If you are considering mystery shopping, or you already started, there are some things that you must do to be successful at it.  Mystery shopping is not a hard job to do, but there are steps that will help you make more money, get more assignments, and stay organized.   Here are ten things to follow so that you are considered one of the best:

1.  Complete all assignments.  This is imperative if you want to make mystery shopping a career.  If you constantly cancel assignments that you take, you will be deleted from a company’s roster.

2.  Pay attention to details.  When you are completing a shop, you must make mental notes of  descriptons of the employees that you interact with, the atmosphere, the cleanliness of an establishment, and so much more.  Remember to stay focused.

3.  Remain anonymous.   You must act like a regular customer.  You can never reveal yourself as a shopper unless the assignment specifies otherwise.  If an employee pinpoints you as an undercover shopper, you will be terminated from the assignment.

4.  Keep track of your assignments.  Write down the dates and times of each shop you take in a designated planner.  Know what assignments you are supposed to complete on each day.  

5.  Keep organized records.  You should keep a file folder for each company that you accept assignments with.    Companies will require you to keep your receipts and other information for reimbursement.  Keeping all of these things neatly filed away will ensure that you have this information readily available.

6.  Make a record of completed, unpaid assignments.  If you are familiar with Excel, you can use spreadsheets to keep track of assignments and payments.  You can try using  www.jobslingerplus.com, a mystery shopper services website with special tools to find and manage shops.

7.  Write detailed, accurate reports.  Make sure your account of the details are truthful.  Write out detailed descriptions of employees, surroundings, etc.  Remain objective in your reports.  Make sure you spell check every section of the report.    If your report is flawed, payment will be delayed, or you will not get paid at all.

8.  Submit your reports on time.  It is a waste of time to complete assignments and not get paid for them.  This is exactly what will happen if your reports are submitted late.

9.  Follow directions.  You need to do exactly what an assignment specifies.  This includes starting the shop at the specified time, on the specified date,  etc.  Any alteration of the designated instructions will cause you not to get paid.

10.  Submit your earnings on tax forms.  Mystery shoppers are considered independent contractors.   You are responsible for reporting your earnings to the IRS every year.  Make sure you keep organized records of what you earn from every assignment.