Most of the relationships we have over the course of our lives will not last the length of our lifetimes. As with some friendships, business relationships also sometimes come to an end. Sometimes the end of the relationship is a slow, gradual event, and sometimes it is tumultuous and forced. There will be times in your career as a mystery shopper when your business relationships with your providers will or need to come to an end.
While there will be times when the end of a relationship by the provider is dictated by decreased jobs in your area or with the unfortunate event that the provider removes you as an eligible mystery shopper for them, there are other times when you will need to end the relationship with your provider.
Where’s The Money? If you’ve been mystery shopping for even a few months, you likely have figured out that this job is not a place to make “big bucks”. Yet if you are diligent and efficient, and if you work the right assignments, you can make decent money and enjoy a flexible work schedule. If you do the math and calculate that the amount of money you are earning for a provider equates to far below your acceptable level of income, it may be time to turn that provider loose. While many providers offer pay that is in the same ballpark as other providers, you will find that some providers are consistently asking you to work for peanuts. This is not a provider you need to have a business relationship with!
The Never-Ending Report. After you’ve completed the site visit for an assignment, your job is only halfway completed. The second half of your job is completing and submitting the report. A report can take up way too much of your time in a couple of different ways. The report can be too long, or the provider can have you on an endless loop of corrections and revisions to the report after you submit the report. While you can expect to have a long report every now and then with any provider, and you can expect to have a scheduler ask you to revise your report from time to time, if either one of these events are happening regularly, you are likely spending far too much time on the assignments to make the relationship cost-effective for you.
No Respect. Everyone has a bad day, and forgiveness is divine. However, if the schedulers you work for a provider are consistently rude or cold to you, find another provider to work with. Working on a regular basis with unhappy or even mean people can only lead to dissatisfaction with your job. There’s no need for one provider to ruin mystery shopping for you. Work with providers that you enjoy working for and who respect your time and efforts, and you will find happiness in your job.
With most relationships, business and personal alike, you will run into bumps in the road. Don’t turn and run the other way to search for a new provider with every small road bump you hit. But if you find the relationship to be wasting your time or giving you a sour taste in your mouth on a regular basis, there’s no point in continuing the relationship. With hundreds of mystery shopping providers out there to work with, you can find plenty of providers that will treat you right!