» Highlights
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Applying Quality Assurance To Our LivesBy admin on June 28, 2008 | No Comments
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Quality assurance has been defined as a process that allows a person to take meaningful and deliberate steps to attain a specific target or ambition. Many companies use quality assurance employees or companies in order that they know at all times that their company has the highest standards for products and employees.
A big question that a lot of people might have is, if quality assurance helps so many companies and is so effective in creating successful businesses, why do individuals not take these same tactics and apply them in their everyday lives? It is a great question, and one that should be asked by anyone seriously wanting to improve their life and relationships. If people were as careful with the choices they make in their own lives, whether big or small, as they were picky about the people who work under them or the type of image they put across at work, they would see huge improvements in their lives.
Take the above mentioned definition of quality assurance , for instance. It is a process. So many people think they have to do things right the first time, and if they do not, they give up. While trying your hardest and trying to get it right the first time is a good idea and shows strength and focus, you have to realize also that you are human, and mistakes happen constantly. If you do not succeed the first time, or even the second, all you can do is try again. If it is important enough to you, you will try until you get it right, it is that simple.
Not only is it a process, but it is a process of meaningful and deliberate steps. These steps are very small many times, so small that you might not even see them. If you have problems in your life, or a theoretical mountain you have to climb, it may seem initially impossible, and you might feel like giving up before you begin. But every step, even if it is tiny, gets you a little closer to where you want and need to be. The steps are meaningful because they are personal to you. Only you can decide what each step you take will be, and therefore mean to you. The steps are deliberate because you decide to take them, you choose to take them. It is a choice, not something you fall into by accident, or let happen to you. When you realize that you truly have this control, and that you can make big things happen by controlling smaller seemingly unimportant things, you will gain load of self confidence and a great feeling of empowerment that is priceless in getting you to your goal.
And this is the last part of the definition of quality assurance , your goal, or target. It is also somehow the first part of the process as well, in that you have to know what your target is before you can even think about beginning to aim for it. Possibly you have decided on a target already, or maybe you do not even know what you want. Whatever the case, you have to know what it is you want, what is your ambition, before you can begin the long path to excellence in both your life and your personal relationships. And once you know, remember to always keep it in your sights.
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How To Make Money Mystery Shopping
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Get paid to shop! What? you ask. How can that be? Usually shopping involves spending more money than people care to admit, not increasing ones cash flow. Yes, this is true, but mystery shopping is a whole new animal. With mystery shopping it is possible to actually get paid to shop. It is also a fun, interesting and easy way to pick up some extra money while giving yourself permission to get out there and experience the services that your local community has to offer and report back what you found satisfactory as well as what you found displeasing. Essentially, not only do you get to eat and shop while you make money, but you also get to complain about crappy service! Wow! You probably do all of those things already, you just do not get paid for it.
If you do find a certain wicked satisfaction in pointing out an establishments flaws, it is likely that the last statement got your attention, and attention to detail is one of the skills that you will want to posses if you decide to begin mystery shopping . Understand, though, that it is not a brutal verbal or written hack fest or a barrage of negative statements about a company just because you did not like the food. The ultimate goal is not to see which of the best restaurants you can be assigned to eat at or which of the finest department stores you will be chosen to do your report on. The ultimate goal of mystery shopping , aside from you making money, is to report your experience as a customer honestly, with clarity, detail and non biased feedback.
You do not simply say The food was okay. The lady was nice. I like the clothes, etc. The reports are based on actual details of the experience, such as the trash cans were overflowing, the counter tops had crumbs of food on them, and it took 12 minutes to be seated, the waitress got my order right without having to write it down, the salad was warm, etc not your personal or critical opinion. Places that you may be asked to report on vary, and can include fast food and full service restaurants, retail shops and video rental stores, gas stations, movie theaters and even hotels, casinos and health clubs. Any business where customers are greeted and serviced in some manner can potentially be an assignment. You may not make a million dollars doing it, but you will be paid, provided you do not go over your budget and just buy stuff for the sake of buying it. Remember, you can shop for yourself later. When doing an assignment, your attention to detail, your time management skills and your openness to receive information are the critical factors, not the color of the dress you are trying on.
If you are a detail oriented person who has a flexible schedule and the ability to manage your time well, mystery shopping might be something for you to consider when looking for unique ways to make money. In doing so, you will be fulfilling a great need in your local community by assisting many companies in improving, and you will also be paid to eat and shop. It truly is a win-win situation.
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The Rippling Effect of Secret ShoppingBy admin on June 24, 2008 | No Comments
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As a human being, you have the capacity within you to live true to your vision. What your individual vision is and how you choose to carry it out, however, are determined by you. Choosing jobs that can make a difference in the lives of others is one way that you can live your vision. Secret shopping is one such job, though you may at first miss the connection. How does secret shopping make a difference in the quality of other peoples lives? It does so by pointing out the superstars, as well as the potholes, in a company or organization. The magnificent effects of secret shopping grow bigger the farther out they spread, just like ripples on a pond.
For example, say that Allison has her intention set on doing her very best secret shopping assignment, which happens to be a rather mundane trip to a local pizza parlor. Allison goes into the pizzeria, pays attention to detail and takes excellent mental notes about the fact that the shop was busy. The mentally marked that she had to wait for several minutes before she was greeted and seated, and the girl who brought her water to the table was very short tempered, nearly spilling it as she slammed it on the table. Allisons list of what could be considered complaints was long, but she knew that this was for the overall good of the company.
The waitress, though she was obviously busy and short on time, was extra exuberant and made jokes, smiled and tried her best to be prompt and attentive, which Allison also made notes on. Overall, the experience left Allison feeling that the restaurant could indeed use some more help. The kitchen looked rather messy, and she noticed greasy pizza pans piling up to the side of the sink. However, the young waitress had been superb. Allison left feeling that she had some very good feedback to offer this company. She turned in her report, and the ripple effect began.
After receiving the report, the manager hired several new employees, and using the acclaimed waitress as their mentor, trained each of the employees to deal most effectively with the customers. The waitress had her self esteem go through the roof, and her good vibes rippled out to others. The new employees felt good about their jobs, and there was a new sense of pride in the shop that had been missing previously. The shop was cleaner. Dishes did not pile up. Customers were immediately greeted, seated and well taken care of, thus they left happier, tipped better and the shop began to thrive.
Like ripples on a pond, what began as an inconspicuous job assignment soon had affected hundred of peoples lives. Secret shopping is only one of thousands of jobs that can be done with pride, attention to detail and attentiveness to other people and their needs. No matter what your job may be, make it your intention to treat other people as you would like to be treated, and show them the respect and gratitude that you, yourself would like to have. This is a magnificent way to live a life of purity of purpose. Intend peace, good communication, understanding and gratitude, and you will watch those characteristics ripple out, on and on, and return right back to you tenfold.
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Dad Is A Paid ShopperBy admin on June 19, 2008 | No Comments
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Most men steer clear of shopping for fun. Men often view shopping in a negative way. They are missing out, however, on an excellent opportunity to earn money from home as a paid shopper .
Being a paid shopper is a great way to earn extra money. It requires no previous experience or special knowledge. The assignments can be fit into your current schedule. Even though the companies who hire these shoppers need men and women of all ages and backgrounds, the majority of the applicants are women.
When a man goes shopping it is for a specific purchase. They rarely come back with more than the item they went out to buy. Men decide they want something and then go to a shop to purchase it. If the item is not available, he returns empty handed. To women, this is hard to imagine. When a woman says she is going out shopping it is often for entertainment. She cannot possibly know what she is going to purchase until she knows what the shop has to offer. Men do not understand this concept.
Men do go shopping even if they do not enjoy it. There are men who frequent the supermarket, usually on a reluctant errand for their spouse while others are shopping for themselves. They may only be purchasing their weekend six pack and chips for the big game, but it is shopping. You will find men at the mall as well. Many are there to purchase a gift for the wife or girlfriend. Others are there to purchase something for themselves. Men shop for themselves when they need something like footwear or sports equipment or electronics.
This one track mind concept makes the male a perfect candidate to be a paid shopper . His reluctance to browse and shop just for the fun of it gives him an advantage. He is sent to purchase a specific item at a particular store keeps him from being sidetracked. He will not spend the entire day and a whole paycheck on impulse buys.
Many companies hire these shoppers to obtain a feedback on their employees and services. Retail chains, hotels, restaurants and banks need impartial evaluations on staff behavior, the quality of their service and the cleanliness of their shop.
Men are more suitable to some assignments than women. Companies needing shopper input on the mens toilet facilities, the mens fitting rooms and the mens changing room at the gym require a male presence. A female would not be a secret in these situations.
Other situations where a paid shopper is needed includes eating at a restaurant or having a drink at a bar. A company pays you to visit a cinema or spend the night at a hotel or even on an all expenses paid vacation. Men and women can both evaluate these types of assignments.
Men and womens opinions are needed to evaluate businesses. Aside from retail shops and supermarkets, bowling alleys, theatres, banks, gas stations, taxi companies, gyms and skating rinks among other services all need honest evaluations on their services. Many men frequent these types of establishments. The owners want to be sure that men, who make up over half of their customers, are satisfied with the services they receive.
A typical paid shopper assignment a man might enjoy would be to visit a bar, sample a beer, buy a snack and visit the mens room. Men would enjoy getting paid to drink beer and eat snacks.
Companies are looking for men to be a paid shopper . It is a billion dollar industry and men can get a small part of it. They can be paid to purchase electronics, go to the gym and buy beer at the supermarket.
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Secret Shopping Pitfalls To AvoidBy admin on June 3, 2008 | No Comments
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Mystery shopper assignments should be taken seriously. They bring important marketing data for the client. There are several mistakes to avoid if you are a shopper.
One mistake is turning in poor reports. To the company you are working for, your report are their eyes and ears. The report should be top quality. Do not use poor grammar and run on or incomplete sentences. Check the spelling on everything before sending it in. Do use good synonyms and descriptive words. Vary the beginning of each sentence, instead of he said or I found every time.
Check specific guidelines for each assignment. Know what you should focus on. A mystery shopper should use descriptions but do not be too emotional. Report the facts. Instead of My waitress was terrible you should say something more detailed like, The service was terrible because the waitress spilled my drink on me and did not apologize. The first sentence is emotional, without giving any detail while the second leaves out your emotions and reports what happened.
Give a detailed summary of the event but do not give step by step descriptions. This is boring and not what the client asked for. Try to summarize in one or two sentences. Read your report out loud to yourself before sending it in. If it does not sound good to you, there is a good chance the company will not like it either.
Another mistake a mystery shopper can make is to miss deadlines and give up reaching specific targets. Your job is to do a quality job on time. Often clients need research on a specific employee, especially in financial services jobs. If you as the shopper give up on reaching that employee and do not notify the company of your difficulty, you will not get paid. And you probably will not work for them again. The same is true of missing deadlines. The company hired you to do the job and expects it to be done at the scheduled time.
When given an assignment complete it by the dates scheduled and turn in paperwork promptly. If you have a problem completing the assignment contact your scheduler as soon as possible.
The mystery shopper makes a mistake when they fail to follow the guidelines for each shop. The shop form asks for specific information about a certain shop. These market research forms are designed to gather information to help the business reach their goals. You fail to follow the guidelines set up ruins that research study. You will not get paid for incorrect information.
Newbies and beginners are not the only ones who make these mistakes. Experienced shoppers become complacent doing regular shop assignments. They can easily use the wrong forms thinking they know the routine and missing the updates to the guides. Review all paperwork and shop assignment details every time, even when the assignment seems routine.
These obvious mistakes are easy to avoid. Being a mystery shopper is a serious job. You are responsible for gathering marketing data for business to help them improve. Be professional in all your assignments and take your work seriously. Learn to make good reports by following a few rules in grammar and spelling. Finish assignments when they are scheduled and use the correct guidelines for each shop. Remember that excellent work will get your noticed for more assignments.
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Home Based Business – Are You Ready?By admin on May 29, 2008 | No Comments
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Why does one get into a home based business ? People generally start a business at home because they are looking to either pick up some extra change in order to pay some bills or because they are trying to launch a small business in hopes it turns to a big deal. They might be looking to make a big splash on the market place but want to only put a small budget towards the beginning stages. Everyone has their different motivation for trying to be in business for themselves.
Everyone knows that there are many advertisements for a home based business out there in the world. These different advertisements may be on the television, on the Internet or flyers that you might see on the windshield of your car. The thing you need to ensure is that you think about how you want to invest your money. There are some companies that are fly by night and try to get as many people as possible to sign up to pay some sort of set up fee. You should be wary of investing a lot of money in a get rich quick sceme.
Of course the first step to a having a home based business is to think of an idea that you believe will be good and become a great way to invest your money. Some people believe they can jump ahead and try to find advertising, buy supplies, and get their office set up. The thing is, depending on the idea that you have, you might need to ensure that you have the right support. So the first place you should develop your home based business is in your mind, and then on a sheet of paper.
After you come up with the idea, it is important to plan how to get funding for any support you need. Sitting down with yourself or a business partner, you should be ready to understand how your company will run and operate day to day. When just starting out with your company it will be hard to brainstorm on how everything will flow and work together. Whether you are starting from scratch or you have looked online for a home based business that someone else has imagined, finding out how to make it successful is not easy.
Most people also try to find out how to find the time to make the business successful. Many people that get involved in their own business are people that are looking for something extra to do in line and to add money to their pocket. So those moms that stay at home or those dads that play the roll of taking primary care of the children sometimes try to assist the family with additional income. A word of advice is do not get involved if you can not commit to making it work.
It is not by any sense of the words a walk in the park to get a home based business up off the ground. It will take determination, drive, emotion and a good decision making mind to take care of business. Some people use different forms of advertising or even conduct surveys in their area to see if there is a need for their service or product. It takes guts and pride in order to want to get involved in a business that you can run from your home. The biggest thing you can do before you invest money into your business is plan, plan, and plan. You can never plan too much before you make a major decision like this that could affect your future in a major way.
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Protecting Salespeople EverywhereBy admin on May 20, 2008 | No Comments
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You have heard of the Secret Service. This branch of the government provides security for the current President of the United States and his family and any living past Presidents and their families. It is one of those long-term benefits that everyone receives when they become President of the United States. These Secret Service people dedicate their lives and their careers to providing the President with the utmost care and security. You have probably seen them surrounding the President, and many more you do not see that are keeping a watchful eye around the perimeter. Dark suits, dark sunglasses, and earpieces are all part of the regular uniform of the Secret Service.
If you do not see yourself protecting the President but would like an exciting career going undercover and helping people then looking for a job with a secret shopping service might be a job for you. The opportunities in this line of work are endless, because the variety of businesses that benefit from this type of company are endless.
Because of the vast amount of people that call or visit a business, there is a need for many different personalities. This job is not just for women. It is ideal for men, college students, single moms, and retirees. All nationalities and races and anyone who likes to be observant and help people improve their service skills will do well working for one of these companies. In fact, the more natural you look, the more you will fit in and become part of the surroundings. This is exactly what a secret shopping service wants you to do.
Imagine yourself going undercover to expose both good and bad service techniques. You could be disguised as a regular shopper or a dark mysterious person looking for merchandise. Your assignment might be to purchase a diamond necklace from a well known jewelry store or it could be to buy some sneakers at the mall.
You can make up a fake name and pretend to be someone else for a while. It can be a fun job where the flexible hours meet whatever you want to wear to work that day. A secret shopping service might have you just going on an assignment and taking in your surroundings. Or they might have you dine in an elegant restaurant and assess the proficiency of the wait staff, the chef, and the quality of the food served.
Some services might have you call different businesses in the same industry to see how they handle a potential customer on the phone. They may have you call many different high end spas and resorts to see how the employees sound on the telephone. A secret shopping service might have you audio record your transaction for later evaluation. When audio or video is used, the circumstances are usually pretty serious and require hard evidence and not simply the word of someone.
Going undercover for a secret shopping service allows you to use those playacting talents you acquired in high school. Even if you are normally a very placid type of a person, when you are working undercover you can pretend to be a gruff and upset customer. You can shop, you can eat, and the opportunities in this line of work are endless. This is because the varieties of businesses that benefit from a shopping service are endless!
Working for the Secret Service may seem glamorous in the movies, but in reality it takes years of training and can be an extremely stressful and dangerous vocation. Working for a secret shopping service can still allow you to go undercover, but has a lot less risk involved.
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Home Based BusinessBy admin on May 19, 2008 | No Comments
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Have you ever wanted to start your home based business? Do you need a little extra money? Are you a mom that stays home, a college student, a retiree, or someone that wants to work a little more? There are many home based businesses out there to fit many peoples needs. Some are trustworthy, some need checking out and some are down right not good. Doing good business means treating your employees and your customers in a professional way. You must be able to provide the service and product that your business represents if you want to be successful. If you are checking out home based jobs on the Internet you might find such things as:
- Envelope stuffing
- Auditing
- Analyst
- Computer information specialist
- Advisor
- Real estate
- Selling cosmetics through a nationally known company
- Selling kitchen items through a nationally known company
- Telephone assistant
Another job that you might consider if you are looking for a job you can do from home is starting a mystery shopping company . What does it take to start a company like this? You will need to have some organizational skills and be handy on the computer. You will need to be able to communicate over the phone or email, quickly and efficiently. You will need to be able to complete any work that does not get finished if you have employees. You will need to find work, and that means calling and going around to different businesses trying to sell your services. On the basic level, you will be able to start small and do most of the work yourself. As the business grows you will probably need to have a couple of people you can call on to do random assignments. This will help your business, as new faces and new voices will only add to your mystery shopping company .
Before starting your own mystery shopping company , you should make a business plan and figure out a starting budget. Will you have enough money in savings to start your own business or will you need to borrow money from the bank? If you will need to borrow money from the bank, you will need to have that business plan ready to show the bank that you have thought about every detail of starting your own business. At this time you should start throwing around names that you would like to name your business. Think of something catchy, smart and unique to stand out in the business world.
When starting your new mystery shopping company , you should check with local, city and state laws concerning owning your own business. You might be required to register with the city or have permits that will make your business its own entity. This also means that you might have to pay taxes depending on your state and local laws for businesses providing products or services to the public. Do not try to get around these laws about permits and licenses, you can be fined or your business shut down if you do not comply.
A mystery shopping company can be a great stay at home job for many people. If you have a few close friends that are in the same boat as you, they might be interested in starting a new company with you. The added initial investment and another person could really jump start your new business.
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Shopping Your CompetitionBy admin on May 16, 2008 | No Comments
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There are many people and businesses out there that call around to their competition and see what kind of price scale they are offering for their products or services. Now, some people get paid to do this job and some people are doing it for their job. What is this job? Mystery secret shoppers call around or go to places and see what other business have to offer in the way of service and prices.
It is important to keep up with the competition as far as pricing goes. If you offer about the same product or service as the business across the street, you had better have about the same price or people will flock to the other place. One difference is if your product or service is way better or offers more features or benefits then you can charge more than the other guy. In some businesses the managers know each other and have built a professional rapport. They will actually look out for each other and recommend the other if they cannot help the customer in the first place. Helping each other is a great way to make sure that the customer is getting exactly what they needed.
There is only so much consumer dollar to go around and your business must be able to somehow capture that customers attention so they spend it with you. Instead of being at war with your competition, try being friendly and see where that gets you.
Mystery secret shoppers are out there, whether it be a paid position or something that your business is doing to keep up with your competition.
If you have never shopped your competition you should try it. Have someone call them and pretend to want whatever service or product they offer. Make sure the person is taking good notes so that when the call is done, you can make the comparison. Now do not forget to make sure you are comparing like items. If you offer your service for 50 dollars and the business down the street offers theirs at 45 dollars make sure you are offering the same exact service before lowering your price. Does the other place offer door-to-door service? Does the other place offer a guarantee with their product? Make sure you are comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges.
Does it pay to have price wars with your competition? It might draw business to both of your locations if some publicity is involved. If you are friendly with your competition you might be able to think of something that will make you both some money. Put your heads together and see what you can come up with. Money is money and every business is out to get their share.
Mystery secret shoppers can help your business in other ways too. They can make sure that a business is keeping up corporate standards. Mystery secret shoppers can go to a location and make sure that certain things are being maintained and presented exactly the way the corporate headquarters wants them. Even though some corporate franchises are independently owned, they still must adhere to strict company policy in order to keep their franchises license. Now you can see what mystery secret shoppers can do for your business.
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The Basic Script For Shopping StorageBy admin on April 15, 2008 | No Comments
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Every secret shopping evaluator knows that having a good basic script is essential in any type of sales. This is especially true for anyone working in a call center selling self storage, and for two very good reasons.
Reason number one, self storage is an intangible and not something that a customer can hold in their hand. It is not a red sweater that they can actually pick up and try on. Self storage is about the security and the peace of mind that comes when a customer needs to stow away their most prized possessions.
And reason number two, most people have never rented a self storage unit before. They know the color red, and how a sweater feels. But they have no clue about a rental unit. They might have heard of it, but more than likely they heard a horror story about a friend of a friend that had all of their stuff ruined by rodents. Now that they find themselves in a predicament where they will need to rent a unit they are pretty nervous about it.Because of these reasons it is very important that the sales rep be able to explain all of the benefits of self storage to the caller, and fairly quickly since most customers are in a hurry when they use the telephone. A secret shopping evaluator knows that this is why having an excellent basic script is so important. It enables the telephone rep to convey all of the pertinent information, such as the convenient location, the great security and cleanliness, and the sized unit that would work best. As long as the script is followed then all of the essentials are covered with each and every call, and in a short amount of time.
New employees need to have the script in their hand, to physically be able to look at it as they go through training. This is the best way for them to learn it, while at the same time help them to understand how it applies to their new job, as well as the importance of the script itself.
After a new employee has been around for a while, and has gained some confidence, they need to have the basic script nearby as a just in case kind of a tool. Just in case they get off track during a call, or just in case they feel a little uncomfortable with a particular customer, then they have the script as sort of a security blanket to help them get back on track.
Seasoned veterans often think they know it all, that they have been doing this job so long they can do it in their sleep. The problem with this is that they can become complacent, and can develop some bad habits that they are not even aware of. This is why a secret shopping evaluator is so important. The evaluator can recommend to the experienced salesperson to dust off that old script and use it for a few days. Getting back to the basics is a great idea every now and again.
A secret shopping evaluator listens to sales calls all day, and they know the importance of a good basic script. The secret shopping evaluator knows that after a rookie has learned the script, and the rest of their new job, that they should adjust the wording to fit their own personality. But no good salesperson ever wants to stray too far from the basic script. It is a very important tool that they need to use throughout their sales career.
Climate Controlled Storage Unit
July 2007 Property Management Blog Archive
Climate Controlled Storage Revisited
