Making the decision to embark on a lucrative career as a mystery shopper can be scary and exciting at the same time. One of the things you may be most nervous about is finding a way to get money rolling in the door fast. There are so many warnings about possible scams and identity theft, and some things that you read may even say that mystery shopping as a whole industry is a scam (which of course it is not!) So it can be hard to find valuable tips for getting your start in mystery shopping off in a fast and profitable way. If you are setting off on this fun new job, here are some things to keep in mind to help you find your way to fast and easy paychecks as a mystery shopper”
Who to Work With? Before you can find assignments to work on, you first must find providers to work with. You will want to take time to make sure the providers you are considering working with are legitimate and not scam artists, so check the Mystery Shopping Providers Association’s website, and also feel free to post a question or two on the Mystery Shopping Forum’s website, too. When you post a question on the forum, you can usually hear back from many different mystery shoppers within a short amount of time to get real feedback from other mystery shoppers working in the field.
Most providers make it pretty easy to join their ranks and start working with them. There usually is a quick and easy online application that you need to fill out. Keep in mind that you are applying for a paying job, and you generally need to supply your full legal name, mailing address, and your social security number, just as you would with any legitimate job. So that you keep your personal information safe, you will want to do your homework on the providers before you join. An alternative is to create a legal business entity and offer your business tax ID number instead of your social security number.
What to Work On? After you have signed up to work with a few providers, your next task is to find a few assignments to complete. You likely want to ease into mystery shopping so you can learn the ropes on just a handful of assignments. The last thing you want to do is to get in over your head. So sign up for perhaps one to three assignments, and complete those before you move on to other assignments. To select assignments, you simply need to log on to each provider’s website and few the jobs on the job boards. Some assignment you can select right away, and others you can request to be assigned, but will need to wait for the provider’s approval of your request.
Filling Up the Calendar. After you have a few assignments under your belt and know generally what to expect, you can start filling up your calendar as much as possible. You may find that you need to add on additional providers to have access to all of the jobs you want to do. While you no doubt want to do what you can to stay busy, you also will want to make an effort to be selective with the assignments you choose. Consider not just the face value of each assignment but also other factors like the expense reimbursement, if there is bonus or travel pay, how far you need to travel for the assignment, and other such factors to determine the true value to you. You should strive to fill your schedule up with the best combination of higher paying assignments to make the most money as a mystery shopper.
These tips can help you not just get started working as a mystery shopper, but also get started in a fast and profitable way.