Not everyone is cut out to be a Mystery Shopper. Not only do you need to be a good actor or actress, but you also have to know a thing or two about looking for a new home. While anyone can be an independent contractor mystery shopper, there are a few key qualities that every mystery shopper should have.
Do you have what it takes to be a Mystery Shopper?
- Do you know how to follow directions?
You may be thinking to yourself, “Ummm, yes!” Well there are quite a few details in any given shop contract that can’t be ignored. All are an integral part of being a Mystery Shopper and successful shoppers will adhere to the shop contract specifications to ensure a.) they are accurately completing the shop and b.) they get paid for their hard work!
- Are you good at managing your time?
Time management is learned by some and a talent for others, but at the end of the day, we aren’t all good at it! Not only do you have to complete the shop itself, but then you have to write up your report. If you don’t manage your time wisely, you could get behind on the report portion, forget details of the shop, turn in a sketchy report, or end up getting dinged in the money department. It’s super easy to get paid for your shops, but you have to be good at time management.
- Are you detail oriented?
You are directly responsible for the score of the shop. Forgetting a detail here, forgetting a detail there is not optional. If you don’t remember the details of the shop, your report will be missing components, and the score will be a direct reflection of your lack of detail either positively or negatively. How does that affect the person being shopped? Either they could be reprimanded for a negative score that wasn’t deserved or there might be some areas needing work that would go undetected and the property could suffer as a result. The details, or weeds as I like to call them, are crucial to the success of a shop.
Still wanna be a mystery shopper?… please continue.
- Are you punctual?
Being on time is another one of those things that not everyone is good at. Either you’re punctual or you’re not. There are deadlines set in place by the client that the mystery shopping company passes on to the shopper in order to maintain timeliness. Yes, you can always ask for extensions with extenuating circumstances. But, it is important to take all shop contracts seriously and complete the shops by the due date provided. Punctuality is extremely important!!!
- Are you responsible?
Most people won’t admit if they are irresponsible, but responsibility is another critical piece to the success of a shop. Again, the employee’s fate is in your hands. Mystery shopping – though fun and flexible – is still business and you have to treat it as such. Sure, it’s easy money in your pocket; however, there’s a score being given to a working employee at the end of all this and you have to be responsible with the details, time management, your punctuality, and the ability to follow directions to ensure the accuracy of the shop.
We aren’t all cut out to be mystery shoppers, but the good ones stick around for years. Mystery shopping is fun, easy, rewarding, and a great way to earn extra money in your pocket! Do you have what it takes to join the mystery shopper team?
If you still wanna be a mystery shopper then have a look at what actual shoppers are saying on the Ellis shoppers blog.
-Allison M