Your organization can increase its chances of growth and success in government markets by answering six key questions.  In some cases, conducting market research will enable you to answer them much more accurately and thoroughly. 

1. Who will influence the purchase of my product or service?
2. Why will they buy my product?
3. Where will they buy my product or service?
4. When do they buy?
5. How satisfied are they after they buy?
6. What will they buy next year?

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Even some of the most seasoned and savvy business professionals haven’t had the opportunity in their careers to drive or even be involved in primary research programs.  That’s certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.  In fact, in many cases, these professionals are inexperienced with research because they’ve worked in organizations where the most senior members of management aren’t accustomed to making research investments and, therefore, don’t understand or appreciate the potential return. 

But, as markets get increasingly competitive and complex, research can no longer be viewed as a luxury.  Indeed, many of these executives and organizations are in dire need of richer business intelligence that can help them avoid risky mistakes and fuel continued success.

When Market Connections talks with potential clients who haven’t yet conducted true market research, we often hear the following questions: Read the rest of this entry »

As it becomes more and more difficult to generate acceptable participation rates with online surveys and focus groups, panels are gaining widespread popularity. Online panels are pre-screened and selected communities of people that have applied to take surveys on an ongoing basis in return for some form of compensation.

Many large companies, such as Microsoft and Disney, build and maintain their own custom online panels of pre-qualified research participants. Other companies and private research firms turn to vendors that market online panels. Some offer access to consumer panels, while others offer B2B panels for targeting professionals, including CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, managers, directors, and other business decision makers.

Accessing your online research audience via pre-selected panels offers some significant advantages. Read the rest of this entry »

How often do representatives from your organization’s key business functions convene to talk about what they do and don’t know about the market, customers, key prospects, competitors, product or service performance, and other critical business issues?

Market research projects create a reason – a platform – for doing just that. The most successful clients we’ve worked with pull in a cross-section of company representatives from the outset of the project. And, frankly, it’s sometimes astounding to witness how unconnected the dots are around some very key issues.

One research project can’t address every data gap in an organization, but it can deliver insights that can impact more than just one area of operations. This collaborative approach can result in quick and easy fixes or brewing problems that the whole group didn’t previously know even existed.

Make sure that you engage your research provider upfront, so they can design a research program that meets multi-purpose objectives that can impact numerous operational areas. A strong research partner can also help structure and focus your internal collaborative sessions to maximize their outcomes.

Taking a holistic approach to market research may take more work and more time, but will enable broader performance improvements. This translates into a better ROI and an extra pat on the back for you.