Grow Your Business by Understanding your Customers Revealing hidden truths effective market research

Belief: You can ask anyone any question about anything at all providing it is done in a relevant way and at the right moment in the questionnaire

The Leaky Bucket

How satisfied are your customers? Do you have any leaks in your product/service delivery? Do you know the answers to these questions? Research can help identify areas where attracting new business or repeat buying is vulnerable - identifying the leaks and how to deal with them

Decide what you want out of the research If you are not clear neither will your results be Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve from the research? What do I need to know? What else would be nice to know?

Qualitative or Quantitative? Which method to choose If you are looking for a measurement e.g. how many people bought … if you want a numerical number, a statistic then choose a quantitative method Self completion i.e. postal or internet www. surveymonkey.com Telephone Face to face

Qualitative or Quantitative? Which method to choose If you are looking for more detailed depth of information to understand not just what your customers think of the product/service but the underlying reasons and decisions behind why they buy from you - choose a qualitative method Group discussions (focus groups) - 6 – 8 respondents Mini groups - 3 – 4 respondents Depth interviews - individual or paired

How could it work? Know Don’t know KnowDon’t know

7 top tips for writing a quantitative questionnaire 1)Keep the questions short 2)Use simple language 3)Ask one question at a time 4)Ask yourself - can the respondents answer the question? Do they have the information? 5)Avoid influencing the answer in any way from the wording of the question 6)Think about the order of the questions 7)Think about the overall length of the questionnaire

Is there any bias in either of these questions? 1)Would you agree that Guildford is a good place for shopping? 2)Would you agree or disagree that Guildford is a good place for shopping?

Is there any bias in either of these questions? 1)Would you agree that Guildford is a good place for shopping? 2)Would you agree or disagree that Guildford is a good place for shopping? What is your opinion of Guildford as a place to shop, is it Excellent Very good Quite good Not very good Not at all good

Which of these questions is likely to give you a clearer answer? 1)How frequently do you buy training services? 2)Do you frequently buy training services?

Which of these questions is likely to give you a clearer answer? 1)How frequently do you buy training services? 2)Do you frequently buy training services? Beware of ambiguity - e.g. ‘frequently’ might mean 1 x month for one person and 1 x year for another Give a scale of answers according to what is relevant to you

Imagine you are conducting a survey among current and potential customers. You want to understand how they choose suppliers, in particular you are looking for the key factor that is most important. Will this question give you that answer? What motivates and inspires you in the selection or specification of a new supplier?

Imagine you are conducting a survey among current and potential customers. You want to understand how they choose suppliers, in particular you are looking for the key factor that is most important. Will this question give you that answer? What motivates and inspires you in the selection or specification of a new supplier? What is the main element that influences your choice of a new supplier? Or What are the top 3 elements that influences your choice of a new supplier?

Analysis What do the figures tell me? What’s the story?

Analysis Dive into the data and see what sticks There may be more than one story

7 top tips for qualitative research 1)Consider your subject matter - would it benefit from a group discussion or is it something people would not want to share with strangers therefore an individual interview would be better 2)Create a relaxed atmosphere - and rapport with your respondents 3)Become a good listener 4)Remember silence is golden – don’t be afraid of it, allow thinking time 5)If taking up 30+ mins of someone’s time you will need to offer an incentive/thank you 6)Record the discussion for your analysis – never rely on memory 7)Consider if the discussion would be more effective if run by an independent person - can/will your customers really tell you what they think of your product/service

Remember You can do research It will benefit your company enormously Know why you are doing it / what you need to know Think about what you will do with the results when you are designing the questions Keep the questions to the point Really understand your customers and see your business grow

Revealing hidden truths effective market research Contact: Anne Crotty Tel: / /