Here are several ways to get great secret shopping opportunities.
Look for shops in your geography
When
you are looking for shops, the first thing you do is look for companies
that are either national or right in your backyard. Most companies
state their geography upfront. When you do a search, never extend
yourself beyond a 30-40 mile radius as most companies won't award you
shops beyond that unless they are desperate or you tell them you are on
travel. For example, I am a student at a university in Florida. Every
3-4 months, I go down to Florida to attend classes. I know enough of the
companies whereby I will ask them to throw me a shop in this metro area
so I can get as many meals for free, cups of coffee for free, and even a
hotel stay for free. Anything I can do to defray my expenses - I will
do. And besides, I like to procrastinate from doing work in the hotel
room. So this is my entertainment while I am not in the classroom!
However, under ordinary circumstances, this would not happen. So think
locally as this is your best bet.
Focus on demographics and profiling
WARNING:
Don't pick shops if you know you do not fit the demographic. For
example, are you over 25 years old and the shop says for shoppers
between the age of 18-24. If that is the case, you are automatically
eliminated. Do not waste the company's time. Pick shops you know you can
naturally fit the demographic. One of my extreme scenarios is this. You
make a $150,000. Would you normally go to a coffee shop and buy a $4.00
cup of Joe. Probably! On the other hand, if you make $10,000, would you
go and shop a $200 restaurant. Probably not! You need to dress your par
and act like the client expects you to. The $200 restaurant generally
requires a suit and tie, not sweats and a tee shirt. The coffee shop
expects a certain type of clientele. Therefore, the business person
would fit the par.
Plan your schedule and show your credentials
Schedule
yourself in a neighborhood but never do the shops too close to one
another. Mix it up. When I secret shop, I will shop a specific mall and
typically do 8-10 shops in that mall. Do I do the entire mall floor by
floor, one right after another? No. I mix it up. It would become too
obvious if I went down the row of stores. I mix things up and take
breaks between the shops. This is the planning stage. The credentials
though are much like showing your resume to the secret shopping
companies. When you sign up for a shop, state that a) you have several
shops near the same location. This is a plus to them because the
likelihood of you being able to do the shop is 1000% greater and b) you
are experienced. Do not lie but do sell yourself that you are a
commodity and that you can do many shops in the same day. Planning ahead
for multiple shops guarantees you multiple streams of income! It also
ensures you that you can get more bang for your time AND expand your
network of companies you work for.
Become friends with the schedulers
I
can't tell you how many times I have gotten calls from companies
because I let them know what type of shops I liked and my availability.
Chatting with them by email is one thing but the truth is there are
voices and hearts behind these people. I can remember when I first
started, I became friendly with a secret shopping scheduler whose
husband was a Ph.D Candidate (as am I). I was going to get engaged
shortly (she recently got married). She was always looking for extra
income to pay her husband's education bills off (as was I). I understood
her pain and she understood mine. Because of this bond, whenever she
had a Primo shop in my area and she knew it fit a certain profile (and
she needed an experienced guy), she would email me and say, want to do
this. It pays this much. I can bonus you X if you can get it done by
this date.
What's the point of this scenario? The companies do
not need to go on a wild goose chase to find a potential shopper. They
already have one in mind. It makes the job easier for them and they can
be assured that the work will get done - and done right! Calling these
people up and getting to know them goes a long way. Many of them will
even bonus you or up the pay if you are a regular. For the coffee shops
which pay $9.00 plus the drink. I seldom ever get paid $9.00 anymore. My
compensation is generally $15-$19 a shop plus the drink. I know when
the companies will bonus, when they are in a bind, and what scenarios
pay more. You do not learn that just by luck - you learn because the
company schedulers educate you on how to play the game. Education is a
part of the process. Why not get free advice from the sources
themselves!
Thank you's go along way
After a shop is
complete, thank the person who scheduled the shop for you. It goes a
long way and it makes them feel special. It also shows the company you
are very serious about doing the shops for them and want to continue a
working relationship with them. If you have questions or concerns,
address them. However, the overarching theme is being positive and
grateful. It's common etiquette right?
Negotiate
One of the
most interesting aspects of the secret shopping world is the
negotiation. You can often negotiate dates unless it is towards the end
of a quarter or month. However, income based negotiation is a different
story. Let's say the shop pays $10. Well, the company may be willing to
bonus you a little - for transportation or a few extra dollars. However,
there will be some compromises to be made. For example, the $10 can
become $15 but they may ask you to submit the report sooner. Or they may
ask you to evaluate an additional aspect of a shop. It never hurts to
try and ask, is there more available. Caution though, do not do this
every time. If the survey takes five minutes and they are paying you
$20.00, be happy and just do the survey. If the shop pays $25 and you
are expected to pay $40, you are at a $15 deficit. See if you can
negotiate some more. This is where common sense needs to kick in.
There
are hundreds more helpful pieces of advice in the award winning book,
The Successful Secret Shopper which you can buy a Lulu.com by clicking
the link:
The Successful Secret Shopper: Tips, Tricks, and Advice
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Hymn
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2210828
Tips to Successful Secret Shopping
23.06 |
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