Most of your initial online searches will be around tracking down, identifying and selecting some other Mystery Shopper shoppers, companies and networks, choosing the partners, mentors, listing services, membership-type subscriptions that are right for you.

You do not have to spend a lot of money upfront to find these types of companies or information, most are easily accessed using GOOGLE or YAHOO!, or other related search engines.

Mystery shopping message boards and message groups

· www.wahm.com

· www.volition.com

· www.mysteryshop.org

Yahoo Groups, AOL message boards, MSN message boards

Purchasing Mystery Shopper type Company Lists

Going it on your own and pitching/selling your business concept, services and offerings

Make it a top priority to grow, expand and refine your business, diversity your client base and build your track record, expertise and skills refinement. You will be building your business gradually and step-by-step.

A great first step for newbies is to speak with the local business owners , assess their need and the sell the value that you are able to bring to them with your suite of services.

You can quickly ascertain if they have had exposure to these types services or not and if/how it may help them to build, grow their own business. A mystery shopping service might help them in a myriad of ways.

· FOCUS ON THE NEED AND REAL VALUE what is the level of their interest and knowledge? Have the heard of or used Mystery Shopper in the past? Why or why not? Next, seed interest and ascertain if they would want to at least consider what the process could do for them and their business, employees and customers.

· For those businesses that are already tapping into Mystery Shopper, you need not walk away. Offer a second opinion, offering comparison and quality side-by-side offerings to verify some findings and gain deeper insights, from multiple angles and reviewers.

· Pick businesses with more than one location and offer to go to the others first, do a trial/test run for example (discounted rate or free sample)

· Try and determine where the most customer complaints come from or where they think the problems, issues, weaknesses in their business(es) are.

· Which aspects of the business that is customer-centered can you assist with and provide expertise, data that they would otherwise NOT have access to?

Do not expect MORE than one assignment per month per client (for a one-two location type business. Also, it might take time for them to digest how services like these, that they have to pay for, might save and make them money too in the long run! Leave and allow for time for it to sink in and make a difference for them. Contracts, legal implications and agreements need to be part of your package you leave behind.

If you are sub-contracting, hiring others to assist you with the practical tasks theMystery Shopperlves, you need to train and know them well enough to be confident that they are doing their very best. Delegating in this fashion might be difficult for you.