No Free Lunch By Marilyn Mackenzie

We all know that "there's no such thing as a free lunch." Well, there is, actually. If you work as a mystery shopper you can get free lunches. But I've already written about how, while you can enjoy free lunches/dinners and earn some money with this endeavor, you certainly cannot get rich. See: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=344149

You also cannot get rich by doing online or in-person surveys, but you can earn some money at it. Just like in the mystery shopping industry, there are good survey companies and bad ones. The key - in both sources for additional income - is to never be duped into paying for becoming a shopper or survey panelist. If a company asks for money to register or wants to sell you a list of companies seeking survey participants, run the other direction.

There are all kinds of online survey companies. One only has to do a thorough Internet search to discover them. Some of these companies pay in points, which may be redeemed for prizes. Others offer only entries into monthly sweepstakes. And some do offer cash rewards. However, these companies that offer cash rewards, contrary to some of the banner ads you might see, do not pay hundreds of dollars. In the two years that I have been doing such surveys, I have received $2 to $30. The surveys in the $20 and $30 range are usually longer ones, and often are interactive online group surveys. I have also points and turned them into gift cards for Amazon.com, Target, K-Mart, and other retailers.

What is more lucrative is becoming a survey panelist for companies located within driving distance to your home. (Of course, the distance you choose to drive is up to you.) These panelist opportunities usually range in rewards from $40 to $150, depending upon the time involved in the panel/survey, or whether it is a one-on-one survey or a group discussion. Some companies pay in cash; others pay by check.

Again, a thorough online search should yield some such companies in your area. They might be found under any of these search categories:

Consumer panels Consumer research panels Focus groups Market research panels Research panels

These companies usually call more people than they need for panels, knowing that some will not show up and will not call to cancel. If too many people do show up, the company will randomly select persons to send home. The good thing, though, is that whether or not you have actually participated in a focus group, if you were called and showed up on time (or early), then you will be paid. The first three times I was called for a consumer panel, I was chosen as one to leave. So I was paid for doing nothing more than showing up.

Once, while waiting to be called or sent home, I met a woman who claimed to earn an average of $600 a month by being involved in focus groups and consumer panels. She was registered with eight companies. She also probably lied when she was initially contacted by telephone to see if she qualified for a consumer panel. Many companies ask if you have been involved in any market research group in the past three or six months. Most of them require that you have not been part of a panel in the last thirty days, so earning $600 a month is almost impossible.

No, you cannot get rich as a consumer panelist, but you can have fun. You can also learn about new products coming out on the market, and can even play a part in how and when those products appear because of your ideas and input.

I have to wonder why more companies have not discovered that using consumer panels before committing to projects and products could help them have more effective advertising, better product development and more sales. And why don't more companies use mystery shoppers to learn how their customer service is working or not working? Each of these can be an excellent tool for building and maintaining business. And, while one cannot get rich, these are both excellent ways to earn a little extra income.