My good friend David Pitlyuk gave me the heads up on Google’s new Local Business Referral Service. Basically, Google is looking for people to go from business to business to get information for Google Maps and tell them about Google AdWords.
As a Google Business Referral Representative, you’ll visit local businesses to collect information (such as hours of operation, types of payment accepted, etc.) for Google Maps, and tell them about Google Maps and Google AdWords. You’ll also take a few digital photos of the business that will appear on the Google Maps listing along with the business information. After the visit, you submit the business’ info and photo(s) to Google through your Local Business Referrals Center, and we’ll pay you up to $10 for each listing that is approved by Google and verified by the business.
You will receive $2 when the business you submitted is approved by Google and another $8 when the business itself approves the information you submitted. Referrals are approved by Google based on the completeness and quality of data supplied by representatives. Businesses verify their information either by sending them a response postcard or verifying their information online. As long as your earnings total at least $25 a month, you’ll receive a monthly check.
How To Apply
To apply, you’ll be asked to answer some basic questions about your interest in this position, your experience with Google products, and to tell them in detail about why you want to become a representative. If you’re approved, you’ll receive an email telling you how to sign into your Local Business Referrals Center, view the training materials, and start making referrals.
You don’t get reimbursed for expenses like gas, digital camera, etc. And there is no mention of exclusive territories. Knowing Google, they won’t give anyone exclusive territories and business will be bombarded with one Google rep after another Google rep asking for their information.
Good Income Potential For First Movers
This could be a very good moneymaking deal for the people who sign up first. From the looks of things, this is an easy sell. Just go into a businesses, tell them you’re going to add them to Google, take their business card, write their hours and accepted payments on the back, give them a sales sheet about Maps and AdWords and then tell them to confirm their info when Google contacts them. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes per business. If you were to do this on a five hour day, that’s $600 per day! However, you pretty much have to be a first mover. Once words of this program spreads, you’ll be competing against everyone and their dog for sign ups. I would say Google will cover all 21 million businesses in the US within a few months.
Those who are really evil won’t go door to door. Instead, they’ll go to the headquarters of chain stores and try to sign up every store in their operation. An outfit like Home Depot or Walmart has thousands of stores. One sales call could land you every single one of them. 
Currently, this offer is only available in the US. Apply here.
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(9 votes, average: 3.56 out of 5)
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I thought Google had a way of getting all of this info on their own? Through their special Google magic powers???!!!
Their special magic power is showing the money!
Is this available in Canada? I don’t think it is
US only. No idea when Google will roll this out worldwide.
Nice one from Google. Now i’m curious if Microsoft won’t “inspire” their maps from Google’s program.
i cant wait until it gets international!!
i just want that service
Door-to-door? No, thanks. To me, it’s all about working from home, avoiding traffic jams and all that stuff.
Even at $600 a day? Why not hire a kid for $10 per hour to do it then cash in the remaining $520 per day on your own?
Now you’re thinking evil.
Way too evil…
Ohhh, amazing opportunity. Too bad it’s only people for over the age of 18
.
Amazing! I am going to rule my area lol.
Hi,
I can see it now: Average business owner gets approached by some fast talking guy/girl, collects their basic info, few minutes later, another guy/girl ask for the same info, a few minutes later another and so on and so forth, ad infinitum.
Like John Chow says, the FM (First Mover) folks have the advantage and have got to get in and get out as quickly as possible.
When they take their data back to Google and while Google is ‘processing’ it, what’s to stop a whole busload of other folks from doing the same thing to the same business? (Maybe Google has allowed for this and its noted somewhere in their application form which I haven’t looked at
).
How about this wild and zany idea? Google could give each person that signs up for the program a little wireless gizmo that instantly uploads the data from a business and ‘flags’ that particular biz name as having been already recorded. That way, when another Googler comes into to ‘capture’ a biz, he/she gets a message when trying to upload, or gets an update in realtime of which businesses have been ‘flagged.’
Or maybe the business owners can chase the Googlers out of their shops with brooms!
It’s a good idea though. Google gets the info they need for their product and the Googlers get paid.
Cheers!
But for google to give little wireless gizmos to people, they’d have to invest more money than I think they want to and trust strangers, with a product they would have to ship, track, and possibly insure. Kind of a whole new set of problems.
Hi Sabrina,
I made the suggestion half-jokingly.
Although Google could probably afford it, they have the smarts to design it and the money to get it built. Just take a look at their platform, one of, if not the largest collection of commodity PC’s tied together into several(?) huge clusters.
Back back to reality, forget the little wireless gizmos. There still is the problem where you have everyone else catching up to the FM’s (First Mover’s). FM’s get in and get out with the info quick (in theory), but how will Google handle the rest of the people, the Johnny-come-lately’s?
Better yet, how will businesses react when they are faced with a wave of people asking them the same basic questions over and over again? I for one would get frustrated.
Cheers.
If a business is already listed, the Google likely doesn’t need your service, so Google simply has no reason to pay you.
But they’ve probably already given their info to the first guy so Google doesn’t care!
Thanks for the link love John
The main people that are going to benefit (the ones actually doing leg work) are definitely the people that get in first and live in a city. Imagine how many businesses in just a few blocks they can get.
Now the problem. Imagine being a business and getting 10 people a day at your door trying to tell you about Google AdWords and Google Maps. That will start to get frustrating.
Yeah I think this could cause a bit of a backlash after a while.
Soon there’ll be signs on doors and windows saying “No more Google hawkers”!
I signed up, just waiting for approval. I agree the early bird will get the worm on this one. That is the way it is with most things though. I’ll try it and see.
Damn I would have enjoyed doing this for a little extra pocket money. Will have to keep an eye on it to see when it will happen in Oz.
[...] GOOG wants you to be a door to door salesman [...]
*Phew* good thing i submitted my application yesterday - hopefully i beat the flood you just sent their way.
I think it would take longer than 5 minutes to sign businesses up: they would want more details and to make sure it’s all legit.
Not to mention, businesses get solicited so much, that usually the people who receive visitors will spot you a mile away and be ready to shoo you out the door.
Might not be as easy as it seems.
True. And if they don’t shoo you away, they’ll probably release the hounds!
It’s still a good idea though. Google gets info for their product and some lucky stiff makes some quick cash and probably gets some good excersise to boot!
But I still don’t think it can be done in 5 minutes. While John has ’streamlined’ the entire process, you run the risk of annoying people by just blowing in and out like a gust of wind, or something. You might get away with it sometimes, but not all of the time.
If you had some kind of a standard reader or swipe device, like at the tradeshows, you know, you slide your card into it and it captures all of your contact info and the company at the booth sends you their info at a later date. That’s less than 5 minutes right there.
Cheers.
Yeah, they might think you’re selling something… and they probably get annoyed real quick with people who aren’t coming in to buy something. Maybe it’s better to call ahead?
Oh, yeah. Used to work in a retail environment in an outdoor strip mall kind of buildng. After a while, you get a little tired of solicitors, and you start enjoying yourselves by seeing who could get rid of them the fastest. Stuff like that. On a good day, we could have one of these people dashing back to their car and fleeing the scene, without stopping in on any more businesses in our building.
Oh, those were the good ol’ days.
exactly. that is why I won’t be doing this. businesses would prob sue me or something now adays.
How are Google going to then go back and check all this company data?
Presumably the final part of the payment is very much dependent on the company confirming your Google seller reference number - what if they conveniently forget or misplace it?
I’ll be dominating downtown Austin. Hundreds of business are within walking distance of UT campus. That means no gas expenses.
Yes, it all seems like rather a lot of effort for “up to” $10.
Still, like they say, nothing beats a failure but a try! Good luck to whoever’s gonna go for it!
Cheers.
I dont no, maybe im dumb o something. But i dont think the idea sounds that great after all. In my ears it sounds like its to much work for “up to” 10 bucks. It may work in big citys if youre the lucky first one and a smooth talker…
maybe im totaly wrong.
Adsense sounds alot easier for my kind of taste.
IT doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.
I submitted my application… we’ll see what happens.
I imagine Google will assign people in territories or something like that so as not to overpopulate an area with reps.
If you’ve ever tried soliciting businesses, it’s tough. Buy several pairs of good shoes…
And a very thick skin!
I would think that it is hard to do that.
prepare to FACE REJECTION, REJECTION
Eh. Would have done this maybe a year or two ago but… going door to door for $10 per address? Nah.
[...] is some basic info on the program that I found through John Chow: As a Google Business Referral Representative, you’ll visit local businesses to collect [...]
This is a great idea from Google. They’ll be plenty of willing volunteers for what amounts to relentless work for little income.
If you’re among the first to sign up you may be ok but I doubt they’ll assign territories (why would they?) and once this gets out to the masses it’ll just be a free for all.
They should have the globe wrapped up in a few years … global domination … now that is evil!
Sounds like a lot of work =|
In my area, you need a special permit to go door-to-door to different businesses like this. I wonder if Google will warn people of stuff like that?
If not, it could be fun complaining to these people about Google, and then calling the cops if they don’t have the proper permits.
Plus, they will be going around taking pictures? Will they get the business owner’s permission to do that?
I dunno… I anticipate some bad PR for Google on this one. I wouldn’t want to be one of those reps…
Can’t wait!!! When will be international
ahh google sending their cronies to dominate the market once again. whata genius idea
[..]Only available in the U.S[..]
Crappy..that seems a major short coming on alot of other things for use canadians
This is interesting. You mention saturation though in talking about people signing up as representatives and that all the businesses in the united states will be listed within a couple months. I doubt it. If there’s one thing most people are really good about, it’s being lazy.
I doubt so many people are going to make this a full time job for themselves. I can say this because I have experience as an Independent Business Owner and when you talk to most people they just can’t grasp the idea of making a six figure income without working for someone else, usually a corporation.
I do think there are going to be some very motivated people that will go out and get this information and give out the flyers and such…but it really comes down to the business owners following through. If they don’t verify, you don’t get paid.
All you would really need to do is get a listing from the secretary of state in your state (or any state for that matter) of business name filings. Most states even have this feature online.
Once you have your list, send out a massive direct mail/email/fax campaign and let the money roll back in.
Who says you have to go door to door at all?
How can you take the required digital photo of the business without going door to door?