Consumer Confidential: Get paid to shop!

A writer goes undercover, makes a few bucks, and learns shopping isn't as fun as she thought.

All this and more awaits secret shoppers -- freelance spies who go undercover at establishments and then report back to corporate headquarters on the experience.

The practice is expanding as companies from Fortune 500 firms to small businesses take the practice more seriously, spending nearly $600 million on the service in 2004, up 11 percent on the year, according to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

McDonald's has called mystery shopping a major component of its turnaround plan and will use the technique in 30,000 locations worldwide by the end of 2005. Hilton Hotels and restaurant-chain P.F. Chang's also like these covert operations.

In a competitive retail world, companies want to make sure the customer is being taken care of, said David McAleese, CEO of secret-shopping company A Closer Look, which provides services for many major corporations.

"The details that show someone is cared for keep the customer coming back," he said.

Welcome to the shop

Love to shop and figure, Why not get paid? Be forewarned: Contrary to online legend -- and this writer's fantasy -- secret shopping is not easy money.

To get started, you first need to apply with a secret-shopping company, of which there are nearly 200.

Getting picked is no sure thing. Mystery shopping companies say that only detail-oriented, reliable people with great memory and strong writing ability need apply.

An application at one company required a detailed description of my last retail experience, while another asked for a few paragraphs on the kind of shopper I am -- writing samples would be evaluated for clarity and grammar. And with competition for shopping spots growing, these applications are taken very seriously.

A week after applying with three companies, my first and only shopping company, e-mailed me a bathroom inspection assignment. Payment, $15. But payment only comes after filling out long reports, with very specific questions.

After proving my ability to snap pictures of a toilet, I was offered a shoe browsing mission for $20. (Money earned while secret shopping will be given to charity.)

As you might imagine, you can't just whip out a notebook during an investigation, so I had to brush off some very dusty recall skills. An effective secret shopper also needs a flair for pretense... or acting... or lying.

For my shoe-store report, I was asked to remember how long it took for someone to greet me, the name of my sales person, how many people were working and what they were up to while customers browsed. I also had to observe interactions between customers at the register and the person ringing them up.

This was all done while feigning interest in holiday dress sandals, trying on shoes and fending off the sales push.

And as I awkwardly yammered on about heel heights, I realized that my saleswoman was getting nervous -- not because she thought she was under the thoughtful gaze of a secret shopper, but because she feared she was under the intense stare of a lonely, crazy woman.

How to do it

If you still think you have what it takes, be aware that the lure of free goods and fast money have spawned a host of secret-shopping scams.

"While many of these [scam] services do provide additional information on how to become a mystery shopper after consumers pay a fee, they forget to mention... all of the information on how to become a mystery shopper is available for free," said John Swinburn, executive director of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

So if a site says to become a shopper for a one-time fee, move on. And while getting reimbursed for an oil change may be a legitimate deal, an offer to make $50,000 a year shopping is too-good-to-be-true.

To find a legitimate service and start shopping:

- Visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association web site at www.mysteryshop.org for a list of companies that are MSPA members.

- Contact mystery-shopping companies directly, not the MSPA. Their Web addresses are included in the site.

- Sign up with as many companies as you can.

- Be patient. There's been an influx of shoppers in the last year so it may take time for you to get your first assignment.

- Be quick. When the assignment hits your e-mail account, reply as soon as you can.

Complete the first assignment as well as possible to increase your chances of being assigned a more desirable assignment in the future.

Article by Katie Benner, CNNMoney.com staff writer

What Google PR Do You Have?

Let's forget for a while about website promotions, online strategies and how to make more internet profits. Enjoy with these new cartoons. I find them very refreshing -- good cartoons, good jokes.

Love you Google, but let's have some fun together!







Cartoons by Google Blogoscoped.

10 Secrets Of The Super-Affiliate Mindset

Contrary to popular belief, super-affiliates don’t really DO things differently than affiliate underachievers. Super-affiliates promote the same products. They use the same SEO techniques. They have the same headaches. And they work just as hard.

But super-affiliates THINK differently. Their minds and attitudes go far beyond the commission check. For them, affiliate marketing is not just a business. It’s a CAREER. And that professional mindset makes a huge difference in how and when they take action in the marketplace.

I’ve worked side by side with many super-affiliates. I’ve even helped create a few. They all share a special kind of mindset.

So as you read these 10 characteristics of affiliate super-achievers, ask yourself, "Could I learn to think this way?"

#1 – Super-affiliates think creatively.

You know what you’ll get if you do what everyone else does? You’ll get what they get... only you’ll be splitting it with them, and all their imitators. In today's Internet marketplace, you need to be a leader, not a follower. So super-affiliates don’t follow the crowd. They sell TO the crowd. They take the most successful marketing techniques, apply them to selling the most popular products... and then add a unique spin.

It could be as simple as offering one unusual, but highly valuable bonus. It could be as sensible as using low-cost offline marketing, while everyone else is breaking the bank on expensive PPC. It could be as innovative as dumping the sales letter, and substituting a quiz or contest. But super-affiliates always, always, ALWAYS look for ways to be alittle more creative than their competitors.

#2 – Super-affiliates learn the hard stuff.

Less than 10% of people who start their own business are successful. Why? Most fail because they lack direct sales experience, don’t bother with a marketing and business plan, or get into debt promoting products that don’t have a market. In other words, they flunk when they get tested on the really tough aspects of business.

Super-affiliates are different. They learn how to do all the "hard" things other people shy away from. They learn about selling and they get good at it. They set goals, make daily and weekly plans, and measure their progress. They don’t waste time creating huge content sites unless they have hard evidence that those sites will eventually bring them BUYERS (not just browsers or researchers).

And most of all, they keep their eye on PROFITABILITY. Not just traffic, not just visitors. Super-affiliates look for a return on their investment of time and effort, as well as money.

#3 – Super-affliates follow up.

Most affiliates can attract prospects. A few can convert prospects into customers. But only super-affiliates turn existing customers into repeat customers.

Super-affiliates know that the person who has already bought from you is the most willing prospect for your backend products, upsells, and cross-sells. These current customers are also the cheapest to sell to. So super-affiliates are always thinking of the lifetime value of a customer... and always offering them the best value and deals.

#4 – Super-affiliates give before receiving.

Super-affiliates invest time and money giving something of REAL value. Before they ask for the sale... and before they seal a JV. Maybe they give away useful content. Maybe they offer a valuable resource. Maybe they offer to put in some sweat equity for a piece of the action. Maybe they offer customers a chance to win something... or a smile.

But no matter WHAT they give, super-affiliates do business in a spirit of openness. It’s not about beating the other guy. It’s about networking and making alliances. It’s about viewing the Internet marketplace as one great big “small town.” It’s about saying "let’s talk." And it’s about putting something –- money, effort, or reputation -– on the table BEFORE making demands.

#5 – Super-affiliates know how to receive.

Giving is the best first step – but it’s only the beginning. Once they’ve hammered out a deal or given something of value, super-affiliates also know how to take what they rightfully deserve.

That means they don’t just pre-sell... they ASK prospects for the sale. They’re not afraid to capitalize on a good deal. They LIKE profits and don’t apologize for being successful. And if they’re working on a JV, they state their expectations clearly, forthrightly, without a lot of fuss... and don’t de-value their list or reputation with cheesy offers.

Yes, the best super-affiliates receive their just rewards graciously, without throwing their egos around. And they not only say thank you. They look for ways to turn a “thank you” into an opportunity to generate more customer loyalty and more sales down the line.

#6 – Super-affiliates think strategically.

Affiliate marketing isn't a game of chance. It's a profession. Super-affiliates are just as savvy about their industry, and just as uninvolved, as other expert professionals.

Which means super-affiliates spend quality time thinking, planning, preparing, and evaluating. They analyze their sites, products, and sales. They try to understand WHY one technique works and another doesn’t. They think about trends and ponder the mentality of their customers.

Bottom line is, super-affiliates LOVE their work.

#7 – Super-affiliates test and analyze.

Profit, profit, profit... super affiliates are hard-headed about profits! They split-test carefully. They think about WHY one ad pulls better than another... and they try to duplicate the results. They analyze their traffic, stats, and user purchase patterns. They’re fanatics about knowing their visitor to sales ratio on a daily basis. And they’re obsessed with ROI.

If you want to say goodbye to the ranks of affiliate underachievers, learn to love the numbers like the super-affiliates do.

#8 – Super-affiliates know when to go for volume over commission.

Here’s a very well-kept secret of some super-affiliates: you can earn a fantastic income from cheap untargeted traffic. Believe it or not, not every super-affiliate is brilliant at creating content or opt-in marketing. Some just concentrate on traffic -- more and bigger traffic -- and make money off of sheer volume sales and contextual advertising.

Here’s the basic formula, oversimplified of course: Let’s say that on a given web site you get 1000 unique visitors per day, or 30,000 visitors per month. If your average monthly profit from that site is $1500, then each visitor is worth 5 cents ($1500 divided by 30,000 visitors).

So in this example, if you spend 5 cents to attract a visitor, all you can do is break even. But if you can spend a lot less to get a visitor -- say only 2 cents -- you’ve got the potential to make some terrific profits on cheap traffic! Sure, it’s not going to be tightly niched traffic. But it’s also the kind of traffic that fits well with products that have mass-market mass-appeal, or even commodity products.

#9 – Super-affiliates work a plan.

Successful affiliates have a simple business model: they replicate their success. Once they find something that works, they tweak it slightly, test, evaluate, and repeat. Some of the most profitable affiliate empires follow this simple, repetitive pattern. Consistent effort tends to yield consistent results, especially online, where certain types of marketing (like SEO) take time.

And more importantly, super-affiliates follow a schedule. So much activity per month, so many promotions, so many sales. When they fall short of their goals, they figure out why. If they can’t, they cut their losses and try again.

Working a plan all boils down to discipline. Organization, tracking, and daily project management are a way of life for super-affiliates.

#10 – Super-affiliates never quit.

They may ruthlessly dump under-performing products. They may cut their losses if the profits don’t flow. But super-affiliates don’t give up. They assume that they’re going to have some bumps and hard times. They look at setbacks as essential learning experiences that, in the end, help them build a stronger business.

This article is written by Anik Singal, founder of AffiliateClassroom.com. Anik Singal has developed his own affiliate system that helped him earn well over $10,000 in just 60 days. Now, he's looking for a few students to train one step at a time.