» Mystery Shopping Companies

Many people wonder how secret shopping or mystery shopping actually works. Of course secret shopping could be different for every industry from self storage to baby sitting, but most times, the foundation is the same. The purpose of a secret shop is to ensure that what you are training your business or representatives to do is actually being followed. Here we will talk about what kind of things will be evaluated once a secret shopper walks into your establishment.

Typcially they will count the number of employees upon the store on entering. This will let the business know how many people were seen on the floor. The manager of the business should know how many people they had on the floor and how many people were able to assist that shopper. If the amount of associates counted are off then there has to be some investigation on why this is so.

How long it takes before the mystery shopper is greeted. This is a good measure to know how long will it take one of your sales staff to greet your customers as they walk in. To ensure that business always got these points, they have hired greeters to say hello to them as soon as they walk into the store.

The shopper will write down the name of the employees of whom they bump into. So when the rep or worker talks to them about their business, the shopper will know who is talking. Then the business owner will know who to congratulate, train or let go depending on the interaction.

When you have a secret shopping company doing your shopping for you, it is a good idea to have some pre written questions down for them to ask your associates. A new process or training could have just come out and you will want to ensure that your associates know it. This is a good opportunity to find out how well they know their material by having a customer come in to test them.

The shopper will also note down the types of products shown, the sales arguments used by the employee, especially whether or how the employee attempted to close the sale and whether the employee suggested any add-on sales. These are important components of the sale. If you have a rep on your floor that is not trying to close the sale or show the customer the right type of product for their need, that could cost you a sale. Worse, it could cost you that customer to your competition.

Now there are other things when the sale is over and the shopper is ready to leave the store that they are checking as well. They are looking to see whether the employee invited the shopper to come back to the store. Every business wants return business. If they do not they do not expect to be open very long. Shoppers will also look at the cleanliness of store and store associates. You always want to have your best foot forward when it comes to customers. Of course, every company should have some type of standard when it comes to how their store and associates look. After all this is reported on and documented, they shopper will send their findings to the company for them to review.

There are many secret shopping companies out there as well as many business who need this service. Every business is unique and might need something different from the shopping company. There has to be a good relationship between the company being shopped and the company doing the shopping. If all looks and does well, the shopping company can do great things for the company who has requested their services.

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While most mystery shopping programs have their own set of instructions and training that they impart to you at the start of the assignment, it does help to know what to expect as you prepare for the interview. This position involves you to pose as a typical shopper and work for companies and stores to give them feedback on the efficacy of the services they provide. This will help them examine their employee ability to handle customers, their response time, and also the adequate of their product knowledge to sell something.

While you might think that being part of mystery shopping programs is quite exciting, you must also bear in mind that it involves great amount of hard work. And it might do well if you put some study and planning into getting the job.

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If you are an internet surfer and looking for some opportunities to earn money from the comforts of your home, then you may come across several websites which are related to the mystery shopping companies . Such companies are present in large numbers providing many employment opportunities to the deserving. Any fresher who wants to start a career in disguised shopping needs to get in touch with these companies for work opportunities. It is easy to locate a company which is situated near your residence or a place of your convenience. Bigger companies usually have tools in their website that helps in locating a region based job. If you are a first time shopper, the company may guide you through the entire process of shopping. Your duties and responsibilities are explained to you in detail.

There are many types of mystery shopping companies . There are some companies that specialize in assignments related to one particular industry such as the hotel industry. There are some companies that specialize in shopping in entertainment zones such as amusement parks, theatres, self storage or other entertainment arenas. There are companies that specialize in providing services to the pharmacy industry also. So, you can get an opportunity as per your liking. Though it may not always happen, but there are chances that you get to do assignments as per your likings too. In such situations it becomes pleasure along with cash earning opportunity. In real life you may be an agreeable and non fussy customer, but the mystery shopping companies require their employees to be fussy and choosy. This is perhaps the only way when you get to know more about the organization you have visited. This is what you are being paid for. There are many shoppers who may never have purchased mp3 players, DVDs and similar electronic goods. It may happen that they have no knowledge about them too and their assignment requires them to visit such a store.

A shopper may never know what kind of assignment he will get. This is adventurous and thrilling-buying something and trying to know and asking questions about something that you have very little knowledge. This is how the shoppers perform their task when they are out on their special mission. With a few assignments they become experts and a true representative of the company that hires them.

Many people often desire to know who hires the services of mystery shopping companies . The services of these companies are mainly hired by those organizations who directly deal with customers. It may happen that the organization has witnessed a steady decline in sales or if it a new establishment, it may happen that the sales never picked up. Similar organizations that were set up later, with comparatively less infrastructure are doing brisk business.

Under these circumstances the owners desire to know, what the reason of their failure is. At this time they take the help of the mystery shopping companies . It has been proved many times that once such assignments have been carried out for any organization there has been a vast improvement in sales and of course revenue. After the report many problems are duly addressed and taken care of, so that visitors have no choice to complain. Once the customers are happy they return to the store again and again and hence sales are bound to increase.

Quality Assurance

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If you are planning to employ a mystery shopping company  for the improvement of the quality of your business, then selecting the right shopping company is quite a difficult job. There are plenty of shopping companies available in the market. But, how do you know that which is the best? There are companies, who will claim false accreditation to serve you. But, once you employ them, you might find that it is not going to be helpful at all. Either they do not have trained shoppers or they are not being able to analyze the business or something else. You should not waste your investment in such a way. So, before selecting any shopping company, you must be very careful about their reputation.

• Normally, over the net you will find out the respective websites. Each and every mystery shopping company will claim that they have trained and certified shoppers. Even though, there is no such certification course for the shoppers. Also, not that much is required. If a person is quite smart and efficient, he can pick up the interviewing part easily. However, writing the report part requires some amount of writing skill and knowledge of language. Other than this no professional acumen is required. Now, even the companies claim that the shoppers are qualified, but finally they can not be able to produce successful results. Erroneous reports or negative information can damage your business to a great extent.

• Select the mystery shopping company , which has better reputation and experience in the industry and in your specific industry. For example, a self storage owner should look for a shopping provider that serves that industry. A well reputed shopping company will employ dependable, experienced shoppers, who know their job very well. These companies create a bonding with the shoppers with a long lasting relationship. A newly formed shopping company will hire inexperienced shoppers, who might make a mess out of everything. Their inadequate knowledge of your business might end up in confusing reports and information, which will mislead you in forwarding your business.

• The mystery shopping company of your selection should understand the business process very clearly. With a better understanding of your business, they will be able to identify the area on which the shopping is to be done. If the shopping company instructs the shopper with a huge list of questions related to each and every aspect of the business, the shopper will get confused. Also, it will be quite difficult for him to memorize all these aspects together. Thus, the shopping company has to narrow down the scope to deliver a concise questionnaire to the shopper. This will ease out the whole process to a great extent.

• Before selecting the company, you can check with your friends from different companies to find out the mystery shopping company they deal with. If they are happy and confident with a particular shopping agency, then you can depend on that shopping company without any hesitation. While talking to this company, you might as well refer to your friends so that they can also gain confidence on you. This way, both the parties will feel the urge to perform their best to meet up their expectations, in both ways.

• You can also research the websites, to find out the details of the shopping companies. The companies which are associated to the renowned association of shopping companies are genuine in nature. You can depend on any of this company, with total faith and confidence.

Secret Shopping

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Mystery shopping companies are nowadays doing a huge business by serving the consumer industry. Normally, they support the market research companies by collecting information on behalf of them, which in turn is requested by their clients, who are either a business owner or directly responsible for any type of business. The business self storage owners or managers of any business houses are always quite eager to know about the performance of the related business. But, it is simply not possible to check out this information by them. That is why they need to take help form external market research agencies.

The market research agencies then contact the mystery shopping companies to conduct the project. Actually, the shopping companies have to find out the exact information on what is happening at the point of sale. It will be never possible for the business owner or manager to be present at each and every point of sale at every time and inspect that whether the customers are happy with the business. Even if they could be present everything will run accordingly just to create an impression that everything is running alright. However, in real scenario this might not be the case. Customers might have lots of complaints or they might not be happy with the overall service.

To find out this information, mystery shopping companies employ shoppers, who are ready to visit the outlet to inspect the overall performance. A shopper will be just like a normal customer with different intention. He has to act like a real customer while he is at the shop. At the same time, he will notice certain things as per the instruction of his shopping company. The company will direct the shopper on how to behave at the shop, what all things he has to notice etc. As he will behave like normal customer, nobody will be able to guess out his actual identity. This secrecy will help him to watch the outlet and the staff.

The mystery shopping companies are supposed to receive reports for the shoppers on the experience of the shop. These reports and the data will then be sent to the market research organizations. The market research agencies will analyze the data and identify the positive and negative aspects of the business. For any business, this is highly important, as this creates the scope for improvement. Unless the owners know the limitation of their business, they can not plan out anything to improve the performance. So, these shopping reports are going to play an important role for the success of the business.

Sometimes mystery shopping companies also take the responsibility to develop a strategic plan for the business. Otherwise, it is the responsibility of the market research companies. Usually they are supposed to analyze the data and reports and then develop the recommendations for the improvement of their clients. They also provide graphical representations of the data, to offer visual information to the client. Once the business owners or managers are aware of the weaknesses, they can certainly follow the guideline recommended by the market research agencies for the betterment of the business.

Thus, it is a proven fact that the main part of this whole project depends on the shopping companies, as they collect the primary piece of information for this. Otherwise, it would have been a real critical situation faced by the market research groups and in turn, the business owners or managers, who would have been suffered the most.

Marietta Self Storage

Morrow Self Storage

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Welcome to the secret shopping blog, where we share our experinces in the mystery shopping industry and secret shopping trends. We can help you with your secret shopping business if you are already in the “Biz”, or give you insights into how the mystery shopping professional works if you are looking to hire or become a secret shopper.

Here is a piece the PhoneSmart director Tron Jordheim wrote that he also based a training seminar on. You may find that there are some good tips for creating a sales and customer service culture that will do great when you get secret shopped.

Create a culture, set up hoops, and watch candidates excel!
By Tron Jordheim
Most of us agree it is better to have sales-savvy staff than not. Our business requires intense customer interaction. The person at the front desk wearing your logo shirt is the reason people choose to store with you or your competitor. When a tenant has a problem, it is your staff person’s ability to handle it that makes the difference.
So how do you attract sales-savvy people? You have to build the culture first. Every workplace has its own feel and unspoken understandings—this is your culture. It revolves around language; stories, myths and legends; rituals; and unwritten rules. When your culture encourages sales and the development of selling skills, you have created a workplace where sales-savvy people are comfortable and can excel.
Language
Start speaking the language of sales. Teach employees how to use qualifying questions, alternate-choice closes, concerns and assurances, assumptive statements, closing percentages and missed opportunities. Learn the keywords and code words that help your staff keep “sales” at the front of their minds.
Stories, Myths and Legends
Share stories and myths about selling with your staff. For example, there is a great story about a young kid straight out of high school who went to work for a department store that sold everything you could imagine. At the end of his first day, the store owner asked him how many customers he had helped. He was shocked and dismayed to hear the hire had only helped one customer and asked him to explain.
The kid explained he had offered a customer a fishing hook, only to find the man had no rod, reel and or tackle. After he helped the customer pick out that gear, he discovered the man had no fishing boots or outdoor clothes, so he helped him choose the right boots, pants, jacket and hat. Then he realized the customer had no boat, so he helped him select a boat and appropriate trailer. When the man mentioned he would have trouble hauling the boat with his Volkswagen, the young sales clerk took him to the truck department and helped him choose a pickup truck with a towing package and CD/DVD player.
Finally, at 4:45 p.m., the customer who had been with the young salesman since 10:30 that morning had everything he could possibly need for a weekend of fishing. The owner of the store was amazed. He asked, “You sold all this merchandise to a man who came in to buy a fishing hook?” The kid replied, “Well, actually, I started the day in the pharmacy, and the customer asked me where to find the band-aids. While I was helping him, I happened to say, ‘Looks like a good weekend to go fishing.’”
There are all kinds of fun stories about salespeople. There are some great cartoons, too. Have you ever seen the “Far Side” cartoon featuring the King of Salesmen? He is waving good-bye from a boat as he pulls away from a shore-side Eskimo village. The Eskimos are standing proudly by their new refrigerators and waving back. You can tell their fondness for the salesman in the sad expressions on their faces.
Then there are sales myths, like the “Rule of Thirds,” which breaks customers into three distinct categories:
• One third of customers will rent from you, as long as you don’t chase them off, because they already like your location or know someone who has rented from you. Your job is simply to not talk them out of the sale.
• Another third of customers will not rent from you, either because you can’t meet their current needs or their needs are too far in the future. If you are nice to these folks, they might remember you when it is time to rent.
• The final third could go either way. These are the people with whom you need to use your best sales and listening skills.
Finally, talk with employees about legends of great sales feats accomplished by members of your business. For example, tell them about the time one of your managers had a record rental day. Talk about the funny ways staff has asked for the rental and gotten it. At my company, we still talk about the day one of our sales reps, Dana, reserved seven 10-by-20s for one caller, and we still try to beat Paula’s eight-hour record of 23 credit-card reservations.
Rituals
You can also establish business rituals for your staff. These might include the manner in which you make notes on your call logs, the way you stand up to greet customers who walk through your door, the way you turn the lease toward new tenants so they can see where to initial and sign. Look at the things you do during your selling routine. Use consistency to allow some of these actions to become rituals.
Unwritten Rules
Then there are unwritten rules. For example, consider the rule that you should never end a rental inquiry without asking which day the person would like to move in; or the rule that says there’s no eating at the front counter; or the rule that says you should look everyone in the eye when you greet them. You probably have many such guidelines that work in selling your facility to new tenants and re-selling it to current ones. They may not be typed in the policies and procedures manual, but you encourage employees to follow them nonetheless. Let employees know what those rules are so they can use them.
Attracting the Sales-Savvy
Now that you have created a selling culture, you need to attract people who are sales-savvy. How do you get the right people to inquire about your positions? What do you call those positions? Do you look for managers, sales assistants, marketing reps or retail-sales reps? Think about this before advertising or promoting an opening. You will generally get what you ask for in an ad.
Start screening candidates with some qualifying hoops. The first a potential new hire jumps through is the recorded audition. When a candidate calls your “employment hotline,” he is invited to talk about himself and his experience on a voicemail message. Listen to all the messages and only contact the people who sound good on the phone, use visuals in their stories and sell themselves well. The impression employees make on the phone is essential to getting rentals. Why not hire only people with a great phone presentation?
If a potential hire passes the recorded audition, the next step is the phone interview and mystery shop. If you like the way the person deals with you and sells himself during the phone interview, move on to the shopping phase. Wait a day or so, call his place of work, and interact with him as if you are a prospective or current customer of that business. How he treats you in this situation will tell you a lot. Did your potential hire ask for your business, try to fix your problem, and attempt to cross-or up-sell?
Testing, 1,2,3
Next is the personal interview. For this, you will need to create a test that will weed out the wrong people for the job. It can be frustrating when a person interviews well, then turns out to be a bad fit for the position. I once hired someone with a good resume and appropriate work history who interviewed very well. When the other team members learned about the hire, they asked if I was nuts. Apparently, he had been rude and even hostile to three or four people while waiting in the break room for his interview. Enter the birth of “The Break-Room Test.”
Now when I conduct personal interviews, I intentionally leave the candidate waiting in the break room for five or 10 minutes before I meet him. I have several team members interact with him during that time and gauge his reactions. If the prospect does not offer natural, friendly re

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