. The Rush to Take Paid Surveys – How Much Can You Really Make?

Posted on 2007-08-27

People from all social groups, age, gender and educational background are in a rush to take paid surveys - why? How much can you really make as a paid survey taker - per week, per month, or in a year? These are some of the most popular questions that paid survey articles talk about, yet many newbie survey takers find it hard to get the answers to these questions. Here they are!

 

Paid surveys have made prolific breakthrough in the marketing business. More and more paid survey sites have emerged, recruiting hundreds and thousands of people every day. Paid survey intermediaries or self-represented marketers are in a rush to gather consumer opinion that can make crucial impact in the development of existing and future products. Companies have come to realize that their competitiveness hangs on the expedience to gather consumer opinion, and be able to analyze it in order to reflect consumer wishes in the future functionalities of certain products and services.

 

How much can you really make by completing paid surveys? Cash-wise, it largely depends on the survey sites that you wish to join. I always recommend that you join free survey databases to make sure that you keep all your earnings. Some survey takers tend to join survey sites that require membership fees, as they consider pay survey sites more legitimate than the free ones. This is an outright misunderstanding of the trade. Membership fees are not signals that the particular survey site is legitimate. What you actually get by the fee-based paid survey sites is that you pay a $40 to $70 membership fee for a list of sites that is identical to that provided by the free survey databases. Moreover, you lose money before you have actually earned anything. Sometimes, some survey takers may spend a whole month earning cash to cover the membership fee or even less, which might be very discouraging.

 

Can I make a living with paid surveys? Well, you cannot rely solely on paid surveys to sustain your lifestyle or earn enough to cover your needs. Paid survey respondents indicate that their monthly earnings average $100 to maximum $700, while the yearly income from taking paid surveys may be between $1000 and $7000, provided that the survey takers adopt an optimal earning strategy. While it's hard to use paid surveys as a full-scale income source, it's very valuable to view it as an extra account on which money will be accumulated with minimum effort from you. You can either choose to spend the extra cash on occasional low-priced purchases, or you can collect the money and save it on something bigger at the end of the year. Anyway, taking paid surveys is an exciting and effortless way to earn some extra cash at your own pace. It's exciting that you can actually get paid for spending a portion of your free time on an activity that requires the smallest effort possible, compared to any other job. Once you get acquainted with the ways to earn the cash and prizes that fit your taste, you can vary your effort and spend only as much time as you can, completing surveys and feeding companies with your consumer impressions.

 

However, to learn what you can realistically earn with paid surveys, it's better to judge from experience. Joining a free survey database is extremely easy and does not distract you from your everyday activities. Earning cash and prizes with paid surveys is fun and you should definitely try it!

Article Source :  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/rush-take-paid-surveys-online-knock-on-door.html

 

About Jhon Smith

The author is an amateur writer focusing primarily on Mystery shopping jobs or secret shopping related topics. Mysrety shopping jobs are the best way to earn money. by giving opinion about the product of the company. simple Mystery shopping jobs or Secret shopping are Get Paid for your opinion. You can get more information about the Online jobs at http://www.selectonlinejobs.com

Interests and Hobbies:
writing,Mystery shopping jobs, other work at home jobs , Taking online surveys, reading magzine, Playing.

Homepage:
http://www.selectonlinejobs.com/work-at-home-jobs-united-states/mystery-shopping-united-states.jsp

 

More articles from Jhon Smith can be found here : http://www.buzzle.com/authors.asp?author=7956

The 3 Reasons to Be Wary of Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Posted on 2007-08-22


Why your "satisfied" customer is probably eyeing the door

There is an entire industry devoted to helping companies determine customer satisfaction levels through surveys and analysis. But just how much value does your knowledge of "satisfaction" really add to your ability to keep your most profitable customers?

The answer is, unfortunately, often not much. While surveys do serve a purpose (primarily showing trending: "Are we doing better or worse than last year?") below are three fundamental reasons it's dangerous to rely on customer satisfaction surveys to help you improve the Customer Experience:

1) Dissatisfied customers don't speak up

Yes, some customers respond to satisfaction surveys, but which customers? Using which channels-online, phone, mail, email? In fact, scary as it might sound, recent studies show that for every 100 dissatisfied customers only two bother to say anything to the company; while the rest "vote with their feet," and just leave.

If you think about it, this makes sense. When you're unhappy, as a customer, with a company, do you try to somehow remedy the situation, to "fix" the company, or is it easier to just say "the heck with it" and leave? Of course, that doesn't mean customers don't tell others about their bad experience. Research shows people share bad-experience stories with around 15 people (mainly other prospective customers), while good experience stories are shared with only roughly half as many people.

2) Customers won't tell you the truth

In many cases, when customers do take the time to respond to satisfaction surveys, they'll indicate that they are "satisfied" or "mostly satisfied" regardless of how they really feel. A study of people who recently left their banks illustrates this: 80% said they were "satisfied" with their former institution. Of course, some people leave a bank because they move, or for some other valid reason-but not four out of five.

Why? Simply put, it's easier. Also, the notion of "satisfaction" is a very soft concept. What does satisfied mean? For most, it indicates meeting expectations. Human nature is to be "nice." If things aren't great, that usually equates "satisfaction." And satisfaction most definitely does not equal loyalty.


3) Even if customers want to tell you the truth, they can't, because they're irrational

Customers are sensitive, emotional and, let's face it, irrational beings. How do we know this? Because research indicates we're all emotional irrational beings, and in recent years, we've learned just how irrational. Shockingly, 95% of our brain activity centers around the irrational or subconscious; leaving a meager 5% busy trying to explain why we act or feel certain ways. And we do this, not by tapping into our subconscious, but by making inferences based on our behavior. In essence, we make things up. So, these findings beg the question: If we can't even tell ourselves the truth, why should we expect customers to provide truthful feedback on satisfaction?

What You Should Expect to Do when Completing Online Surveys

Posted on 2007-08-01

What You Should Expect to Do when Completing Online Surveys

  

Taking online surveys is always said to be extremely easy and quick. Be as it may, what does it actually involve? Even though taking online surveys requires little effort, you should know what to expect if you're considering taking online surveys regularly.

  

What are Online Surveys truly about?

  

Online surveys may ask you any kind of information - either broader, or more specific. They might ask you very general questions about your tastes and preferences - what kind of sugar you add to your coffee; whether you have it black or with milk; if you prefer decaf, etc. You find that online surveys can be really fun and pleasant, because the questions also help you think about what you really like as a consumer, and may also help you reconsider some of your purchasing decisions.

 

Other online surveys ask you about your purchasing history. If the survey is about electric appliances, it will inquire into your last purchases of appliances; the brands you prefer; the budget you allocated; your future plans to purchase any other appliances, etc. These types of online surveys help you account for your own purchasing habits. Also, they might give you valuable info to consider next time you purchase within the range of products that the online survey is about.

 

How Long Does it take to Complete Online Surveys?

  

There are one-page surveys and multi-screen surveys. The one-page online surveys usually ask a very general question, such as "why do you take paid surveys?" These surveys also feature a list of answer options, in a multiple choice format, that require you to select one or more of the answers.

 

Multi-screen online surveys are more complex; more detailed, and might have sub-categories. You may need to provide your demographic information (age group, gender), your income bracket; credit history (number and type of credit cards). Beware, the legitimate survey sites will never ask you about your credit card number or your bank account. Multi-screen surveys usually take longer - up to 30 minutes, sometimes more. They are usually well paid and incentivized - you may get up to $75 by completing a multi-screen survey. Online surveys that feature more than a few, specific questions may also be addressed to a narrower target group. For instance, a very detailed survey about lipstick is more likely to encompass the female population, rather than the male. Surveys about mortgage plans may be designed for people in higher income brackets. Therefore, you will qualify for more specific online surveys when you have provided more personal details in your user account with the survey companies you've registered

 

Should I take Online Surveys for Prizes, rather than Cash?

  

Some survey respondents are disappointed when they receive an invitation for an online survey that gives out prizes or enters survey takers in lottery drawings, instead of paying solid cash. Some survey takers disregard these surveys and do not complete them, but are twice as disappointed to find out that they have been deleted from the database of the survey site as "unreliable respondents". Reputable surveys companies vary the prizes they give out - the top-level surveys may pay up to $100, but the smallest one-question surveys may enter you into drawings. However, the survey company keeps a record of your activity as a survey respondent, and if you disregard its invitations, you may end up out of its respondent pool. That way, you also lose the chance to complete the premium paid surveys. Therefore, it pays to complete the smaller surveys and build a reputation of a reliable survey respondent. Good luck!

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