Most people know what a consumer survey is but do they know they can get paid for answering opinion surveys? If by chance they participate in a paid survey and receive a paycheck in their mailbox, they are thrilled by their discovery. They understand that paid surveys are a great way to earn extra money at their spare time and they just regret they didn't start earlier...

Today, at the Internet age, it is easier than ever to make extra cash with paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs. To help you have a clear picture of this opportunity, we have summarized the main reasons why you should start taking paid surveys today.

1. Money

Paid surveys are not new. Opinion research has been used for decades by marketers as a way to explore customer needs and every year companies and institutions spend billions of dollars on consumer research. The reason is simple: The better they understand us as consumers, the more money they can make.

Because they need to know what consumers like and want, companies are willing to pay for our opinions.

There are companies that will pay you up to:

• $75 to take online surveys

• $250 to participate in focus groups

• $120 per hour to take phone surveys

• $50 per assignment to participate in shopping surveys

Let me make myself perfectly clear. I don't claim here that you will make $250 an hour all day and every day... But from experience I know that you can easily earn extra money every

month, working at your spare time, with hundreds of online paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs that are sent directly to your email. Sometimes you will also receive an invitation for a 1-2 hours focus group (a personal interview conducted among a small number of individuals) that can pay as high as $250 per session!

To give you a rough estimate of the money you can earn with online surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping jobs, we can say that anyone who is actively registered with at least 300 top market research companies should have no trouble earning an extra $500-$1000 per month working at it part-time. Top performers that stick with it for long and work full time can make up to $5000 per month!

2. It's real FUN!

Participating in paid online surveys isn't a boring job requesting every day to complete a routine task. On the contrary, you will be involved in very diversified assignments dealing with new products you will test before they hit the market, new technologies that are still in R&D labs, original perspectives on existing products, new marketing concepts etc. You will be exposed to many topics that are new for you and you will better understand what's going around you as a citizen and as a consumer. After taking many paid surveys, you will look at prices, brands, product design, customer service etc in a different way and you will enjoy your special view on all these matters.

You will also have a better look at yourself! What I especially like when I take online surveys is that I better know myself after I take these surveys! Market research companies elaborate consumer profiles to discover consuming patterns and when you answer these surveys you are better aware of our own way of looking at things... In a word, you better understand you own personality! What's your diet personality? What's your money personality? What's your stress personality? What's your dream personality? and so on... How much would you pay to know such things about yourself? When you take surveys, you won't pay nothing! You will get paid for answering surveys and you will broaden your understanding of the world around you and the world within you!

With focus groups, you will be invited to spend 1-2 hours with a small group of 6 to 12 people to discuss a product, a service, a brand or any other marketing concept. Participants can be paid up to $250 and the meeting is typically held in pleasant surroundings and refreshments are served. During this group session there is interplay of thoughts and ideas to get insights on attitudes and perceptions held by consumers. These discussions are very animated and very interesting. That's real fun and great money.

Mystery shopping assignments are a special type of marketing research. You are paid to shop at the mall or to eat at restaurants! All you need to do is filling out a questionnaire on your customer experience. We all shop, and many of us enjoy shopping. But very rarely do we get paid for it! Mystery shopper jobs give us this opportunity: Earning extra income just for shopping and filling out a questionnaire! It's a fun job that pays real cash. You can earn money to shop in your favorite stores, to eat in your favorite restaurants, to drive a car, to see a movie at your local theater or to play golf!

Beside the money, online paid surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping jobs will bring a lot of fun in your life.

3. You can enjoy a very Cool Lifestyle

• You can do it Full-Time or Part-Time. It's Your Choice!

Paid surveys invitations and mystery shopping assignments are sent to you by email and you can take as many or as few as you want. You can do it full-time or part-time. You decide how much time you want to devote to paid surveys and shopping jobs and you

can work whenever you'd like: morning, noon, night... midnight if you'd like.

• You are Your Own Boss

This kind of work is entirely voluntary and you have no boss looking at your performances all the day. It is all up to you if you want to participate in a survey or not. Nobody will try

to force you to take a job if you don't want and if you need a day off, just take it! You are your own boss! You will manage your work as you wish and you will benefit of 100% of your efforts.

• If you are a mom at home, you can schedule your work around your family's needs, spending more quality time with your loved ones.

• If you are a student, you can answer surveys between lectures or before you do your homework. This is a great way to relax and have a little fun when you are tired of your college assignments.

• If you are a senior citizen, paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs will fill your free time with interesting activities and they will supplement your retired pay.

• If you decided to work from home, paid surveys and mystery shopping are just for you. You can work from the comfort of your home and you keep the flexibility to share your time as you want.

• If you are a full time employee and need an additional income, you can fill out online surveys and shopping questionnaires during pauses at work, on the evening or on your weekend. All your family can take paid surveys too so all the surveys taken add up in a cumulated income.

4. You Make Your Opinion Counts

• By answering the questions of legitimate survey researchers, you make your opinions known to the people who have the power to make the changes you want.

• Your answers to survey questions influence many decisions that affect you as a consumer and a citizen.

• Health care providers, government agencies, airlines, hotels, telecom companies and car dealerships are responding to your comments by improving their customer service.

For all these reasons, your opinion is in high demand and you can make a difference when you participate in paid surveys.

5. It is easy to get started

• No experience or special skills are required

No special background is needed to participate in consumer research. If you are a consumer, your opinion counts and you qualify to take paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs. Every consumer is welcome.

• No special equipment is required

Taking surveys for money requires no special equipment other than access to a computer and email. If you know how to access the Internet and your email, you're set.

• Professional databases have done all the hard work for you

Finding an excellent collection of legitimate and well-paid surveys isn’t an easy job. The most difficult part about making money with paid surveys is finding an extensive list of legitimate companies out of all the market research programs on the Internet. Some of these sites are scams - they don’t deliver their promises about cash and other incentives or they don’t keep your privacy and bombard you with unwanted advertising… The best way to avoid scams and to make the best of paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs is to join a professional database of paid opportunities that give you access to a wealth of legitimate opportunities.