In my last post on how to apply to be a Mystery Shopper, I discussed 3 things that you need to consider to get hired as a Mystery Shopper. As mentioned, every application from a mystery shopping company will look different. Some will be quick and easy to fill out, yet others will require more work. Do not skimp out on the details. Doing so will affect your chances of getting jobs as a Secret Shopper. Here is a sample narrative I had to do for an application form. They wanted me to describe a recent shopping experience I had. First you will see the question they asked on their form, and then my typed response. I will then explain why I answered this question the way I did. Providing a Sample Narrative: Use the area below to submit a sample narrative report. Your submission will allow us to evaluate your reporting and grammar skills to ensure they meet our high standards. The quality of your submitted report will be taken into consideration in our decision to offer you Mystery Shopping assignments or not. We’re not looking for the length of your narrative; rather, we’ll look for a detailed reporting style coupled with proper grammar and punctuation as well as an unbiased account of your experience. Please provide an account of a recent shopping experience that you have had. The experience could have been an excellent encounter, or a less than satisfactory one. A sample narrative is required in order to complete your shopper registration. When I walked into the clothing store at 10 am, I was greeted instantly by a Sales Associate. She was at the counter assisting a customer. There was another Sales Associate on the floor helping a customer look for an item of clothing. There were also two other customers together looking through the racks of clothes. As I looked around, I noticed unfolded clothes on the shelves. I found a shirt to try on and went to the fitting room, where I was immediately assisted by the floor Sales Associate. She had finished with her customer. She wasn't smiling. I came out of the fitting room and provided her with the shirt on the hanger and said that it was too small. I asked her if there was a larger size and she asked me where I got it from, and again she wasn't smiling. I showed her the area where I found it. She asked me if I looked at this other area also, and pointed to another section of the store. I said that I did, but that it was okay. She mumbled something. I walked out of the store, near the counter, but wasn't acknowledged by the Sales Associate. She was looking down doing paperwork. First of all, even though I was told I could recount either an excellent or a poor shopping experience, I opted to provide a more satisfactory one. You want to try and avoid sounding negative! Most of your shops that you do will turn out to be an overall positive or neutral experience anyway. You will also notice that I sound factual, and am not putting any emotions into my response. This is very important. In real shopping reports, you are to state the facts objectively. What you may have thought was poor service would have been great service for someone else, and vice-versa. For instance, I said that the Sales Associate wasn't smiling. I didn't say she was unfriendly. This was important to include, 'cause working with customers it is important she smile. But do notice that by saying she's unfriendly, I could be wrong. Maybe she wasn't feeling well. You just don't know. So you can't judge. Always remain objective. I made sure that my spelling, grammar, and punctuation were up to par. They do state that they are looking for these skills, so it's even more important to be mindful of how you write. The sample narrative sounds like a report with a story to it. What I mean is you can get a sense of time and place, with a beginning, middle, and end. This is important. You want to have a flow to your report. You want it to make sense. Details are so important to notice when you are doing your secret shops, and you will definitely want to include them in your reports. Notice how I mention how many staff and how many customers were in the store. This is something that I noticed that all of my reports ask. I guess it gives the sense how busy the store is. If they asked, "Was it busy in there?", it would be based on your subjective opinion. This is why numbers and facts are so important to include. This sample of a customer service experience I had was written in reporting fashion. You will have to do this type of thing every time you complete a report. Often, you will need longer answers than this. The quality of your reporting is key, and will determine if you get called back for more shops or not. Sometimes if a poor report is done, they don't have to pay you. Hopefully, this post on how to apply to be a Mystery Shopper gives you more insight on how to get those jobs that pay you to shop and dine! -Kat
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My last post answered the question - How do you become a Secret Shopper? I discussed the value in being a Secret Shopper, the role you would play, and how you go about finding companies that need Secret Shoppers. Also, I exposed the big myth about what secret shopping really is.
Now that we know to look for secret shopping jobs by targeting secret shopping companies and agencies, we can begin applying. What you want to know as you learn how to apply to be a Mystery Shopper, aka Secret Shopper, is that you want to apply to as many opportunities as you can. The more applications you fill out to get started as a Mystery Shopper, the better your chances are of lining something up. Every application form is different. Some companies like their potential Mystery Shoppers to fill out the bare minimum, i.e. your contact details, availability, desired locations, while other companies go more in-depth. For instance, some application forms even ask you to write out a sample narrative report, based on a customer service experience of your own. I've filled out a few Mystery Shopper application forms that either had me write a short sample narrative report, or just talk about what great customer service means. This makes sense for them to ask, since they won't be talking to me in an interview. Also, it lets them know if I even "get" the whole concept of what it takes to be a good Mystery Shopper. Thus, if you can't fill out this section properly, then they would be hesitant to take you on as someone doing customer service market research! Here are 3 tips you must follow, if you truly care about getting jobs as a Mystery Shopper! Tip #1 What is important to remember is to keep very organized. However you choose to do this is up to you, but I recommend that you document all your progress. You include the company where you applied to, how you heard about them, the date, any contact info., the types of shops, etc. This way should a mystery shopping company contact you for an opportunity, you can be confident knowing that you are not lost with what's going on. Plus, you'll feel good when you see how much progress you've made in getting mystery shopping work. Tip #2 When you seek to answer the how, in how to apply to be a Mystery Shopper, it's always important to read between the lines. It's like this for any job you wish to obtain. And mystery shopping positions are no exception to being great for putting on your resume. If you really want an opportunity, you must, MUST, fill out the application completely. If something doesn't apply to you, you put N/A which means 'not applicable', or 'not available'. By leaving a space blank, they may think that you forgot to fill that section out. You don't want that impression made. Worse, they'll think that you don't really care to work there, or are just lazy. They will think your shops and reports will reflect the same energy, or the lack thereof. Tip #3 Don't underestimate the importance of proper spelling and grammar in your applications. You will be doing reports for their clients and it is important that these are professionally filled out. During the hiring process, if someone doesn't know you personally, they will take what they can from how you came across. When applying for secret shopping companies, they could be based nationally or internationally, and not ever see you in person. This is why you must remain vigilant with your typed work. So you are someone they could trust to do a QUALITY job once taken on board. Following these 3 tips when you think, how best to apply to be a Mystery Shopper, will do wonders when it comes to getting those emails or calls to get started as a Mystery Shopper! I am telling you from my own experience as a Mystery Shopper and Career Consultant what works well, not just something I happened to read on the Internet somewhere! I have a sample narrative report of what I wrote on an application form that asked me to recount a time I experienced good or not so good customer service. I will share this in my next post... Have a great day! -Kat
If you've asked yourself this very same question - How Do I Become A Secret Shopper? - you will be pleased to know that I have the answer for you.
Secret shopping, aka mystery shopping, is a type of market research designed for businesses to improve their operations. The company is able to implement changes to compete within their niche market, or continue doing what is working, by engaging in customer feedback. As a Secret Shopper, you are the eyes and ears of a 'customer' that provides this valuable insight to them. The reward for you is you get to earn extra income doing something you have to do, or enjoy doing, already. Best of all, doing work as a Secret Shopper, provides for a flexible, work-at-home schedule. As a Mystery Shopper, you only take the assignments that appeal to you, and if you need a week, month, or even a year off, it's okay. As long as you do good work, there will always be companies that need your opinion. All kinds of businesses get mystery-shopped - Apartment buildings, restaurants, banks, retail stores, movie theaters, self-storage facilities, cell phone retailers, daycare centers, car rental companies, postal services, grocery stores, golf ranges, hotels, amusement parks, websites, online retailers, health care providers, and more! Meet Bethany Mooradian. She has been Mystery Shopping since 1999 and has worked as a Secret Shopper, Scheduler, Editor, Mystery Shopping Company Owner, and she teaches classes on how to find legitimate work-from-home jobs and avoid scams through her business, Queen of the Random Job. With her wealth of experience in the field of secret shopping, she produced a great book and interactive training program that just came out in January. This guide will answer all the thoughts you have about 'How do I become a Secret Shopper?'. Not only will you be provided with a list of over 170 legitimate mystery shopping companies and resources, you will also gain information on what companies expect, how to keep track of your business, tools of the trade, the different types of mystery shops, writing reports, sample forms, breaking the myths, what to do if you get caught, what to do when shops go horribly wrong, how to start your own Mystery Shopping company, scams to avoid, and other types of market research. Check out what Barbara, who completed the Mystery Shopping Training Program, had to say:
"This is an outstanding training program. I had an interest in Mystery Shopping, but trying to get the facts, especially since I lived in a state that had different requirements than other states, was impossible. Lots of myths out there about this type of work. Bethany nailed it with simple, easy to understand information--and above all factual. The material is easy to understand, quick to absorb, full of valuable insights that are not available anywhere else. Get the Program--and you will be working in a few days. Thank you Bethany--no one else has been able to deliver like you have. I am highly recommending this program to anyone that is interested in really working as a Mystery Shopper. You can't find a better program."
If you've decided for yourself that now is the best time to branch out and successfully get into mystery shopping then Bethany's training program is for you. Or if you've tried, unsuccessfully, to get paid to shop and dine, this training program will show you the right way to go about things. It will provide you with companies looking for Secret shoppers, enhance your application forms, give you insight on how to do the secret shops, what to put in your written reports, and how to ensure that you get call backs to do more shops! After all, you don't want to go shopping once, you want it to be a job! :) -Kat |
start secret shopping blogWelcome to my blog on the information and advice you need to know to get started as a Secret Shopper! I love this work and would like to share my experience with you. :)
-Kat
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