Not being able to discuss who shops whom is a real pain in the butt.

I don't how someone could put our names down without knowing them and I would certainly be pissed if anyone put me down as a referral without my permission. To me a referral is akin to a recommendation.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

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I have only ever referred one person: my niece in Florida. Who is OCD as hell. She did very well with it, then she got a job as a court reporter and doesn't have time anymore to do it much.

Competition is a non-issue in my world. I do little in this large industry by choice, and there are plenty of jobs for people who want them. I believe in matching people to jobs, whenever possible. Sometimes, it is not possible because people are busy. They may have other jobs, family responsibilities, or personal hobbies. Some people are not interested in any aspect of this industry, and they think less of me because I work in this industry. But that is okay. All I do is give them the name of a company, the general task types I think they would be great at and possibly like, and how to find the initial information about the company. I have not lost out on any opportunities. I have my own little assignments to do. This works well for me.

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)

If the OP wants to sign up more "recruiters", why don't the OP do it with her shops? The OP has been shopping for 5+ years so why haven't she built up any shop? It can't be "Easy Peasy" if the OP is not using the MSCs she familiar with.

If the Op takes 20 of its family and friends to sign up with at least 5 companies by the end of the day, 100 companies could be signed up with. Then the OP can share with her family and friends what MSC shops whom and who. AND the OP would have its referrals (and h/a) and the competition.

BTW, OP, your family and friends, may not have the same work ethics as you or vice versa. I hope your ICA means a lot to you.

Shoppers who have found this forum, and who have worked to establish solid relationships with schedulers, have a leg up. Mentoring and hand-holding may have been provided. BUT, should not be expected. Success is not dependent upon such. Independent Contractors are just that.

@OCyou2 wrote:

They live more lavishly than me, but I told her I'd be better off continuing the shops, and mailing her a check for $50 if she really needs the money!

if u want to give away $50 donate to red cross & help hurricane victims in tx & fl & puerto rico.

@MSNinja wrote:

@ceasesmith wrote:

I have mentored a few people. Usually I just ask the MSC, as many of them even PAY for referrals -- and no better way to get a referral than to say "I know you enjoy going to the Aquarium. If you signed up with XXX company, you could go for free". And that particular company DOES pay a referral fee!
its not free. u have to write detailed & often lengthy report. u are being paid for your time & report. reimbursed is better word than free.

Picky, picky, picky.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Picky, picky, picky.

truth truth truth

@ShopWhisperer wrote:

Signing up for a zillion MSCs means getting a hundred zillion emails. There are so many companies I've signed up with that I've never worked with. Waste of my time. I don't have a TV to veg out with. I would rather hear that XYZ shops ABC restaurant and just sign up with them. Easy peasy.

exaggerate much.
since u know about bots & spiders i think u can figure out how to set up filters on email.

Some on this forum only like to brag or cut others down. It's really nauseating.

@ShopWhisperer wrote:

Signing up for a zillion MSCs means getting a hundred zillion emails. There are so many companies I've signed up with that I've never worked with. Waste of my time. I don't have a TV to veg out with. I would rather hear that XYZ shops ABC restaurant and just sign up with them. Easy peasy.

some on this forum only like to whine about signing up w/a zillion mscs which is big component of this biz. then complain thats its a waste of time. like running small biz is easy peasy. It's really nauseating.

And here is your cheese to go along with the whine.

Been there and it is frustrating

I don't know that I agree with that. I work with a lot of companies and have been doing this a while. I know there's a lot of people on here that don't want to do the research but I still don't have a good list for msc's with overseas jobs and I have a list of almost 300 msc's.

I don't like signing up for so many and giving them my ss# just to find out they don't have any jobs in my area, EVER!

jewels, it's part of the pain that goes with the gain.

I don't tell people I mystery shop and the few that know I don't encourage them. I already have enough people trying to snag the good shops around here without adding more.

As mentioned by someone else, the ISecretShop app is a good aggregator. If you aren't signed up with a particular MSC, you can usually sign an ICA through the app. Also, Prestomap.
Other ones that seem to be all over the place are Marketforce and Ipsos.

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Not being able to discuss who shops whom is a real pain in the butt.

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