How to Start Your
Own
Highly Profitable Mystery Shopper Service
A Mystery Shopper,
also called a "Secret Shopper," is someone who goes to a restaurant,
store, hairdresser, grocery store, amusement park or any other
businesses and poses as a customer.
For example: in a restaurant, the mystery shopper would sit down,
order a meal, pay the bill and leave, just like any customer. The
purpose of this visit is to evaluate the overall customer service
(actual service, knowledge of staff, cleanliness, etc.) that is being
offered in the establishment.
The Mystery Shopper then writes a report and rates the customer
service based on a pre-established set of criteria. Then the report is
turned into the business to use for training, employee rewards or any
number of users.
This is a business you could do with your family. You can bring the
kids, your spouse or all of them. The experience is meant to be as
authentic as possible and what's more authentic than a family of
shoppers are restaurant customers?
However, keep in mind, you are there to work and observe. Your
children or your spouse should not distract you from that.
Your Mystery Shopper Supplies
There aren't a lot of business specific supplies you will need. Make
sure to have the basics: business cards, contracts and professional
attire to meet with potential clients.
Required Mystery Shopper Skills
Good at negotiation and verbal communication skills - you need
these to seal deals with clients.
Objectivity - you need to be able to provide an objective report
on your shopping experiences WHAT really happened - not just necessarily
your opinion.
Customer Service Skills - clearly you need to have customer
service skills to establish relationships with clients and potential
mystery shoppers, but you also need a solid understanding of customer
service so that you can evaluate the service offered by others.
Observation & Memory - You need to notice all the little things
and you can't take notes while you're there. You will have to remember
all the small details and record them later.
Rates For Your Services
As expected, the amount you make will depend on who is your client.
Some companies only reimburse for expenses, some companies only pay a
set amount for expenses (regardless of what you paid) and some do pay an
hourly fee of $10-20 for your evaluation in addition to your expenses.
You need to decide what you are willing to work for and choose your
clients that way. As you gain more clients and references, you will be
able to be more choosy in your assignments.
Beginning Your Business
When approaching smaller companies emphasize that you are a small
enterprise as well. Many small companies cannot afford to pay the large
Mystery Shopping company rates and might be interested in using your
services if they are affordable.
Save your money. Avoid paying for a list of potential clients. The
companies or individuals selling these lists are making money by doing
so and will sell the list to as many people as they can. That creates a
lot of competition.
Only take jobs that fit your schedule. Don't leave your client hanging.
This will help establish your solid reputation.
Check out the competition. You can do this on the Internet. Check out
the big companies and the little ones. What services do they provide?
What do they charge?
Make a professional-looking brochure that outlines the benefits of your
shopping program, etc. You don't need to spend a lot of money. If you're
going to print your own brochures, avoid color ink unless you have a
high quality laser printer. If you have an inkjet or other similar
printer, your best bet is black ink on subtly colored paper.
Internet Marketing Ideas
Even though most of your clients will be local and much of your
business will be run offline, don't forget the importance of an Internet
presence.
Your web page is your "office". It's where your clients and potential
clients can go to see you and what you do. If you plan to expand your
business and offer the mystery shopping opportunity to others, a website
is essential.
The Web is a way to attract potential clients and mystery shoppers
nationwide. Expanding your business in this way is what will ensure you
the greatest success to your home based enterprise.
1. Include your website on all your promotional materials, i.e.
business cards, brochures, etc.. It is a place where your current and
potential clients can read about the services you offer, your rates and
helps establish you as a legitimate business.
2. Join some home based business discussion groups. These are a perfect
way to network and find potential mystery shoppers that would like to
work for you.
Try http://groups.yahoo.com
for some good groups or start your own.
3. Form partnerships with other sites that compliment your business.
This can include everything from a simple link exchange or why not go a
step further and really promote one another's businesses on each other's
sites?
Offer to incorporate their business information right into your
website. Give them a page or two about their business, with links back
to their site and have them do the same.
This is *the* perfect job for a stay-at-home mom! Get paid to go
shopping by starting a locally-based mystery shopping business, shopping
the small businesses in you area.
Mystery shopping is a popular business for moms who are looking to earn
some additional income. And not only that, they get paid to do something
fun - shopping! And the best part, they get to go shopping with someone
else's money, and keep what they buy, too!
Millie Louise
(Millie Louise is a long-time Secret Shopper and author of the
respected book
"Make Money A$ A
Mystery Shopper" Learn how you can go shopping and end up
making money ... instead of spending it!)
Remember, your future is up to
you, 
