Home Based Business Opportunity - Mystery Shopping

A Home Business Article Contributed by Pamela White

The Perfect Home Base Business Opportunity

Are you looking for a home based business opportunity? Perhaps you have small children at home, an elderly relative to care for or are retired and looking for extra income but want to be your own boss.

Become a mystery shopper. You can create your own home based business opportunity by contracting out to individual mystery shopping (also called secret shopping, personal shopping and employee evaluating) firms. The firms are easy to find thanks to the accessibility of the internet. Type mystery shopping, mystery shopper, secret shopper, or any variation into your favorite search engine and start exploring.

Another way to get hooked up with mystery shops is to subscribe to online shopping email lists. Shopping firms and schedulers post the shops they have available and readers of the list contact them individually. Be prepared to check your email hourly to grab the best shops. Find these lists on yahoo groups.com or topica.com. Do a search within the site for the same keywords you used in your internet search engine. Always be professional; remember you are getting started in a new home based business opportunity and you'll have to compete with others who are living the same dream.

Home Based Business Opportunity - How to Apply

Many shopping sites have maps or drop down windows that allow you to see which states they have clients in. Say you are in Colorado but find a site that list only New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Give them a pass and check into the next one on your list. Once you find a firm that has clients seeking shoppers in your area, you'll need to fill out a registration form.

Fill in all the information requested and be prepared to write very short essays on topics like What was your best shopping experience? or Why would you make a good mystery shopper? They ask these questions for two reasons. One is to find out how you can write a minute-by-minute account of the shop they assign you. Two is to find out your qualifications for the best home based business opportunity.

What should you write? Write about how that sales clerk named Sharon not only told you about the specials on Hawaiian print shirts, she found pants, shorts, skirts and flip-flops to match. Tell them you have an eye for detail, a photographic memory and the ability to remain anonymous.

On the form you will also be asked to give your social security number. This makes some potential shoppers squeamish. If this describes you, then just type in all zero's for your number. After you've been given and completed a job, you can send them your actual number.

Get Started with a Mystery Shopping Home Based Business Opportunity

On the day of your first shop make sure you've memorized the instructions and have a way to surreptitiously take notes so you can fill out your report when you get home. Get the required receipts, ask the right questions and get a business card if needed.

Filling out the report often takes longer than finding and doing the shops. You'll need to answer questions about what time you entered and left, the name and description of who waited on you, what the special sale was, and how many managers were in sight.

Do" Break into a Home Based Business Opportunity with These Tips

Here are some big "Do's" to get your started in this exciting home based business opportunity:

Do plan on taking your children with you on some shops.

Do seek out the premium shops - for free dinners, free cruises, free casino visits, well-paid car dealership shops or high-fee apartment shops.

Do prepared to earn an average of $12 an hour, even factoring in the time spent looking for assignments, doing the shops and filling in reports.

Do expect to find that most firms accept reports and pay through the internet.

Do have fun - wear disguises like wigs, business suits, hats, and make-up.