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The Do’s and Don’ts of Paid Survey
Programs
A comprehensive review of today’s internet Paid Survey Programs.
Have you seen a ton of pop-ups and other offers while you're surfing the
internet claiming to pay a lot of money just for filling out a short online
survey? Have you wanted to try it but are afraid to because of hearing about
so many internet scams? Me too! Paid surveys are a big business and do offer
a lot of income potential IF you work with a legitimate survey company.
If you're like me, I'd love to make some good money while working at home in
my pajamas or whenever I could fit it in between soccer games and house
chores. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the extra money to pay off those credit
cards or to save for college while having more time to spend with family?
How about that vacation we've all been needing but just don’t have the money
for?
Whether it’s real estate investing, get rich quick programs, selling
products online or investing in the stock market, we’ve all seen those
grandiose claims about people making tons of money, and their over-excited
willingness to teach us how to do it. There are reputable and legitimate
opportunities on the internet, the trick is to find them. Many are scams yet
we continue to fall prey to them in our search for “quick riches”. Have you
fallen prey to one (or more) of these “get rich quick” schemes? Me too. I’ve
started so many businesses and tried so many of these programs that I can’t
even recall how many. Finally, after many disappointments and losing
thousands of dollars, I was FED UP! I decided that before I spent another
penny that I was going to get to the bottom of these “get rich quick
programs”. Why did I just say “programs”? Because what I found out is that
some are legitimate and not all are scams.
My research started by literally writing down ALL of the different
opportunities I could find. After hours and hours of investigating and
making phone calls and even signing up for many, one of the best and most
legitimate opportunities turned out to be Paid Online Surveys...with a few
cautions.
What makes this a great opportunity to make that nice living from the
comforts of your own home?
Surveys offer a very nice compensation for very little of your time and at
your own convenience. After you've taken a few, you'll get the hang of the
general idea and be able to speed through them minimizing your time taking
the survey while increasing your revenue.
Why would companies pay you to take a survey?
Surveys and customer feedback are the future of any legitimate company.
Surveys are used by manufacturers to learn how their customers use and feel
about their products. This information is so valuable to companies that they
are willing to pay you to tell them what products you use, how you use them
and how you felt about the product after you used it. Surveys tell companies
what direction they should go with marketing and product lines.
How do Surveys for Cash Work?
They’re actually pretty simple:
Basically, you:
- Sign up with a survey company (you can
go to individual companies web sites and sign up but that's very time
consuming. Survey companies are like the one-stop-shopping of online
surveys, you can tackle so many more surveys in much less time. This is
where the good money is).
- Provide some personal information, such
as gender, age, location, etc;
- When the company has a survey, they
simply send you an invitation via an email that contains a link that
will take you to the survey site.
How much can you make?
The payment varies from company to company but you can typically expect to
make anywhere from $5 to $75, for each survey you complete. While each
survey only takes 10-15 minutes, the potential can be big. Be honest when
participating. Companies are paying you good money for honest feedback.
Remember, the future of their business relies on knowing what their
customers think of them.
How will you be paid?
Some will ask you for an account, like PayPal, etc. and will pay on a
monthly or bi-monthly basis. If you don't have an account, they will send
you a check to an address you specify. While some companies will pay you
cash, others will enter you into a drawing to win money. (The drawings are
typically for larger amounts of money with the odds being quite good).
Merchandise or other incentives are also very common giving you an
opportunity to get the toys or necessities you want without having to pay
for them. DVDs and other electronic equipment are typical incentives offered
for completing online surveys. The nice thing about online surveys is that
you can pick and choose which ones you want to complete. Each survey will
tell you what they are paying before you agree to participate. (SEE THE
FOLLOWING SECTION FOR SOME CAUTION TIPS).
Are all survey for money sites legitimate?
Certainly NOT! How do you know which ones to participate in? Here are some
warnings.
Some sites are really advertising sites that will try to get you to sign up
for a lot of other things while you’re taking the survey. If you are invited
to do this, BEWARE!
If the site offers you a chance to win a large, expensive prize (i.e.
cruise, car, etc.) for signing up, think twice before joining. This is not
necessarily a complete no-no but do some investigating and talk to other
users to hear their experience with the site before you sign-up.
Legitimate companies will not sell or share your personal information you
provide to them (or at least without your permission). Your information is
useful to them simply for marketing purposes by knowing a little bit about
the customers that are using their products and it's typically safe to share
that with them. Read the companies privacy policy, etc. before you sign up
with them.
Be sure you understand what you are being paid and when you will be paid for
each survey. Legitimate companies want you to get excited about getting paid
to participate and will be very clear as to your compensation and when you
will get it. If it is not stated, email or call before you begin.
All legitimate companies will offer you a money back guarantee if you are
not satisfied. Most people sign on with several companies because that opens
the door to taking more surveys and making a lot more money. This is o.k.
and actually recommended, just make sure that you have that satisfaction
guarantee before you sign up. This way, it's a no-lose situation and you
optimize your potential.
**Remember, Paid surveys are about small amounts of your time for very good
money NOT small amounts of your time for instant riches. You will have to
put in a little time but you will be rewarded very handsomely.
Now understand that even some reputable survey companies do charge a minimal
fee for access to their program, which is to be expected for any legitimate
company that actually has people available for support to help you get
started. Don’t be afraid of this opportunity, just do your homework and talk
to sources you trust before you start.
About The Author
Terry Wilson is a successful entrepeneur of online business as well as a
Real Estate Investor. To see the companies he recommended after this review,
see
www.surveymillionaire.com.
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