Insider Tips for New Mystery Shoppers

There is no short cut to learning from your own experience however, for the newcomers in any field, quick learn tips are a great help. It is better to learn by the experiences of those who have made a mark on their own in a particular field.

In the mystery-shopping business, a fresher should try to learn from the veterans and professionals who have made a successful career in mystery shopping and are making good money from this easy and simple business opportunity.

It may not be possible for you to find out and meet in person so many people who have carved a niche for them in the mystery shopping business. We have done the job for you and we are providing you some tips from the people who have made big in the mystery shopping business.

Listen to what experience shoppers got to say :

1). Those who are serious about making a long term and lucrative career in the mystery shopping should try to create a professional office like atmosphere. It is not at all necessary that you spend a fortune over the fancy and expensive stuff. The simple stuff like nicely printed business cards, professional e-mail address, personal stationary, a well-articulated voice mail or answering machine message go a long way in creating a professional image for you.

2). Get yourself organized and create a small home office for you. Maintain a diary to record your appointments and assignments. Organize your documents, keep proper record of your expenses, and retain all your receipts. The more professional image you portray of yourself to your company and scheduler the more and better assignments you get.

3). Be very particular about your instructions. The instructions are the key to success in this business and you should religiously follow them. For example, if you need to respond to the e-mails with a specific keyword or phrase in the subject line, follow it. Follow all the instructions regarding the shop and reporting. This would pave your way to successful career in this business because all the companies love to work with people who follow the guidelines and are organized and particular about their working.

4). If there is a chance for you to do a rush-job for your mystery shopping company or scheduler to salvage them from a last minute ditch. Always grab the opportunity with your both hands, do a nice job, and complete it within the deadlines. Doing this would provide you an opportunity to climb the credibility ladder in that company at a better speed.

5). Never give out your social security number to the scheduler. Provide your social security number only to the mystery shopping company or their website only when you are sure about the credibility of the company and the site security.

6). Punctuality is vital for your success in mystery shopping business. If you are required to submit your shop reports within a stipulated time, do that. This would open your door to the future assignments. Most of the companies try to see your performance and delivery schedule in the simple small shop assignment before giving you better more meaningful and high paid jobs.

7). Be straight and to the point in your report. In this context, it is advisable that you should write only what has been asked in the report. For example, if you have need to report about the rack arrangement and the cleanliness than just report on that aspect only and do not comment on the staff behavior. Be as objective as possible in your report and do not let your personal beliefs and biases to cloud your reporting.

8). Take each assignment on its remunerative value. Evaluate the remuneration of the assignment based on time spent on it and the total benefits expected in cash or kind. For example, a dinner shop assignment might offer you just a discount on the food and it could take close to two hours of your time, while a simple shop assignment might offer you reimbursement of your purchase plus additional US$15-US$20 and just take 20-30 minutes of your time.

9). Try to be realistic in your job search for mystery shopping, as you would do in a real world job search. Most of the companies and clients assign their jobs to the mystery shopping schedulers or agents. The best way is to get proper links to the mystery shopping companies from the list of the companies provided in this e-book.

If you follow these tips and take care to plan your moves in a professional way, you would become a successful mystery shopper with fatty paychecks.