It's funny how some things only occur to you after 20 years of day-to-day meditation on a specific industry or topic. But I guess that's what keeps things interesting after all this time.
The other day I was absent-mindedly trying to pinpoint the reason why secret shopper companies have worked so well throughout the years. And it's true: if there's one thing we know in this industry for sure it's that something about our process works. Is it the sudden attention to detail we see from companies we work with? Is it our own methods? Our responsiveness to an ever-changing market landscape? Can customers really tell a difference between their shopping experience before and after we've put all of our efforts in?
In fact, people ask me this quite often: Why does it work? What's the real benefit?
I give them all the standard answers: research, development, expertise. But I've always suspected there's something more. Don't get me wrong; all of the above reasons are true. That's why we say them so much. Still, there's something else. When a company turns over a new leaf, you can just tell.
So, what is it? If it doesn't come from the outside, where does it come from?
I can say that, as someone who has worked for multiple mystery shopping companies, it often feels like we're helping the process along. And so the other day I was hit with a very concise thought: the elements of change already exist-within each company.
That has to be it. Mystery shopping companies aren't experts at changing companies in any fundamental way. That's not what we're here to do. We have to assume that a company that consults with a mystery shopping company has good instincts to begin with, and that when they search for secret shopper companies they're signaling that they've lost their way a bit.
That's where the real benefit comes in. Mystery shopping companies maximize a company's inborn potential and ability. I see managers all the time who are good people-who have hired good people and built and maintained their brand's high-quality image. What these companies need is not some kind of groundbreaking new way of going about their business. They need someone to step in, offer a fresh set of eyes, a little expertise, maybe some statistical know-how, and help them maximize their most important asset-themselves.
I've been searching for a great way to describe the importance and benefit of what it is mystery shopping companies do. My first thought was to say that it's like a tune-up for a car, but that's not exactly right. For your average automobile, a tune-up is just ordinary maintenance, and the fast-paced world of retail is anything but ordinary these days. Markets can be cutthroat. Small tweaks to success strategies matter-they matter a lot.
So I want you to think of your business as not just a compact sedan, but a Formula 1 racer, and your mystery shopping company is your pit crew. You already have the talent, strength, and skills to cross the line first. It's your mystery shopping company-with its expertise, technology, and care-that will optimize your ability to get there.
The other day I was absent-mindedly trying to pinpoint the reason why secret shopper companies have worked so well throughout the years. And it's true: if there's one thing we know in this industry for sure it's that something about our process works. Is it the sudden attention to detail we see from companies we work with? Is it our own methods? Our responsiveness to an ever-changing market landscape? Can customers really tell a difference between their shopping experience before and after we've put all of our efforts in?
In fact, people ask me this quite often: Why does it work? What's the real benefit?
I give them all the standard answers: research, development, expertise. But I've always suspected there's something more. Don't get me wrong; all of the above reasons are true. That's why we say them so much. Still, there's something else. When a company turns over a new leaf, you can just tell.
So, what is it? If it doesn't come from the outside, where does it come from?
I can say that, as someone who has worked for multiple mystery shopping companies, it often feels like we're helping the process along. And so the other day I was hit with a very concise thought: the elements of change already exist-within each company.
That has to be it. Mystery shopping companies aren't experts at changing companies in any fundamental way. That's not what we're here to do. We have to assume that a company that consults with a mystery shopping company has good instincts to begin with, and that when they search for secret shopper companies they're signaling that they've lost their way a bit.
That's where the real benefit comes in. Mystery shopping companies maximize a company's inborn potential and ability. I see managers all the time who are good people-who have hired good people and built and maintained their brand's high-quality image. What these companies need is not some kind of groundbreaking new way of going about their business. They need someone to step in, offer a fresh set of eyes, a little expertise, maybe some statistical know-how, and help them maximize their most important asset-themselves.
I've been searching for a great way to describe the importance and benefit of what it is mystery shopping companies do. My first thought was to say that it's like a tune-up for a car, but that's not exactly right. For your average automobile, a tune-up is just ordinary maintenance, and the fast-paced world of retail is anything but ordinary these days. Markets can be cutthroat. Small tweaks to success strategies matter-they matter a lot.
So I want you to think of your business as not just a compact sedan, but a Formula 1 racer, and your mystery shopping company is your pit crew. You already have the talent, strength, and skills to cross the line first. It's your mystery shopping company-with its expertise, technology, and care-that will optimize your ability to get there.
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