I got silver certified and it was well worth it to me. I had no desire and have not seen anything that motivates me to get gold. There are 2 major benefits to silver:

1. There are a small amount of companies that let gold shoppers see shops first, then silver, then everyone else. I think silver cost me $20 4 or 5 years ago when I started this. There was at the time a client that I didn't even know was shopped prior to getting silver. It was a super easy shop, paid well, and reimbursed for a very yummy meal. It often did not last through the gold round and I never saw it last through the silver round.

2. There is a company who is notorious for their super duper secret rating system. You can only see shops that are rated equal or below your rating. You can do more shops and hope you do them well enough to raise your rating in order to see those shops. Or you can just get silver certified and it automatically bumps your rating. Again, well worth the minor expense for me. 1 hotel shop saved me 4-5x the cost.

SBF, what I meant by networking is putting faces to names. Being able to meet people in person whom you may have only communicated with through email. I find it’s part of building a long-term positive relationship with a client. MSC’s are our clients. Many MSC’s send representatives to Shopperfest or other conferences as presenters. So it’s a good way to work on building relationships in addition to being a reliable shopper.

There are two different conferences this summer, one is in Atlanta that I see several people from here are going by the IMSC people and one in June in Texas by the MSPA people. Do you live close to either of these places so you could go?

There is also an IMSC Conference in Las Vegas in early November. IMSC is the Independent Mystery Shoppers Coalition. It was created and is managed "by shoppers for shoppers." Because it is independent of MSC control, it is the one conference where, for instance, you can hear about how to negotiate larger fees (aka bonuses) from some MS assignments. But, seriously, it has a ton of MSC sponsors and lots of opportunities to network with both MSC owners and schedulers, as well as with a few hundred other shoppers. You will also meet some forum members at both IMSC conferences. I have been to 8 or 9 other them and will definitely be at the Atlanta conference where I will chair a full day session on video shopping. There will be hands-on training by two top video trainers, plus a session or two featuring video shoppers sharing tips and tricks for video success. That will be the 3rd day of the 3 day training/education sessions in Atlanta.

I cannot speak for MSPA conferences, since I have not attended one. However, I am sure that a forum member or two will be along soon to share their experience with MSPA.

@TroyHawkins Gotcha, thanks!

@Msaddict I do not, I live in Idaho.. but trips to ATL aren't usually too expensive (travel for business). Thank you I'm going to look into that

@walesmaven This sounds great. I just realized networking can play a big role in this industry. I'm brand new and hadn't even heard of IMSC yet, so thank you so much for the info! I will definitely be looking into events--the ATL sounds most doable for me just based on what I know about what plane tickets average. I had no idea what to expect at a conference but all that you mentioned definitely makes it sounds worth it. Thanks again- very helpful
Sara

[www.sqm.ca]
Need to fly? Look into SQM.

I would say don't bother with MSPA certifications or membership (coming from someone who is both gold certified and a free member of the MSPA). Once upon a time, it was helpful, I think. I have been MSPA gold since 2003 and prior to 2014 I think it made a difference, since there were times I know that there were jobs that were released to gold certified shoppers first. I haven't seen that in a long time, though.

I love shopper conferences.

The only video shop that I have had for a financial institution required opening an account and could only be done once. Most banks, for instance, require NO recording during their shops. That means no audio or video recording. Before investing $350-$400+ in appropriate video equipment, getting certified by taking a full day of hands-on training is highly recommended. The upcoming IMSC conference in Atlanta (early May) includes that in the $79 fee, which includes a total of 3 days of shopper education and training. It is also a GREAT place for networking with MSC owners, managers, editors and schedulers, as well as a few hundred other shoppers.

Regarding certifications: My mystery shopping/related tasks business is miniscule. It is not important to me to have a colorful designation. I had one for awhile. I did not determine whether it was helpful to me or not. However, you might want to set larger goals for yourself. If so, please consider that the designation looks well (as if this were an accomplishment that you could list on a traditional resume). We do not know whether the designation will help you to get certain assignments or not. With some companies, I regularly am assigned to jobs whose descriptions specifically state that preference is given to shoppers who have designations. YMMV. Just consider what this might do for you and your career. Good luck!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2018 03:20PM by Shop-et-al.

Hi Sara,

Welcome to the world of mystery shopping. I can tell by your expansive analysis and thoughtful questions that you are a motivated shopper with excellent writing skills. Take advantage of as many courses and conferences as you can handle. Save time, effort, and money by learning the right way from the beginning and avoiding other shoppers' mistakes. There are many companies which only require multiple choice responses or short narratives with fine dining and hotels being the most notable exceptions as these typically require lengthy narratives. While I've never seen an "Only Gold May Apply" requirement, certifications provide a baseline to the MSC and can open doors to assignments never posted on the job boards.

"We don't know what we don't know." The value of picking up even one new skill will boost your confidence to take on more challenging assignments. Attending a mystery shopping conference introduces you to owners, schedulers, editors, and other shoppers and is a great networking opportunity. Certifications can and do open doors for you. I was contacted by a MSC directly as a result of my having passed an auditor's certification exam at a MSPA conference resulting in substantial pay for ongoing assignments at multiple locations. In addition to MSPA, also check the excellent courses and conferences sponsored by Independent Mystery Shoppers Coalition at imscinfo.com and Video Shopping Pros at videoshoppingpros.com.

While your planning for courses and programs, keep in mind the basics. Apply to as many companies as possible and build your reputation by being a responsible reliable shopper. This means completing the shop according to the guidelines by shopping at the correct location on the assigned date and timeframe, filing reports timely, and checking back to see if there are editor's comments requiring further clarification or documentation.

I have a silver certification, not sure if it's made a difference. For those of you who had problems entering the code, I learned if I used all small letters and no caps it usually goes through.

When I started MSing in 2005, I got the MSPA Silver Certification for $15.00, I believe. In all these years, there have been maybe two or three times when it proved to be a benefit, as far as getting a job before someone who was not certified. But in the last several years, as others have mentioned, I haven't seen where it makes a difference. Of course, that could be because up until around 2013, I was working a LOT more in MSing and merchandising, averaging between $1200-$1400 per month. Now, I've cut WAYYYYY back, working only around $200/month, so that may be why I haven't noticed whether or not there is any longer an advantage to be certified. However, from reading other posts on this Forum, I know that being certified in VIDEO will definitely get you more jobs, if you are interested in that...good luck!

@TroyHawkins Thanks Troy!

@JASFLALMT Thanks so much. That's very settling to hear from someone whose had so much experience in the industry!

@walesmaven Thanks! I'm really thinking about going now sounds like info is invaluable

@Shop-et-al Thanks for the advice. I feel like since I'm just starting out I may stick to silver for now and see what I can find with that. This is something I will definitely keep in mind for the future!

@mom.for.hirehotmail.com
Thank you, this very helpful and thorough advice! I appreciate it.

I feel the same about increasing confidence with additional certifications as a new mystery shopper. However, as other members have said--and as I've learned just from the handful of shops I've completed so far--companies really do explicitly outline for you what they want, what they need from you, how to do it, etc.. so for now at least I don't see the immediate benefit of the Gold, for instance.

I do see the value of auditing and more advanced certificates though, too! And from what I've heard it sounds like that's the route to go-- a live conference where we can network and get certified. Thank you again for your help.
Sara

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2018 03:54PM by Sfb520.

@guysmom Thank you! Yes it still seems like just doing a good job and being responsible is more important than certifications for the most part. And though, I have heard from others as well that particular, advanced certifications- like auditing, or video, are actually helpful because they're pre-reqs for those specific jobs. Thanks again, good to know and keep in mind after I get some more basic jobs under my belt
Sara

When I got Silver Certification upon starting years ago, I was proud and thinking it shows you are a serious shopper to the company. i may have gotten some jobs due to it, as a few companies ask for the certification on their application. The main thing is being a reliable shopper, and building a relationship, meaning do the work.
This brings better jobs, however there are still a few companies that want Gold, but not enough to matter.