Remember the days when you were casually walking down the high street trying to think of what to buy for that special someone or maybe rushing to the bank in your lunch break? Then out of the blue some complete stranger would jump in front of you and ask you if you would just take a couple of minutes to answer a few questions?
The first time this happened to me I thought that I would be doing my bit to save the planet by discussing product packaging. Great, I thought, now I can really give my opinion and ensure that plastic coated products would never again slice off my finger tip whilst trying to open them with a hacksaw. How wrong I was. The survey was just a compilation of unrelated questions, mostly about car insurance and the only reference to product packaging was whether or not I liked the new look of some chocolate bar. And as for a couple of minutes…make that 20. My reward? Being told off by my boss for taking too long on my lunch break. Of course this experience, as is the case for most people, made me determined never to be solicited in such a way again. From that point forward if I ever saw someone who even remotely looked like they were about to pounce, I would dive into the nearest shop or begin a fake coughing frenzy in the hope that their sense of self preservation would kick in and avoid me.
This method of market research used to be amongst the most widely used and you cannot deny that a lot of people earned a decent living doing it. Any organisation or business worth their salt who offer any kind of consumer product, should consult their customers as to their opinions, it’s the best way to ensure that they are marketing and targeting correctly. But, oh how annoying.
Thankfully street market researchers are few and far between these days. Businesses have found a different, cost effective and more targeted approach to determining what their customers think. Online surveys.
There are literally thousands of online surveys these days many of which are outright scams to get your email address and start bombarding you with junk mail. However, there are a few out there that are genuine. You just need to look around and find one or two that are right for you and sign up. The respectable businesses will actually employ these organisations to target only those consumers who meet their criteria. So for example, if you are a 47 year old male you wouldn’t be asked to complete a survey about your opinions on menopausal supplements for women.
So what’s in it for you? Well unlike those street surveys, you will actually get paid for your time. OK, you won’t get rich but payment can range from pennies to pounds. I personally make about £5 or £6 pounds each week filling in surveys whilst waiting for the roast to cook, some members make a great deal more. I’m not retiring to Monte Carlo just yet but when you consider that this equates to £260 per year I could at least afford the flight. And as a wise man once said…Nobody ever went broke taking a profit.
One of the best I've found is Survey Savvy a great survey site which also pays you for your referrals
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