With Mystery Shopping Expert Melanie Jordan
Author of
The Perfect Work-At-Home Job: Mystery Shopping
How To Finally Make Money As A Mystery Shopper
The Quick And Easy Guide To Making Money
As A Merchandiser
Award-Winning Publisher of
Perfect Work-At-Home Job Update E-zine
3 Things You're Doing Wrong In Your Mystery
Shopping Work
1. Sloppy Reporting
You are your report in the eyes of the mystery shopping company you are working with and their client. So make sure your report, even if it is a simple one with only some minor commentary here and there, is of the highest quality. Common errors in reporting include: misspellings, horrible grammar, failure to use complete sentences, lack of synonyms, speed errors (checking off "yes" when it is obvious you meant to say "no" from your comments in the report) and starting off every sentence in the same way (i.e. "he said", or "I").
2. Missing Deadlines/Giving Up On Targets
Schedulers and mystery shopping companies depend on you to get the job done in a quality manner, on time. If you can't deliver, they don't need you! A common complaint I hear from schedulers is that in the case of a shop with a specific target employee, as is typical with apartment or financial services shops, many shoppers do not give the scheduler the courtesy of notifying them when they are having trouble reaching that target and often just give up. The scheduler then doesn't find out that the assignment is incomplete until they follow-up and then it's usually too late. You don't get paid, and neither does the scheduler, so do you think you're going to get work from them again?
3. Failure To Follow The Shop Guidelines
There is a reason why each shop has guidelines and the shop form asks for the information that it does. This is a form of market research, and is carefully designed as a joint effort between the mystery shopping company and the client to uncover information that will help them reach their business goals. Your failure to follow guidelines can ruin the research study and cause the mystery shopping company you are working with not to get paid. If they don't get paid, you don't get paid, and you won't work for them again.
And this is not just an important point for newbies and beginners. Experienced shoppers, especially when they get a regular shop assignment, can easily fall into the trap of assuming they know the drill, and miss updates to guidelines or use the wrong shop form. Always review the paperwork every time even if you feel you can do the shop with your eyes closed!
You would think that the above three items would be obvious things to avoid, but I see these errors every day when I review my coaching clients' reports, and hear about them from schedulers and mystery shopping companies. Sure mystery shopping is fun, but it's work that you are getting paid for (if you do your jobs properly). One of the best ways to become a top earning mystery shopper is to take your work seriously and always conduct yourself as a professional.
Quality work gets noticed and opens many doors. The more doors you open, the more money you make--simple, but true!
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