How to Start a Mystery Shopping Business
The only book recommended by industry professionals, The Business of Mystery Shopping - 2009-2010 Edition will give you the all important details you need to start a mystery shopping business ...and, make it a success!
Contents/Outline below
"Just wanted to share with you that we just got our first client. We are so excited. Your book is a valuable resource and I am constantly pulling out information to use for our shopping service". Julie from Elite Mystery Shopping, LLC elitemss.com Some highlights:
- Email support for life is included in book purchase.
- Get clients using the "Golden Nugget of Promotions". This method will leave your competition in the dust.
- How to put your business on "automatic pilot". Includes a discussion of currently available automation systems AND an EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for our readers on one of them that is available world-wide.
- How to put your mystery shopping questionnaires on the net WITHOUT being a computer genius and WITHOUT going broke in the process.
- The magic trick that will enable you to get money out of any late paying client.
- Using Paypal to pay your shoppers and invoice your clients....step by step.
Home page: www.mystery-shopper-business.com
SECTION I STARTING THE BUSINESS
ALL the details needed to go into business, business plans, PLUS state licensing as it relates to the mystery shopping industry.
SECTION II RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS - THE DETAILS
Overview - running a mystery shopping business - step by step
Degrees of automation - how automated do you want your business to be?
Specific Options (current automation services) to put your forms on the internet and automate your business - this includes an exclusive discount for our readers on one of the systems discussed.
HOW TO:
Set up a new client
Prepare shoppers for your new client
1. Where to find shoppers
2. The shopper application - questions you need to ask!
3. Mystery Shopper Independent Contractor Agreement
4. Set up a database for your shoppers
Create a questionnaire for your new client
1. How to develop your standard questionnaire
2. How to customize the questionnaire for your client
3. Various methods to deliver reports to your client
4. Basic questionnaire design - some options
5. Statistics
6. Point system - learn from our mistakes!
7. Length of questionnaire - how much is too much?
8. Mystery shopping questionnaire format samples and specific questions for 6 different industries.
Set up shopper restrictions
1. Special assignment requirements
2. How often should a shopper return to a location?
Shoppers assignment notifications and instructions
Create your assignment schedule
Assign the shops
1. When?
2. How?
Assignment reminders
Complete the assignments and assignment log
How to handle overdue and incorrectly completed assignments
Edit and verify completed questionnaires
1. How do you verify reports?
2. Report editing - learn what to take out and what to leave in
Finalized reports are made available to the client - the options spelled out
Pay shoppers
1. How to handle shoppers with incorrectly completed shops
2. Create the shoppers payment log
3. Pay your shoppers - when and how to pay
- Includes using Paypal to pay shoppers - step by step
Invoice your clients
1. Create your client invoice and how often to invoice
- Using Paypal to invoice - step by step
2. Accounts receivable log
3. When, who, and how to call for late payments
4. When it appears a client won't pay at all!
- The magic trick to get money out of any late paying client!
Count your money
- plus a great method to make paying taxes easier and less painful.
For more information: www.mystery-shopper-business.com
SECTION III. GETTING AND KEEPING CLIENTS
General sales approach
The "Golden Nugget" of promotions! Leave your competitors "in the dust"
How much time and effort should you spend on promotions
Promotions to obtain small local clients
Promotions to obtain national accounts
1. What to include in your promotional package
2. Who do you send promotions to?
- How to choose an industry for your promotions
- Industry guide books
- Finding companies headquarters
3. Five ways to get business using industry associations
- Over 40 associations listed by industry with web addresses
The following is an example of one listing. There are over 40 associations listed.
HOTEL INDUSTRY
American Hotel & Motel Association (AHMA)
1201 New York Ave NW suite 600
Washington DC 20005
Phone: (202) 289-3100www.ahma.com
A federation of state and regional lodging associations with more than 10,000 members. Note: This can lead you to other Hotel Associations.
- Book of Lists - businesses in major metropolitan areas
4. Use the internet to get more clients
- Host your web site "on the cheap"
- Easily create your web site just by typing in your text - it's that simple!
- How to rank high in Google and other Search Engines
- How to submit your web site to Search Engines
If you find yourself in a bidding war
Sign up clients
1. Perform a trial shop
2. How much to pay your shoppers and a neat trick to easily determine this
3. How much to charge your mystery shopping clients
4. How often to do your shops for a client
5. How soon can the client expect to receive their reports
6. The mystery shopping client contract
How to keep clients happy (and wanting more work from you!)
To Do list to start your company
For more information: www.mystery-shopper-business.com
SECTION IV. MYSTERY SHOPPER'S TREASURE CHEST - IF YOU WANT TO FIRST BECOME A SHOPPER
Determining the types of jobs you want
Finding jobs - the latest and greatest ways to get the jobs you want
What you need to know to get jobs over and over again from the same company
Stay organized
Uncle Sam wants his fair share
Keep track of your reports and income
SECTION V. MYSTERY SHOPPING COMPANY LISTINGS
This is a unique list of companies that have been in business for a minimum of 9 years.
Includes specific web addresses for shopper applications and specialization for each company.
LEGALEEZE (sorry - our attorneys made us do this!). Due to the internet's plagiarist reputation, our clever internet-saavy attorneys are hard at work making sure this outline does not turn into someone else's book! Copyright 2009-2010 Shari Joseph. All rights reserved
For more information: www.mystery-shopper-business.com
