The New Year is a time to make positive changes in your life, above and beyond resolutions for the new year. As 2009 rolls into 2010, it is the perfect time to analyze what hasn’t been working for you in your mystery shopping business and make changes for the future.
Look At The Past. There are likely certain aspects of mystery shopping that you like and don’t like, and with these aspects there are likely some aspects that you have control over. For instance, if you feel that there is just too much paperwork associated with mystery shopping and your desk is covered with a menage of papers from various assignments, you may want to use the new year as a starting point for turning over a new leaf in your organizational skills. Spend some time at an office supply store looking at the various filing systems, and purchase it right away to start seeing a change in your organization at home.
Likewise, you may think there is not enough time to complete all of the assignments you’ve signed up for, or you may think the assignments don’t pay enough the time they take to complete. Both of these aspects may boil down to your own time management skills. Analyze ways you can complete the assignments faster, and then you will have more time to complete additional assignments and earn more money as a mystery shopper.
Stay Professional. You only have to spend a few minutes reading the mystery shopping forums online to know that mystery shoppers feel very passionately about their jobs. This passion can sometimes boil up into frustrations and even anger towards providers and schedulers from time to time. If you have found yourself in an ugly situation or two with a scheduler in the past year, pause for a moment to reflect on what you could have done differently to change the outcome of that situation. Even if you were in no way at fault for the occurrences, sometimes your actions and reactions to a situation can play a big part in the outcome. More often than not, mystery shoppers find that staying positive and professional in tense and stressful situations with providers and schedulers yield the best outcomes. If you’ve had an issue with providers and schedulers in the past, make a commitment to trying to stay calm in such situations for the coming year.
Network With Your Colleagues. If you think you don’t have access to your mystery shopping peers and colleagues, you’re wrong! Hundreds of mystery shoppers from across the country and even internationally meet on the online mystery shopping forums regularly to rant, rave, offer advice and congratulations, and more. There’s no need to feel isolated or alone in your job as a mystery shopper. The online mystery shopping forums are a great support system for you. Spend some time this year making new mystery shopping friends on the forums to get your new year headed in the right direction.
The New Year is the perfect opportunity for you to make adjustments and fine tune your mystery shopping business, setting yourself up for success in the coming year!
I must say thank you maven as usual you come through with award winning stripes. I did just about everything mentioned in the column most of which could have ben avaided if i just kept a cool and level head. I have always felt that I follow the proper etiquette and moral standards when it comes to decorum and interacting with my schedulers bit sometimes there are those that don’t rise for the occassion and you just blow!I have fouud as you stated just let it go and stay committed and cool-headed I have had them (the schedulers)come back in some instances and apologize to me if it was proven that the mistake or miss-communication was on them . It all figures out in the end especially when human feelings are involved.It takes two to argue and most of the times it’s you that needs the assignments.PS:I don’t expect anyone to take abuse mind you!
Suggestions for forums to visit?