If you have heard that just about anyone can be a mystery shopper, you are not alone. Many people who consider working in this field decide to get their feet wet and try it out because of the lure and appeal of a job that seemingly requires no special skills and no experience. The fact is that everyone from a recent high school graduate to a retiree can successfully work as a mystery shopper. However, there are certain skills that mystery shoppers need to have in order to be most successful.
Attention to Detail
A mystery shopper’s job is essentially to visit a specific location, make certain observations that were outlined in the assignment requirements and complete a report based on those observations. In order to enjoy the best results for your efforts, the ability to pay attention to details and to write about those details in a report is critical. You must pay attention to the details noted in the report requirement, and then must focus on these specific areas during your site visit. If you struggle in these areas, you may find mystery shopping to be more of a challenge than necessary. You may also be more likely to have revision requests made.
Writing Well
Another important skill that successful mystery shoppers need to have is the ability to write well. Many people have basic writing skills, and you may believe that as long as you can write a few intelligent sentences, you have your bases covered here. However, only half of your task with each assignment pertains to the site visit. The other half of your assignment relates to the report. You can spend a considerable amount of your workday as a mystery shopping typing on the computer and writing out your reports. Your ability to write well and to do so with speed will make or break your ability to enjoy maximum profits in this line of work.
Under the Radar
While some mystery shopping assignments allow you or even require you to identify yourself as a mystery shopper to the management at a site visit location, most assignments will require you to lay low and stay under the radar. You are generally not supposed to draw attention to yourself unnecessarily or to do anything that will reveal your identity as a mystery shopper to the site employees. Some people just have an uncanny ability to draw attention to themselves. This may be because of an attractive or unique appearance, because of a boisterous personality or something else. These factors don’t necessarily mean you cannot be a mystery shopper, but they may draw more attention to you while on site visits than you may want. If you are constantly drawing attention to yourself, it can be difficult for store staff to not pay attention to your actions on-site.
The fact is that most people have the skills necessary to mystery shop, but having certain skills can make it easier for you to tackle your mystery shopping assignments with less effort and greater speed. Thankfully, if you find that you are deficient in these areas, you can work toward improving them.