Sometimes you can register with a market research company and start taking surveys right away, but many times you'll have to wait just a bit and they will notify you when you've been selected to join a particular survey. They'll usually notify you via email.

Once you get going and have registered with lots of companies, you will start getting A LOT of invitations and you definitely don't want to miss any of those important emails.

For this reason, we highly recommend setting up a separate email address to be used for everything related to your new survey "business." And be sure to check it often!

You can get another email address from your ISP, or a free one at Hotmail or Yahoo.

This way your survey-related email won't be mixed up with your "regular" email, you won't miss any important survey opportunities, and everything will just be a lot easier for you.

Step 2: Download and familiarize yourself with RoboForm

The "hardest" part about making money with paid surveys, focus groups, etc. is registering with all of the good market research companies - we list so many of them!

There's no way around it - you have to register with the companies you're interested in. With some you can sign-up and take surveys right away, but others require you to "register" and then they contact you about various opportunities as they become available.

It sure would be nice if there was a way to automate the registration process, but as of yet there just isn't. We have however found something that makes it a whole lot easier ...

The answer is RoboForm - a FREE software program that will significantly reduce the time it takes you to fill out forms, register with research companies, and fill out surveys. It will even remember all of the user names and passwords that you end up creating!

Every single person I know that's serious about making money from surveys uses RoboForm, myself included. It makes things so much easier, and it does so without "spying" on you or messing up your computer like Gator and some of the other programs.

Using RoboForm is highly recommended so please download it now and spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with how it works. It will significantly reduce the time you spend getting started, which will help you to make money as quickly as possible.

To download just click the link above, click download, then select "Save" to save the file to your desktop. Once you have downloaded the file just double-click it to install this awesome program.

Step 3: Join PayPal so you can Collect Online Payments

If you don't already have an account at PayPal.com, you should Create a PayPal Account next. It's free, and PayPal is the easiest way to send and receive money online.

You can do this any time, but you might as well get it out of the way. You'll want to have your account all set-up and ready to go once you get started filling out surveys and participating in focus groups - because some companies will pay you online via PayPal!

Now that you're all set-up and ready to go, I just want to share a few more tips and tricks to help you get started. I know you're anxious to get going - and you're almost there.

Note: One thing to keep in mind is that when we talk about registering with a company, we're talking about the market research companies that actually conduct surveys and focus groups. They are generally hired by large corporations to do the research on their behalf.

Now, you're not going to "get rich quick" by taking surveys, but once you get going you CAN easily generate a steady stream of cash, prizes and free products. I know lots of people that make anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars per month.

Your success with paid surveys will primarily depend on:

1. The number of market research companies that you register with
    
2. Your "profile" which determines the number and type of invitations you get
    
3. The amount of time you spend participating in surveys, focus groups, etc.
    
4. How lucky you are when it comes to drawings, raffles, and sweepstakes
    

Let's briefly go over each of these four items ...

1. The number of market research companies that you register with

This is probably the most important factor that will determine your "success" or "failure" - because the more companies you register with the more invitations you'll receive, the more surveys you can take, and the more money you will make.
The number of companies you register with should reflect your goals and the amount of money you want to make. It really is as simple as that.
 

If you just want to make a few hundred extra bucks a month to cover a car payment, you definitely don't need to register with all the companies in our database. Just register with a few at a time when it fits your schedule, and before long you'll reach your goal.

On the other hand, if your goal is to make thousands of dollars a month then you need to register with as many companies as you possibly can. The more the better.

Don't register with 20 companies and expect to make thousands a month - it just won't happen for you. Please ... you need to be realistic.

I've personally registered with over 300 companies and I currently receive more invitations then I can handle. So what I do is just "cherry pick" the best ones. Once you get the initial work out of the way, this is a great position to be in!

2. Your "profile" which determines the number and type of opportunities you get

When you register with a market research company, you'll be asked various questions which will make up your personal "profile". Be honest - this is how they match you up with the profiles desired for particular surveys and focus groups.

Some surveys are very general, but others are very specific. For example, a company may want to get the opinions of men between the ages of 25-45 on various types of cologne. If you're a women, you won't be selected to participate in this survey.

It is very important that you are truthful in all your answers and responses when signing up with the market research companies, so a lot of this is out of your control.

Our advice? Provide as much detailed information as you possibly can, in order to give yourself the best chance of getting selected for as many surveys as possible.

3. The amount of time you spend participating in surveys and focus groups

Aside from #1, this is the other important factor that you have full control over. And again, the time and effort you put into it has to be in line with your goals.

If you only have 1 hour per week to devote to surveys that's fine - just don't expect to make a full-time income. You'll get out of this what you put into it, as they say.

On the bright side, you only have to register with each company once - and then they will usually continue sending you surveys for years! If you don't have a lot of free time every day, be like the turtle. Slow and steady wins the race.

4. How lucky you are when it comes to drawings, raffles, and sweepstakes
 

If you only want to participate in surveys and focus groups that pay cash that's fine - but we suggest you consider those that pay in prizes, sweepstakes entries, etc.

If you have the extra time, it's well worth it to take a short 2 minute survey and be entered into a $10,000 drawing - wouldn't you agree? Sometimes the odds are pretty good, and aside from cash you can win nice electronic equipment, household items, etc.

Plus, it's important to realize that market research companies change their offerings all the time depending on what kind of research and surveys their clients need.

A company offering prizes this month might offer a $150 paid survey the next month, which is why we highly recommend you register with as many companies as you can - regardless of what they are currently offering. You just never know!

There's not a whole lot you can do to influence how lucky you'll be, but just realize that the prizes are often significant and can really make a difference for you.

One more very important reminder before you get started:

Be sure to check your email often, and act quickly! The companies will often send out more invitations than they need participants, because they know some people won't respond for one reason or another. But once they have enough people, it might be too late for you.

Finally, have some fun. You're providing a very valuable service that will help influence new products, etc. You should be proud of what you're doing and have fun while you're making money. Ok, you're officially ready. Head on over to our Database and get started!