest a place or time that works for you, if you do it correctly. 

I'll end with this: remember that we are here to make things easy for the borrower, not to make it easy for us.
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Making loan signings convenient for the borrower is the reason we get paid so well. 

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