We’ve shared with you how to get started in mystery shopping. Once started, however, how do you continue to build a profitable mystery shopping business?
As every spirited entrepreneur knows, after you start (and sometimes you need a good kick in the butt to do get going), it’s not always easy to keep the momentum and energy up.
So how do you build it up to be a profitable main source of income or money earning side hustle?
7 Ideas to Increase Your Income with Mystery Shopping
- As with any new business, it’s important for you to keep an open mind. Sometimes your original vision of what mystery shopping can be is not the reality in your geographic area. There may be more restaurants than retail. Or more reimbursement shops than paying shops. Find the value each type of shop can bring to you.
- Become a trained video shopper. Video shopping is becoming more popular in a variety of industries. Viewing an interaction and witnessing how an employee treats customers is of great value to some clients. As a video mystery shopper, it is wise to invest in a video training course and equipment. Since there are fewer video shoppers than regular shoppers, you will usually have your choice of jobs – at a much higher rate than a regular shop.
- Consider route shopping. Another highly valued shopper is the one who is willing to be on the road for several days (or weeks). If you are an adventurer and do not like to be in one place very long, route shopping can work for you.
Establish your course. Check with mystery shopping schedulers to find who has which shops along the way, and work out a schedule. Conducting hotel and restaurant shops will help offset your costs. And if you can find free WIFI to use each evening to submit your reports – you will be well compensated for your travels.
- While we don’t usually recommend boxing yourself into one select niche or type of shop, in certain areas, this could work to your advantage. As an example, convenience stores are usually located close to one another – you can become the expert convenience store shopper. You can take a route of shops each month and get them done in a fair amount of time. Or bank shopper. When done often, your scenario flows out of you naturally – making you an ideal mystery shopper! You can market yourself to mystery shopping companies about your particular talents and skills.
- Add merchandising to your independent contractor resume. A merchandiser is one who gives away free samples or does a demo in a store. This, too, is an independent contracting job. You can choose to work where and when you would like.
- Treat your business as a business. The primary reason mystery shoppers ‘drop out’ is that they do not feel it is a viable or profitable form of income. Mystery shopping must be considered a second job or something more than just a hobby for you to make real money. Carve out time in your day to ‘work your business’ and the profits will return to you.
- Create relationships with your schedulers. With the ability to interact with schedulers and mystery shopping account managers in forums and on-line groups, you can stand out among the other shoppers. Don’t complain, but ask for constructive feedback when things aren’t going right. Talk to the schedulers direct to ask questions and gather information. Trust that the schedulers can pick an A+ rated shopper out of the crowd. And they will keep your nameat their forefront.
How did you build your mystery shopping business? Share in the comment section below so others can learn how this business can be profitable – and fun!
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