Secret Shopper Certification
As you journey through the world of secret shopping, you are sure to come
by at least a few companies who will request your Secret Shopper Certification. What is
this? Is this something that you should be using and taken advantage of?
The authentic Certification process is what we are referring to here. That is,
we are not talking about the process that some companies will do to insure that you are able to complete specific mystery shops for
them. Those certifications are for companies looking for shoppers who are
specifically capable of providing a service to them and to test them to make sure they understand the process.
The certification that we are talking about here is one in which you will be certified across the board, for all companies to
take full advantage of. There are two different types of certifications you can
get.
Firstly there is the silver certification. This is something that
anyone who is mystery shopping as a business should have.
The second type is more complex and requires attendance at a convention to obtain.
That is the one you will get secondary and should do if you are serious about your secret shopping business.
Let’s explain this more so for your benefit.
Mystery Shopping Providers Association
The MSPA is an association that you should get very familiar with. This association
is one that works at helping to provide shoppers with the necessary skills, information and even training that they need to be successful at
their job. The best part is that most of what they provide to you is completely free of charge or at
least quite low costing.
This is an organization that is in place to keep people in the business of secret shopping and for that reason, if you are
building your business, you will want to work with them. You can visit their website at
www.mysteryshop.org.
Remember, they are not a specific shopping company in themselves but rather a resource for you to take advantage of as you build your
business.
Tip: This website has a growing list of secret shopping companies as
well. Make sure it is one of your first resources for applying to
new companies!
Silver Certification
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association provides for both levels of training and certification here. The first one to talk about is the first one you will need to obtain. That is, of course, silver certification. This certification does
have a low fee of $15. You will be given an online test of your skills as a mystery
shopper. The process is simple but does require that you provide for all of the skills we have
talked about here.
Once you are silver certified, you will be given a certification number that you can then use throughout your shopping
career. You will find that some, if not most, shopping companies are now requesting this
certification number.
What does it get you? By obtaining this certification, you are able to say that you
do know what you are doing and you are a great choice for the shopping job you are applying for.
Gold Certification
The gold certification process is much more in depth and provides for a huge amount of training. But, do not let that fool you. It is a very important process to
take on for anyone that is looking to make a business out of secret shopping. You can not be
gold certified, though, until you have gone through the process of silver certification.
Gold certification is done in person, rather than over the internet such as that of silver certification. It is in the form of a workshop. You get to attend the workshop,
go through all sorts of training, demonstrations and meet some very great people and then you are given a quiz of sorts to
pass. Once you do that, you get your gold certification information. The workshops for this type of certification are held around the country. There are also those that are for Europe, South America and Asia as well through this same
organization.
Why Do It?
We just said that you did not have to pay for all that much when it comes to secret shopping, right? So, why are we telling you to consider these certifications?
If we go back to the corner store scenario from the beginning, you will be able to see why it’s important. Let’s say that you are looking to open a store but you do not have the necessary information to sell food
there. Your governmental agency says that you need a license to sell foods within your
store. For that reason, you need to invest in some training and education so that you can, of
course, obtain your food license.
This investment into your business is not one that is huge. Both of these
certifications are not costly. If you are to take on this added expense, you do get the benefits of
being able to get more shops, do a better job on the ones that you do get, and you will have more confidence and the necessary skills to
grow your business to new heights.
The bottom line is that you do not have to have these certifications if you want to have a secret shopping
business. But, if you do have these skills, you are better capable of providing the necessary
foundation of information, the necessary skills and the overall best training to make sure that you are enhancing your business to the highest
possible point.
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