marketing research

Now is NOT the Time for Radio Silence with your Customers

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A Guide to Conducting Research in the Age of Covid-19: Part 1

By David M. Schneer, Ph.D.

As companies continue to grapple with Covid-19, the market research industry has hit a brick wall. Like a beachball at a rock concert, the fundamental question now being bandied about in global market research departments is “should we be conducting research during a pandemic?”

The answer is yes. And no.

As focus group facilities and UX labs sit empty and idle, quantitative, web-based research is still being conducted. But should it? And, if so, under what circumstances?

Recent communications from sample suppliers indicate that survey response rates are up over 10% for studies currently in the field. Generally that would be good news. But like the rest of us, consumer and B2B research participants have been fundamentally altered by this pandemic—so, would their opinions be different now than prior to this catastrophe? Most likely. Why does this matter? If you are conducting studies involving normative data, for example—these types of studies would likely result in analytical blips.  For example, right now is probably not the best time to ask why a consumer would purchase one brand over another, as supplies are constrained, and channels exist in a somewhat altered state.  Given this, it is likely better to wait the virus out than to collect this type of information.

On the other hand, now is also the time to be reaching out to your customers. Why? Because their working environments have radically changed for the foreseeable future. Their decision-making processes, needs, purchase barriers, mindset, and the way they use products have all morphed. Case in point? Zoom; the company is struggling to serve unanticipated meteoric demand as the consumer platform of choice for social distancing mitigation, not to mention distance learning plans across the nation.

As Geoffrey Moore, Chairman Emeritus at our partners, The Chasm Group, has advised, never waste a crisis. Other clients have taken notice and are now asking their customers the following:

  1. How has your environment suddenly changed?
  2. What are the new or increased challenges you are facing due to the current situation?
  3. Will this change how suppliers are evaluated and chosen?
  4. How have service and product needs changed and how can they best be served now?
  5. How, if at all, has your brand been affected?
  6. Who is losing or gaining share of mind?
  7. What are the new services and or products that have suddenly emerged as needs to be filled?
  8. To what extent do you expect these changes to remain once this crisis has run its course?

 

To this end, here is how we are serving our existing customers during this ever-evolving crisis:

  1. Telephone interviews with existing customers to provide rapid feedback
  2. Web-based surveys designed to understand changing environments and perceptions
  3. Mixed-mode research to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative feedback
  4. Creating communities or advisory feedback systems for ongoing checkpoints and discussions

 

As a body language master and qualitative moderator, I can tell you that in-person interviewing yields significantly more information than remote methods, but phone and video remain powerful alternatives for quickly collecting many types of data—especially now.

Merrill Research provided critical data and guidance for clients during the Semiconductor and Home PC Meltdown (1985-1986), the 1990-1991 Recession, the Early 2000’s Recession, and The Great Recession (2007-2009). We can help your company stay agile during these uncertain times. Contact Merrill Research today. Stay safe.

Stay tuned for our next blog on remote interviewing techniques available during these challenging times.

For additional information on COVID-19 visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Coronavirus information page.

How to Get the Best from Your Research Supplier Relationships

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I’ve had the pleasure of working on both sides of the research fence; that is, I was a corporate buyer of research services, and I’ve also worked on the supplier side. I’ve experienced what works well with these relationships and what doesn’t.  One could argue that it is only strategic thinking, effective execution, and a snazzy report that result in a successful project. But I maintain that chemistry is just as important a component in forming truly fruitful long-term relationships.

FINDING THE PERFECT RESEARCH PARTNER

As a corporate buyer of research, I went to great lengths to find partners who were willing and capable of being just that: my research partner, an extension of my own team. I had already been a researcher for many years and managed a talented team of researchers of my own, but the last thing I wanted in a supplier was an order-taker. What I needed was a scrappy team of creative researchers to bounce ideas off of, come up with innovative approaches, challenge me or my team if we had dumb ideas (I’m not too proud to admit it happens from time to time), and execute research projects as if their own success depended on it—which, in reality, it did.

Today, back on the research supplier side, it is my job to design and execute research that is valid, reliable, ethical, and provides objective data to drive my client’s business decisions. Whether the data point to good news or not so good news, my job is to understand how the results will impact my client’s business decisions and deliver insightful and eloquent direction.  In the end, I’m satisfied with my work only if I execute all of these things in the smoothest manner possible.

RESEARCH PRO TIPS

With all this in mind, I’ve developed a few tips over the years for how research buyers can get the best from these kinds of partner relationships:

  1. Put your aces in their places: Already have a developed questionnaire and just need a “host and post” project? Most partners can handle that. But not every supplier is capable of truly partnering with you on more sophisticated, full-service studies to define the optimum methodology, provide the best overall experience, and deliver an impactful end product to you and your team.
  1. Set expectations: If you value feedback, creative approaches, and pushback from partners when warranted, be clear about that from the beginning. Tell your partner up front that you expect them to challenge you. If you don’t have any suppliers who meet this need for you, surely someone in your network can recommend someone. (Or just call me!)
  1. Communicate freely: Be truly open to your partners’ suggestions and creative approaches, work together to refine each other’s ideas into strategies, and be willing to speak up if and when you need something more or different.
  1. Respect diverse perspectives: Be respectful of your partners’ points of view and expect the same in return. Some of the best ideas come from free and open collaboration.
  1. Be reasonable and realistic: We understand that sooner is typically better than later when it comes to research findings, but we also work hard to avoid the “garbage in, garbage out” result that can happen when research is not executed thoughtfully.
  1. Trust the process: Once you’ve found a rhythm with a research partner, trust the process and be willing to revise it as is sometimes required to adapt to changing tides.

Chemistry, as in most relationships, helps to produce more harmonious working collaborations. Having worked this way with both clients and research partners for over 20 years, it is hard for me to imagine doing it any other way. More often than not, alliances I’ve forged in this manner have resulted in long-lasting professional and personal relationships that have produced extremely insightful research. And with those results, I wouldn’t change a thing.

If you’re ready to find a research partner to collaborate with who will consider your success their success, contact Merrill Research today.  

Merrill Research—Experience You Can Count On.

What Type of Research Firm is Best for You? It’s a Matter of Taste

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By David M. Schneer, Ph.D.

What type of restaurant is your favorite?  Do you prefer large chains that offer the same, predictable menu no matter where you go?  You know what you will get; the food and service will be decent, and it will typically be prepared and served by relatively inexperienced employees.  Or, do you prefer an independently owned neighborhood restaurant where the food is made to order  and maybe even served by a business owner?

Well, that’s the same choice buyers of marketing research services must make.  Do I go with the large chains (e.g., Nielsen, Kantar, IPSOS, GfK) or do I go with a boutique marketing research firm? Driven by globalization, standardization, and a search for greater profit, the chains have continued to gobble up smaller research companies. The remaining smaller research firms, especially those that have been around for 30+ years, have stood the test of time and have clearly found a desirable and effective approach that has served their customers well.

There are benefits of working with the big and the small. Big research firms typically offer “products” (opposed to solutions).  Their one-size-fits-all model allows their less experienced account executives to market and manage large research projects without fear of making mistakes; after all, their recipe is well defined and unchanging. There is something to be said for repetition and being predictable as long as your appetite can be sated by their menu selection.  Such a selection also places less responsibility on the customer since the big firms do it their way (think: “who’s ever been fired from buying from IBM?”)  Big firms hold their recipes close to the vest, so you are often buying into a black box and have to trust that the ingredients are healthy and nutritious, even if the food is just moderately satisfying. But what if you’re craving something that is not on the menu? Well, that’s where the boutiques come in to play.

Trusting a project to a boutique research firm, especially one with a lengthy track record, is a very different experience.  A smaller research firm will work with you to understand the nuances of your appetite (i.e., what do you really want from this specific situation?) and work with you in order to provide you a highly customized experience.  You will be welcomed in the kitchen as much as your time and interest will allow. In the end, you will feel enriched by the entire experience – both from the perspective of the experience being just right (specific objectives met) as well as learning from the highly experienced personnel of the supplier, whose menu is customized to your tastes.

Whichever type of firm you work with, bon Appetit!

Merrill Research, Experience You Can Count On