It is common for mystery shoppers to start out working on assignments at a slow pace. Unless you pay money to take a mystery shopping class, there is no training available for mystery shoppers. In fact, most who work in this job will learn on the job through their own efforts and through trial and error. The desire to avoid making mistakes often causes mystery shoppers to proceed through assignments at a slow pace, and this slow pace leads to minimal income. The goal for most, however, is to eventually pick up the pace and earn more money. Here are a few times to accomplish this.
Take Note of Feedback
Many providers will offer feedback on your mystery shopping assignment reports. You may have to visit the mystery shopper’s website to view your shopper rating in order to see this feedback. In some cases, such as if revisions are required on your report, you may receive direct communication from your providers. Each report you file with your providers yields an opportunity to learn from mistakes and refine your skills. Many mystery shoppers will make the same mistakes repeatedly on their assignments and reports. By taking note of feedback that is provided to you and making changes in your work, you can proceed more confidently with your future assignments.
Prepare Before Each Assignment
One of the factors that may prevent you from proceeding quickly through site visits and when writing reports is your overall confidence. By preparing for each assignment, you can gain confidence in your actions and work at a faster pace. You can read through the instructions for each assignment in detail, and be sure to take note of specific things you will need to do on-site. Some people find it beneficial to visualize walking through the site location. Others find it beneficial to take down a few notes, such as on their cell phone or on a faux shopping list. You will not have to worry about overlooking anything on your site visit when you take these steps.
Challenge Yourself
It will be easy to keep working on mystery shopping assignments at a slow clip, but if you want to earn more money, you eventually will need to challenge yourself. Avoid overloading your work schedule by taking on an overwhelming number of assignments right away. Instead, add one extra assignment to your work schedule per day until you become accustomed to the level of work. When you do become accustomed to that increased work level, simply continue adding on another assignment from time to time as you grow comfortable with the pace of work. If you notice that your quality of work becomes shoddy, simply reduce your number of assignments per day slightly for awhile.
You should avoid taking on too much too soon in your mystery shopping efforts. Your mystery shopping rating could suffer if your work becomes shoddy, and this could ultimately limit your earning potential for a substantial period of time. It is best to proceed slowly while making an effort to gradually increase your income over time.
Although it is true that most Companies will not train you to be a shopper, there are companies that have trained shoppers in the past. I have attended three or four training sessions on myster shopping during the last 17 years of shopping.