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Work-at-Home Saturday — Focus Groups

Today’s Work-at-Home Saturday is brought to you by Lili, who shares her experience with focus groups, as well as ideas for anyone looking for these types of opportunities.

What do YOU do to work at home or earn money on the side? Would you like your story featured in Work-at-Home Saturday? Please drop me a line at [email protected].

Lili’s focus group story

Some moms might not be aware of money-making opportunities through focus groups advertised on Craigslist and other sources. While most of Craigslist’s advertised focus groups are at on-site facilities, some are for in-home interviews, journaling with photos of your grocery or retail shopping, or some other daily activity that you forward online at completion.

The only drawbacks for some may be that on-site focus groups don’t offer childcare services during your group, and don’t reimburse for your travel. For any downtown Chicago focus groups, parking is your responsibility. But whether you go to a facility or meet in your own home, I haven’t seen a difference in reimbursement.

Since I first began looking into focus groups over eight years ago, the trend has moved toward in-home interviews or online interactive groups, reflecting a falling economy. But there still are far more money-making opportunities to be had at on-site facilities. For my schedule, focus groups at facilities are more convenient, as I’m either downtown or on the move during the day and can’t stay home to wait for an interviewer.

What can you earn?

Over a period of 5 years, the lowest-paying groups I’ve applied for paid $75 for 1-2 hours of my time. The majority pay $85-$100, usually in cash. The most I’ve earned in one group — over 2 years ago — was for the only mock juries I’ve ever participated in. Oddly, I participated in 2 mock juries within 30 days through different survey houses. One paid $250, and the other $225, for about 4 hours of time each. (P.S. — neither advertised “Mock Jury participants wanted,” and I can’t remember ever seeing any ads for one in all these years.) Except for being asked if I ever heard of a small company (which I hadn’t), one screener’s questions were so deliberately vague I only knew after I walked in what I was there for. That happens from time to time. Following those mock juries, I wasn’t contacted for any groups for well over a year, and that’s just how it works.

Occasionally, extra incentives are offered. For example, a group might offer an extra $25 for completed homework assignments you bring into your group, or an extra payment gets forwarded to you for post-group homework assignments.  I even won an extra $50 in a raffle once, just for showing up 30 minutes earlier than my scheduled group.

Besides snacks and beverages, sessions are often preceded by catered box lunches or suppers for downtown lunch-hour or after-work groups (suburbs, too!). These focus groups are a great way to expand your social connectedness, and I often find it affirming, even exhilarating when strangers brainstorm together or disagree with one another during a session. Sometimes you’ll be flattened by an over-aggressive participant, other times you’ll find yourself driving the discussion. Whatever the group dynamics, people are always in an upbeat mood, for sure, as we pick up our cash lump sum exiting the building.

If your spouse or significant other, your children and/or their friends take part, the amount you receive goes up exponentially. The big money-makers are men’s beer/alcohol preference groups, potential car buyers, mock juries, or kids’ in-home focus groups.

Finding focus group opportunities

See if you can register online with Fieldwork Chicago or Focus Pointe Chicago; both are large survey houses. Fieldwork sends me emails about upcoming focus groups based on my profile and past focus group participation. Be aware that with these larger (Fieldwork-type) survey recruiters, their database tracks your activity with them. If you have exceeded their client’s specs of doing a focus group within the last 3 or 6 months, you’ll automatically be excluded from notification. For smaller survey houses, self-reporting that you’ve done more than 3 groups (ever!) can disqualify you from some of their upcoming groups as well, and they tend to offer a lot less for your time.

If you’d like to go further, go here to view an extensive list of Chicagoland recruiters {link no longer valid as of 2016} — some sorted by specialties. This allows you to register online for specific companies through the provided links, whenever you have time on your hands to do so. Also, at the bottom of the “Jobs” column on Craigslist, click on <ETC> to view focus groups currently available. You can select the tab on top to view your preferred area, “Chicago” only, West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs, etc. I’ve also recently learned that you can download the Craigslist app to your phone and get a notification whenever a new ad is posted.

Diverse opportunities

I’ve had diverse opportunities in large groups, such as: To critique Toyota TV ads following its recent publicized recalls; to offer viewpoints on religion and philanthropy;  to express concern about healthcare or health insurance; to talk about political trends; to brainstorm on women’s fashion catalog mockups, Dove’s branding; and to express preferences in healthcare products like contact lens solutions or even asthma inhalers. One quirky incubator group wanted ideas for what seemed were products as-yet-undeveloped, giving us only the letter, let’s say, “Q,” to come up with ideas on what products, services and businesses they might develop with only that letter for us to work with.

About a year ago, I did a 30-minute session to tweak new washer/dryer models, simply because I’d been looking at new washer/dryers anyway, and earned $75 cash. Another group brought together a diverse group of women to talk about our families’ meals and needs, then wanted feedback for a famous chicken company’s plans for healthy frozen meals and projected freestanding restaurants. I’ve done a 30-minute individual assessment of Sara Lee’s packaging for fresh deli sections, and participated in a large group to critique new Kraft cheese lines. Note: Participants never receive samples to take home (lol).

Next week, during lunch, I’ll be in a 30 min. individual session at a State Street store to evaluate their website. The reward?  A $100 store card at the conclusion. Note: This opportunity came from answering a Craigslist ad posted by an outside group, who’s conducting the evaluation, not through the store itself.

Overall, I’ve sought focus groups that were most interesting to me or outside the box, and highest-paying for my time. I’ve had broad exposure to upcoming products, themes, advertising, and new packaging, and given up a modest amount of time to receive a huge leg-up toward expenses on the household “wish list.” Because the focus group experience has been overwhelmingly positive for me on a lot of different levels, whenever an offer is made to participate, I jump at it — not knowing when the next opportunity will come up again.

Lili

Monday 26th of November 2012

Thanks, Joanne. After 1-1/2 years I still agree with what I wrote. I pretty much do only annual groups downtown with the 2 largest survey houses. But for households with the time and motivation, there's nothing that beats a mom having a home party for her kids and their friends. Those pay up to $300, wow! If there's a hubby willing to participate in a liquor study -- and I don't know one who will -- those, too, are very high-paying for a 2 hour group. Lastly, if moms with friends who can juggle their work and kids' schedules to participate in a group in-home party, all participants become winners with the hostess being the biggest. If stay-at-home moms only choose 1 of these a year at up to $400 for a one-time only group, it will be so mood-boosting, the tedium of coupon clipping and pennies-paying online surveys will be a lighter load to carry. And so affirming of them as women.

Joanne Cerezo

Monday 26th of November 2012

I agree, attending Focus pretty much the highest paying job I got in an hour. Coming from experienced, I agree to everything you wrote here, because its all true. Well done!

brc

Sunday 3rd of April 2011

Rachel I'm sorry but as someone who works in the focus group industry, I have to take exception to your publishing Lill's writeup. I know that you always promote integrity in making money with coupons. I would like to suggest that the same should hold true for other means of making money... including focus groups.

With the quantity of projects she has participated in, Lill has clearly become a "professional" focus group participant. Based on reading what she wrote, it appears that she has participated in many, many focus groups in the past 8 years. This is a BIG problem in our industry as it is difficult to get "fresh" respondents who aren't jaded to the ways of market research. The reason we ask how many groups people have participated in is to avoid people like Lill. There is absolutely no way that she could have been recruited for this many projects without intentionally deceiving the recruiters about her past participation.

In her writeup she states: "Be aware that with these larger (Fieldwork-type) survey recruiters, their database tracks your activity with them. If you have exceeded their client’s specs of doing a focus group within the last 3 or 6 months, you’ll automatically be excluded from notification. For smaller survey houses, self-reporting that you’ve done more than 3 groups (ever!) can disqualify you from some of their upcoming groups as well, and they tend to offer a lot less for your time."

Implicit in what she is saying is that people should not be honest about their past participation in order to avoid being disqualified. This is unfair to the sponsors of the research. The reason the larger focus group facilities track your participation is that THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE OVER AND OVER.

Focus groups are NOT a part-time job. Companies spend a lot of money to try to get fresh consumer opinions. When consumers participate on a regular basis as Lill does, the quality of the research is compromised. I have been in this industry for over 20 years and I have never conducted a study that did not try to screen out people who try to work the system in this way.

Focus groups can be a great (and fun) way for people to offer their opinions and make some extra cash, but I would like to appeal to your readers to be honest in their answers to the screening questions designed to see if they qualify for the study.

Lili

Monday 4th of April 2011

A rebuttal/disclaimer is called for. To Rachel: It was unfair for you to feel judged for promoting unethical behavior. My apologies because you didn't deserve it. To the "recruiting insider" who responded above: Any info I forwarded was to give readers here the fullest information to choose the option suited to their family's lifestyle. But I didn't fully expand on my participation because of limitations of space and time.

Now to the Work at Home Opportunities reader, my full disclosure: The approximate 15 or so focus groups in my lifetime isn't my idea of even a 1/4-time job, although I could be biased in my opinions (lol). Of the focus groups I participated in with a variety of survey houses, the MAJORITY took place over approximately the last eight years. But I actually started applying further back than that, most of the time either not qualifying or the specific time slot I was qualified for was filled already.

Based on my time and my household's needs, I'm the sole participant in focus groups, and always at on-site facilities. I never apply for any, or respond to any emailed opportunity, that doesn't capture my imagination, no matter how high-paying. As of this writing, I've never responded to the same-themed focus group--it feels vaguely unethical.

I'm so turned off by the few I've met who do these as 1/2-time or 3/4-time jobs. Especially after having worked as a part-time recruiter between the holidays one year and learning first-hand of the abuses, and the potential compromises to clients' research. (Some of the extremes are the family members or friends who trade off children, husbands, i.d.'s, or car titles; the sky is the limit, attempting 4+ focus groups annually, yecch!)

Personally, whenever I'm asked "how long has it been..." or "have you done a focus group in the last...," I answer honestly. The fact that I register online with the two largest survey houses means when I've done the maximum allowable (annual or 6-month) focus groups, I'm automatically excluded until I become eligible again.

Readers, note that screening questionnaires vary, depending on the clients' specs. Sometimes, a client's overriding goal is to find the participant most suited for their product such as asthma inhaler users and to exclude any conflicts of interest. No other questions asked. Sometimes you'll be excluded if you've ever done a group on their topic (I myself won't do repeats; no spontaniety, no interest). Sometimes questions about focus group participation are asked (to which I answer honestly), but sometimes it's not on the survey questionnaire (then I don't offer the information).

Readers, we're grownups here. Don't let anyone turn focus groups on its ears. Moms with children are advertisers' most heavily-sought after demographic, bar none. Your opinions DO matter to them, and are valuable. I hope stay-at-home moms working with tight budgets keep an open mind and look through the focus group options listed here--and give yourself that breather you so badly need.

rachel

Sunday 3rd of April 2011

brc -- thanks so much for the clarification. I guess I'm naive, because I read Lili's comments about automatic exclusion when you've done recent focus groups as a warning that there are limits on how often you can participate, rather than a suggestion to lie. I would certainly never suggest that anyone lie on the screening questions, and hope that others aren't taking it that way.

I don't do focus groups (lack of time), but do surveys online. When they do the screening questions and ask things like "have you participated on a survey on X topic in the past 3 months," I always answer honestly and would encourage others to do so, even if it's pretty clear that this will screen you out. It's only fair that if a company is paying you for your time and opinions that you repay that with honesty and not skew their market research.

Rene

Sunday 3rd of April 2011

The Focus Groups I've done purposely overbook. This way, if there is a no-show or other reasons, they have other people ready to go. My "services" were not needed in the last Focus Group I attended. I (along with four other gals) waited maybe 15 minutes and then they sent each one of us home WITH $160.00 CASH! Love them ....

Anne

Sunday 3rd of April 2011

My 7 year old just did a survey on McDonalds on this past Wednesday, he got paid $60 for 1 1/2 hours. He's already earning the big bucks, lol.

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