Surveys = Profits

Without a shadow of a doubt, the easiest way to increase the bottom line of your business is to survey your clients.

Now that my be your existing data base or to survey your target market, if you do not know what it is that people want to buy then How in the hell do you know what to sell to them.

This statement seems logical "Ask your clients what they want and then sell it to them"

But time after time people go into business and sell what they make rather than make what they can sell.

It's mind boggling when you talk to people who have just started a business thinking I have a great idea that everyone will want.

So be it, it might be a good product but a little due diligence will go a long way.

How about doing a little market research to see if there really is a demand for your idea that you think there is.

The best part is, now with the Internet you can do market research without breaking the bank.

How many business ideas could you have saved time, money and the frustration of not pursuing it, if you did some research to really find out whether or not you were going to make any money in the first place?

There is a software program called: http://www.flycatcherpro.com it is free to use and allows you to do exactly what I have been talking about.

Test potential market places or survey your existing client base to find out exactly what they are looking for in your product or service and how you can tap into their mindset and deliver more than they expect.

It's a win-win for everybody :-)

So check it out http://www.flycatcherpro.com

What do you have to lose?

Paid Survey FAQs - Why And How People Are Taking Surveys Online

Anywhere you go online nowadays, you will see an ad offering to pay you cash for your opinion. Whether it's a paid survey or focus group, the idea is the same - market research companies want your opinion and are willing to give you cash and free merchandise for you to spend your time filling out their surveys.

In this article, we will clear up the mystery surrounding "paid surveys".

What is a paid survey?

A paid survey, or "market research survey", is a series of questions that are presented to either an individual, or group of individuals, to see how they perceive and respond to certain products or services. Each and every person fits into some type of demographic (segments of human populations broken down by age, sex, income, etc.), that certain products or services are marketed to. For instance, athletic equipment may be marketed towards a younger, physically active demographic, while luxury cars might be marketed towards a higher income demographic. These online surveys are offered for free as a means to understand certain markets better.

What is a focus group?

A focus group is another type of survey where a group of individuals are invited to discuss a certain topic related to the company that sponsors the focus group. You may or may not know the point of the discussion and they are often hosted by a moderator that will guide the discussion. These focus groups can be held at a physical location or online and usually lasts between 30 minutes to 2 hours. The compensation can range from up to , depending on the topic and time involved.

Why is my opinion so important?

Companies spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars on advertising for new and/or existing products and services. These "advertising campaigns" can sometimes be a complete waste of time and money if the company does not research the market that they are trying to capture. So it makes sense for a company to see how it's products or services are received by the public, before it invests the money and time on advertising. This is where the market research survey comes in, and this is why your opinion is so important.

I understand all that, but why would they pay me money?

The answer to this question is very easy and boils down to one thing; Your time is worth their money! Think about it this way...if you are going to introduce a new type of tennis racket into the market, but you're unsure if it's needed or wanted, would you rather spend thousands of dollars on advertising, or simply pay 50 tennis players and find out their opinion about tennis rackets?

Okay, so how much can I really make taking paid surveys?

Compensation from survey companies can range from $1 up to $75 per survey, and most surveys take around 6-12 minutes to complete. There are some companies that offer points for completing a survey, and those points can then be redeemed for gift certificates, merchandise, cash and prizes. You can even be entered into raffles for prizes after completing certain surveys. No matter what the compensation, all legitimate survey companies will tell you up front, before you begin the survey, what the compensation will be. The more you take, the more you make.

How am I paid, and is that money taxed?

The market research company that sponsors the survey or focus group will send you your compensation, usually by mail. The money that they tell you the survey is worth is the amount you will receive by check. It is entirely possible to receive multiple checks from multiple research companies at various times of the month. Since you will be operating as an independent contractor, you are responsible for filing taxes on all the money earned you have earned.

Is there a limit to the number of paid surveys I can take?

There is no limit to the amount of surveys or focus groups you can participate in online. You can offer your opinion every day, all day and get paid for it.

Who is eligible to take a paid survey?

Almost anyone is eligible to sign up for and take online surveys, although some companies may have certain age restrictions. Some companies will allow surveys to be completed by people 13 years of age or older, while other survey companies require you to be 18 years of age or older.

Do I need to fit a certain profile to participate in a paid survey?

When you register with a market research company, you are asked a preliminary set of questions to figure out what type of profile you have. That profile will be used to determine what surveys and focus groups you will be invited to participate in. Since there are hundreds of research companies that sponsor surveys, the more you sign up with will increase the number of paid surveys are offered to you.

What kinds of questions are asked on paid surveys?

You are asked a wide range of questions, such as where you prefer to shop or what kind of shampoo you use. You will be asked about products that you have tried and what products you continue to buy. The questions on research surveys are given to better understand the different markets the company is trying to capture, which is why your answers are so valuable to them.

Will I be ever required to pay to take an online survey?

There are many paid survey opportunities on the internet, and they all are offered 100% free of charge. However, there are a few paid survey directory websites ("paid survey programs") that charge a fee to join. They have spent their time researching all the paid surveys online to find the legitimate ones, and have listed them all in one spot. The one time sign-up fee that is charged by these websites are to maintain their directory and keep their paid survey list up to date and accurate.

Are these paid survey programs worth the money?

Yes. In our opinion, they are very worth the money. These paid survey programs have established relationships with hundreds of survey companies (more than we offer) and provide an invaluable resource for you to find quality paid surveys in one convenient location. For your initial sign-up fee, you get access to every paid survey company in their directory and save you time by weeding out the scams and fraudulent survey companies.

I heard that paid survey programs are a scam - Is it true?

The simple answer is no. But of course, nothing is that simple. A lot of people want things for free, and when they have to pay, they end up expecting the world. They want to sign up, pay the money and then go to their mailbox and start collecting checks. They don't realize that there still is work involved. But the underlying point is that these paid survey programs deliver on exactly what they advertise - access to their database listing 100's of market research companies. Remember, the bottom line is that if you don't like what they offer, you are entitled to your money back and they deliver on that, too.

In conclusion

It's very important to do all your research and find out all that you can about the paid survey you are going to take, and the market research company that you are signing up with. You can definitely make some good money online, so good luck and have fun!

This article was written by G. Garcia, owner of http://www.paidsurveychoices.com which lists top survey panels in their free paid surveys directory

The Importance Of French Property Surveys

In general, when people buy property in this part of France, they do not tend to have structural surveys done. This is very different to buying a property in the UK where nobody buys a property without having a survey.

In the UK, a bank or building society will insist upon a valuation survey to make sure that the property in question is suitable collateral for the amount of the loan. In France, the lending source doesn't always require a survey. A lot of emphasis is put on "Honour" over here. So if you tell the bank that the house is worth 150,000?, why should they think otherwise?

If you do want to get a Languedoc property survey done you can either have a friendly builder take a quick look, or you can have a formal survey done by a qualified surveyor. Languedoc Property Finders always work with companies who have RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) qualified surveyors to survey your house for you. Weather you want a full written report, a bullet point report , a simple verbal report or a combination of these they can tailor a survey to suit your requirements.

They will obviously look out for obvious things such as damp, the condition of the roof and any structural defects but they should also be able to advise you on whether the property is prone to flooding and any other information about the local area which could affect the future value or sale of your property.

With my experience of selling property in both France and the UK I can't emphasis enough the importance of having a survey done on any property which you are buying. It would be like marrying someone without dating first!

We have heard of people buying their dream holiday home and it turns into one disaster after another. We have also all seen the programs on TV which highlight both the ignorance and to a degree the laziness of many holiday home owners who seem to arrive in France with there heart and head no longer connected.

To give you an example of the costs of the surveys we have just arranged a survey for some clients who were purchasing a ?150,000 house. The survey cost ?900, at first this seems a lot but it only represents just over 0.5% of the value of the property, this in my opinion is money well spent.

Gary Ingram is a partner at Languedoc Property Finders are a personal property search company based in South West France. <br /> Visit our website: Languedoc Property Finders or call us on 0044 207 193 9341

How Online Surveys Can Make You Money?

Have you heard of the websites that offer payment in lieu of taking online surveys? Yes this is true. Anyone who has recently browsed the avenues of work-at-home jobs must have seen such alluring ads. It must have made you wonder? how online surveys can make you money. I am here to explain you all that. So, keep reading.

In fact, the online surveys include the whole process that claims to help people to earn money. For that, first you need to register with the website and then file out for consumer surveys. Whether you can earn money out of them or not, is altogether a different story.

The Internet these days is full of such websites that offer to pay their visitors for filling the surveys. As you register on the website, they ask you to fill out a questionnaire that lists your individual ?consumer preferences? and ?interests?. Once you are through with it, you will be requested to wait till they make contact with you for the apt survey.

Do companies actually pay money to know your favorite brand of dog biscuits or how much time you spend viewing a particular television programme? According to the grapevine however, the money doesn?t come to you always. The company that seeks for consumer information will directly pay the survey company
, who will pile up the survey details and statistics. A very little amount out of it, if it is any thing, is transferred to the persons who had filled out the online surveys.

If you seriously want to make money through online surveys, you really need to invest your time and money to search for the companies who actually pay money. The legitimate online surveys from genuine companies take quite a long time. They make you think and then give valid answers to fill out the form. The companies do advertise boastfully, but most of them actually end up not paying.

There will also be some companies who will offer you points for incurring their online surveys. You can save up these points for the exchange of money. Imagine the little mouse of your computer could be worth more than 500 points! But the reality of the situation is also that you may get just two to three points per survey.

Some companies enter the survey fillers in a drawing after they complete the survey. The chances of anyone winning these drawings enough number of times or earning part time or full time income are actually very slim. If you will spend your worthy hours filling the online surveys and get a little sum of money as compensation, do you think it is fair?

In your search for the genuine companies, beware of those companies who may require you to give money to get a list of the online survey websites who really pay. If any website asks you for money to let you take online surveys, it can instantly be considered as a scam. You must avoid such sites at all the costs.

Online surveys can get you fun and money both but only when they are genuine. If you consider the online surveys as a source of good income or employment, honey better get a career switch!

Matt Garrett www.Paid-Surveys.Co.UK/a> www.Surveys-For-Money.Com

6 Profitable Ways To Use Online Surveys

Pop-up polls on Web sites are now as common as subscription cards tucked between the pages of your favorite magazine. And for good reason.

Marketers have discovered that online surveys generate a mother load of valuable information about site usability, visitor opinions and attitudes, new product ideas and improvements, and much more.

Online surveys and polls are easy-to-implement,low-cost marketing research tools. They're a snap to include on your site -- either through a Web server's CGI script or by a remote hosted solution.

There are even free services like SurveyMonkey.com and Zoomerang.com that will add basic survey functionality for your Web site.

Don't Bet the Farm on Do-It-Yourself Data
 

Keep in mind though, that do-it-yourself surveys do not always mean you'll get quality information. You'll get the "lay of the land." That is, a pretty good "gut feeling" for opinions and attitudes.

But unless you're a marketing research guru who knows what it takes to produce statistically valid results, don't gamble big money on the data you'll get.

If you need solid data to make crucial business decisions, consult a marketing research expert who can help you to determine methodology, establish control variables, create survey questions with proper branching, and analyze the data.

Surveys Still Rock, Despite their Shortcomings
 

Even if you choose to do it yourself, online surveys have many benefits that outweigh their shortcomings. You just can't beat this quick-and-dirty approach to get benchmark data before you launch a new Web site feature.

They're also a quick way to gather product and service preferences, and get a feel for trends in consumer attitude.

I guess it's human nature, but people seem to enjoy being asked for their opinion -- if you do it sincerely. This can strengthen online consumer relationships and build return traffic to the site.

Sometimes even simple non-scientific surveys uncover fascinating results that the media would love to hear about. So if it's really good stuff, you can use the data as the basis for generating publicity for your Web site.

6 Ways to Use Online Surveys Profitably
 

1. Web-site Opinion Polls

These quick little one-question polls are non-threatening and so easy to complete. Who can resist? See one at Discovery Health http://health.discovery.com/. After answering, users can see how their opinion compares with everyone else. You can use single-question polls for health-related questions, or any topics you like.

For a turnkey solution, use a hosted service like Sparklit, Ezpolls, or Alxnet Polls: http://webpoll.sparklit.com/
http://ezpolls.mycomputer.com/
http://www.alxnet.com/services/poll/

If you have the know-how to install CGI scripts, there are many good ones on the Web. Find one you like and customize it to your heart's content. View the offerings at The CGI Resource Index at http://www.cgi-resources.com/ .

2. Patient Satisfaction Surveys

If your medical practice or hospital mails out patient satisfaction surveys, creating an online version of the survey is an excellent idea. You can give patients the option of completing the paper version you've sent them, or go to a special Web page on your site and complete an online version.

The benefits of this are several: responses are immediately recorded by the Web server; tabulation can be automated resulting in time savings; business-reply return postage is saved; and a reporting application can show you a snapshot of your patient satisfaction ratings any time you desire.

Some of the standardized providers of patient satisfaction surveys already provide this service as an option. However you can also adapt your printed survey to create an online version on your own.

If question-branching is built in to the paper survey,make sure that your online version has it, as well. Also make certain the method of scoring the online and printed surveys is exactly the same. Check the CGI Resource Index for survey scripts.

3. Employee Satisfaction Surveys

How'd you like to automate the tedious task of scoring hundreds or even thousands of employee satisfaction surveys? I thought so. Set up your employee survey online and you'll benefit from instant tabulation and on-the-fly reporting.

If some of your employees don't have regular access to a computer at work, then you'll need to make arrangements for this. Consider temporarily setting up a bank of PCs in a room for this purpose, or setting up PCs in departments that have a large number of employees without regular computer access.

4. Web Site Visitor Feedback

If you'd like to know what users think about your Web site and its services, then ask them with a pop-up survey. Use JavaScript or a CGI script to pop up a survey window for random users, or for everyone who visits your site during a specific time period.

You can also use scripting to launch the survey window after the visitor has spent a certain amount of time on the site, or in response to some event, such as using a particular service. Likewise, scripting can open a survey browser window when the user leaves the site.

Limit the number of questions and keep them brief. Don't ask for personal or identifying information unless absolutely necessary, as this reduces the chance that someone will respond. As with any survey, be sure to thank the user for participating.

See user survey examples on the Health Pages and at Inland Hospital:
http://www.thehealthpages.com/articles/feedback.html
http://www.inlandhospital.org/survey.html

5. Targeted E-mail Surveys

Your company's opt-in customer e-mail list is ideal for sending personalized surveys. And unlike the anonymous survey methods previously mentioned, customer surveys can be accurately targeted and therefore can yield more valuable information.

Send customized e-mail invitations to your entire list, or just to a random sample. This is easy to do because you can segment the customer list according to any number of characteristics.

You can also program an automatic "trigger" to send an email survey in response to some event such as a product purchase or service use.

6. E-mail Newsletter Readership Surveys

Ask subscribers to your e-mail newsletter what they think about the publication's content and format and what they'd like to see in future issues.

Send an e-mail to subscribers after a certain amount of time receiving the newsletter asking them to participate in your brief reader survey. For example, subscribers to the MedRocket E-zine receive an email after three months on the list.

I supply the link to a brief readership survey on the Web site. The survey should have open-ended questions that invite comment. It's too easy just to click on a bunch of radio buttons. Fewer people probably respond, but the quality of feedback is much greater.

You can also send an HTML e-mail with an embedded survey right in the email. However, they'll need to be connected to the Internet to submit their survey comments.

I've received survey requests that included a small "bribe" to participate, such as a free e-book or a chance to win a Palm Pilot or some other gizmo. Purists might say that this taints the response, but hey, you're looking for feedback and testimonials, not really hard data. So try it and see if it increases your results.

Kevin Richardson is a healthcare marketing consultant, executive coach, and writer who provides fresh perspectives and expertise about online healthcare marketing. Sign up for his FREE "MedRocket Ezine" newsletter and discover how to profitably attract and serve healthcare consumers online. Subscribe at:

Designing Effective Surveys

Turtle" Parzek

Eileen Parzek for SOHO It Goes!, March 2003

As the web becomes more and more a part of both our personal and business lives, business people and marketing professionals have turned towards web surveys to do research, plan projects, get feedback and develop new products and services. The emergence of excellent web survey applications, complete with wizards to make creation fast and simple, templates to ensure attractive designs, and full suites of reports and statistical analysis, make this method of interacting with your customers very attractive and extremely cost effective. However, as with all computer applications, the old adage "garbage in, garbage out" applies to surveys as well - if you do not know how to design an effective survey, the results will leave much to be desired.

Introductions, first

Whether on the first page of the survey, or in the cover letter inviting people to respond, it is important that you introduce the theme and purpose of the survey. This establishes in advance what types of questions you will be asking and puts the audience in the right frame of mind for answering the survey. Additionally, it helps to tell them why they were chosen, to establish understanding and trust, and assure that their input will be confidential, and personal information will not be shared.

Organize Yourself

It is important that the questions you ask fit within the theme and purpose set down in the introduction. Create an outline, when you are first planning your survey, and then subgroup the questions into logical categories.

First think about what information you want to know, and develop your questions from that. Experiment with different groupings, until each question flows from the previous, in logical order.

Give careful thought to how much you need each question - the fewer the better, because people generally do not have the time or inclination to answer long questionnaires.

Respect your Respondents

Be careful not to use jargon and buzzwords, but also avoid being too simplistic by knowing your survey audience and finding the appropriate balance. Remember that the respondent is taking time out of busy day to help you. Tell them in the introduction approximately how long it might take to complete, and let them know, as they go, how far along they are.

Carefully Craft Questions

When surveys are delivered by phone, trained surveyors usually conduct them and the respondent can get clarification without being led towards a particular answer. With self-administered surveys on the web, every question must be completely clear and understandable. Keep each question as short as possible, without losing meaning, and avoid jargon unless you are sure your audience understands it.

Be careful to ask only one thing at a time. If you have to ask additional questions on the same topic, do it as separate questions to avoid getting muddled responses. Be aware of inserting your own biases and intentions into the question, and try to keep questions neutral so that a "right answer" is not evident. The idea is to get truthful answers which go straight to the heart of the subject, and the simplest variations in a question can make this happen, or not.

Know Your Type

We are all familiar with the most common types of survey question formats - text, check boxes, yes/no, range responses - but there is a real science to knowing which type to use with which question to get the best results. For example:

* When using multiple choice answers to jog the respondent's memory, will it create bias towards the available choices? Is that okay?

* It might seem easiest to use a Yes/No or True/False question, but be sure that these two answers are the only ones that a respondent might possibly want to use or they will be forced to choose, diluting the truth of their answer.

*When using ranges, for example "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree," how many choices are necessary? Five is typical - but is it possible that many users will be "lazy" and chose the middle, and neutral, position?

*Before giving using text fields, known also as "free form" fields, consider how you will summarize these responses.

As you develop the survey, think about the different types and picture the results that will come from using each type. With your audience in mind, determine which type would provide the most effective results for what you need to find out. You can further refine these decisions when you test the survey, as explained later.

Protect Against Non-Response

It is unavoidable that a percentage of those surveyed are non-responders. The best way to minimize this element in the survey results is to keep the survey short and to the point, follow a clear outline with stated goals, and accurately target who the survey recipients need to be.

Believe it or not, research states that a 10-15% response rate on any survey is considered a success.

Dangle a Carrot

Even with every precaution taken, creating surveys is never an exact science because there is little control over the human element. For whatever reason, you will often scratch your head wondering why people looked at the survey and dropped out, or just never even looked. A carefully executed survey can minimize this - and incentives can take it a step further. Do you have something you can give away, to encourage folks to take your survey? Providing a free item or bit of information, providing a free copy of the results, or some other lure can go a long way towards gathering results.

Fly a Pilot

When you, yourself, develop a survey, it is easy to overlook the elements that might stop your respondents from completing the survey and wording that might not be clear. Always be sure to test the survey on a few people prior to sending it out to your entire audience. This will also allow you to review the results and see if the questions asked and the way they were answered will result in effective results.

Cut it Off

Be sure to tell your respondents when the survey will be closed. Typically, most respondents will respond within 5 days of receipt and so unless you know for sure that a significant portion of your audience needs longer, a week is a fair amount of time. Do not send out the survey on Fridays or over weekends - we all know what we do with mail received on those days! Try Tuesday morning for optimal response, and expect to see approximately 50% of your responses in the first 24 hours.

It may seem like you need a dual degree in cognitive psychology and statistics to develop an effective survey. This not being true for most of us, these guidelines will provide a foundation to improve both the survey and the results of your efforts. There is no better way to find out what your customers want than to ask them, and if they are already online, web surveys are an ideal way to do it.

Eileen Parzek, better known on the web as "Turtle", is the owner of SOHO It Goes! supporting entrepreneurs and small business through design, communications and technology.