So you’re ready to get your toes wet with mystery shopping? Then now is your chance to get started. In fact, its actually really easy to get started with mystery shopping.
The formula is very simply.
Apply to mystery shopping companies + check websites for jobs + apply for assignments = Get paid to shop.
But whats really cool is there are shortcuts for each of the pieces of the formula, so that you can spend less time getting started, and more time getting paid to shop.
The bottom line is this: You need to find companies in your area with assignments that you want.
The most effective way is to apply to every mystery shopping company that you can find, and then sort out which companies have assignments in your area, and which don’t. Most highly successful mystery shoppers have a working list of 10-20 companies that they work with on a regular basis, and then another 10-20 that they keep a loose eye on for assignments.
The trick is to find those companies. One way to do that is to apply to every company you can find. Spend a few hours a week on it, and in a few weeks you’ll have more assignments than you know what to do with.
But there are some shortcuts:
- Search job boards for old assignments in your area. Chances are, if the company had an assignment in your area last month, they’ll have one for you this month. Apply to those companies!
- Search the MSPA job board for assignments. This is a great way to find companies that have assignments in your area, because you can search by location.
- Read forums such as MysteryShopForum.com to learn about companies in your area from other shoppers, and to learn about which companies are highly rated, and which aren’t.
- Apply to scheduling companies such as Kern Scheduling or ShadowShopper. They’ll find companies in your area with assignments. Apply to the companies they refer you to.
The bottom line is that if you want to get started with mystery shopping, you need to apply to mystery shopping companies. Thats step one, and its really the only step that counts. If you do nothing else, I recommend applying to at least a couple of scheduling companies, and doing a search on the MSPA job board.
Once you build a good list of companies in your area, you should be able to establish a pretty solid mystery shopping business. But you’ve to apply!