[leojq2]

I'm looking for reviewers for my potential WSO who are both mobile and agile.

I'd love to start a new trend in WSO reviews.

Instead of the useless...

"this is great...no reason this shouldn't work...always puts out good stuff...yada yada yada"

How about a trend of "I did this and here are my results" type reviews?

I'll go first.

I actually started doing this back on June 17, 2003...that's almost 11 years.

In November of last year I made $208.50 in one week doing this as an experiment.

Yesterday, February 4, 2014 I made $22.50 doing this.

I'm talking about "mystery shopping".

Now if you're like most people your first thought was "isn't that a scam?"

And like anything there are scams but if you deal with legitimate companies you'll get paid.

McDonald's alone hires over 46,000 mystery shoppers a month.

How much you can make depends on two factors...

1)Where you live

2)How much time you can devote to this.

I started mystery shopping in doing research for ways my students could earn extra money.

I do it now because it's fun.

That $208.50 I earned back in November was working for companies I'd never worked for previously so I had NO advantage over any other shopper.

$12 of the $22.50 I made yesterday was done making three, one minute phone calls...another 5 minutes filling out the reports and you've got a nice hourly rate.

I'm looking for 10-20 reviewers who are willing to actually go out there and DO mystery shopping. (that's where the mobile and agile comes in)

I'll work with you personally to get your first jobs scheduled...I'll put you in my FB group with 130+ other mystery shoppers so you can get any questions answered quickly.

Now before you dismiss mystery shopping as not worth your time, compared to the thousands promised by other WSOs, look at it this way... $22.50 would buy you three, $7 WSOs...think of mystery shopping as a way to increase your budget for buying WSOs!

I made $9 in the last week taking pictures of cheese at Walmart! This was for 2 gigs ($4.50 each) ...I spent about 5 minutes standing in front of the cheese display, answered 22 easy questions on my smart phone and took one picture.

To anticipate your questions...

1)The time to actually get paid varies by company. Last night I got a Paypal payment of $115 for jobs I did in the last 2-3 weeks. On January 30th I got paid for jobs I did November 8-15. I don't work much for the company that takes over 60 days to pay.

2)There is mystery shopping in other countries but I'm not familiar with how it works anywhere other than the US.

3)Most companies pay via Paypal...some via check.

4)How much time this takes varies by job and how far you live from them. I don't advise making a special trip to Walmart to earn $4.50 photographing cheese but if you are driving by anyway, stop in and do the job.

Some jobs do require you to be somewhere at a specific time…a seminar or sales presentation for instance. Most though, can be done anytime the business is open.

There is typically "paperwork" to be done once you get home. You might have to upload some pictures. How much time that takes also varies by company but as you get more experience you get faster at the paperwork and you'll learn to avoid the companies who require too much for too little. This is where the FB group comes in handy too. Ask for opinions on jobs and companies.

5)Even though it's most commonly called "mystery shopping" you don't always have to buy something.

I didn't put out any money for the "cheese" jobs and here's a recap of how much out of pocket was involved for those 10 jobs back in November...

1. Oil Change $39.95 for the oil change I needed…that is reimbursed
2. Valet Parking – $2 tip…reimbursed
3. Grocery Store – $21.70 for groceries I would have purchased anyway…$20 reimbursed
4. Valet Parking – $3 parking fee + $2 tip, both reimbursed.
5. Video Equipment Shop – None
6. Chain Restaurant – $11.21 for dinner…reimbursed
7. Postal Service – $3.20 for the box and $36.85 for postage. Both reimbursed.
8. Seminar – None
9. Insurance Shop – None
10. Sporting Goods Store – $5 reimbursed

6)Some people worry about the "acting" aspect of mystery shopping. They feel like they are being dishonest if they don't really need to buy a car or a cellphone and feel uncomfortable talking to a salesperson when they aren't really in the market.

No problem. Don't take jobs like that but realize you are providing a valuable service to the business owners. If their salespeople aren't following the "rules" they want to know about it because it's costing them money.

Only 3 of those 10 jobs listed above required me to pretend I was in the market for something in person. I did the insurance shop by phone and I ended up getting new life insurance...so I guess I WAS in the market for it!

The other shops simply required me to be OBSERVANT...making note of what was said,,,what they were wearing, how long it took for you to be greeted, other "timings", cleanliness of the premises and info like that.

Back in December I was paid $85 to FAIL a test at a local testing center. No money out of pocket and a fun story to tell. I scored 35 out of 100!

Recently I've done a lot of AUDITS. These are also called "revealed shops"...you aren't hiding...you announce you are there to do an audit and you ask questions and take pictures. Very low stress and easy money if you do the "right" ones.


7)Check with a local tax professional but you should be able to deduct your mileage getting to mystery shopping from your taxes....that means you get to keep more of what you make!

8) Applying for work with a mystery shopping company does not require a complete resume or job history. They will need your SS# to pay you. Name, Address, phone and Paypal email is usually all you need to get registered. They also would like to know your gender, age and other info so they can direct you to specific jobs. Some require a writing sample but if that bothers you, don't register there.

Is this the longest "request for reviewers" ever?

Well, I'm serious having a thread full of results rather than platitudes and I don't want you to waste any time considering this without knowing as much as you can.

Mystery shopping won't make you rich. It won't replace your day job.

You'll make mistakes and at times feel like a frustrated idiot.

I did a shop on the wrong DAY. I did a shop at the wrong LOCATION.

But you can make real money as a mystery shopper.

Start with a small monthly goal.

Two $10-$15 jobs a week works out to $80-$120 a month.

That might pay your cell phone or cable TV bill.

It might help you pay off your debts faster.

Whatever $80-$120 would do for you, set that as your first goal.

As you get more experience you'll be offered better jobs and the "paperwork" will go faster.

Mystery shopping might also help you with your confidence in your ability to make money outside of a "real" job. I don't know if you need that.

Assuming you don't live 10 miles from your nearest neighbor and you get out of the house on a regular basis, the only reason you won't make money as a mystery shopper is staring back at you in the mirror.

Anyway, if this sounds interesting to you and you have over 50 posts here on the Warrior Forum and the ability to do a Google Hangout or converse via Skype, I need to know a few things...

-Your US time zone
-Your zip code and how far you typically travel from your zip code in the course of a week.
-Are you on Facebook? I don't care if you rarely go on there but you'll need an account to get into the private FB group I have set up. Your friends won't know what you're doing in a private group.
-Are you willing to take ACTION?

PM me with the info above and we'll set up a time to do a Google Hangout or Skype so I can make sure you get a fast start. I'll direct you towards the best companies to work for in your area and the best jobs.

Thank you!

Leo

P.S. If you have a spouse who is interested in this type of training I might consider them instead of you...or both of you...PM me with the details. FYI most of the active shoppers in my FB group seem to be MEN!

P.P.S. One of the FB group members has been a mystery shopper for 10+ years and three of his teenagers now mystery shop.

[devonm]

I could easily write similar to you as I know about mystery shopping. I don't know if you have anything extra I should know.

[Batiken]

I'll be down to do a review!