-- David Letterman
Primary research comes in many forms, but when you boil it all down, it is simply gathering data directly from the source. This may mean contacting your clients to see how you are perceived or how well you are doing in executing your work. It may also mean going out to the marketplace to see if the image you want conveyed is what others perceive or it may mean talking with your employees to see if they are happy. When talking directly with people is not practical, primary research may entail an Internet or mail survey, or a combination of the two. Your own special needs will determine which methodology is right for your project.
Gathering the data is just the first step in the process. Just as important is the analysis and how it is presented. Primary research is the perfect tool for building both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Pulling it together in a package that is actionable and easily understood is next. Based on our years of experience providing business leaders with high quality data, we can prepare a deliverable that meets your special needs. We can provide you with a narrative report, a summary presentation, or just plain hard data -- whatever tool is best suited to your purposes.
Surveys
There are many ways to conduct survey research in today's high tech world: go online and create a quick e-mail survey, buy a software package and launch a nationwide web-based survey or mail survey, hire a telemarketing firm to phone your clients--no problem. But are you asking the right questions and what do you do with the data once you've got it? Does this information contain true insight that you can use in framing your business strategy? Does it tell you what your clients think about you versus your competition? Is it actionable and meaningful or just nice to know?
Truly useful survey research contains not only ratings and multiple-choice options, but also the real live opinions of your clients, customers, and employees. The only way to get the data you need to meet your objectives is to use the right tools and ask the right questions. Depending on your needs we may design a survey that uses the latest electronic tools and systems or it may be done the old fashioned way. Each project is unique and designed to your individual specifications. Because we believe so strongly in the value of primary data, we often recommend undertaking a telephone survey or personal interviews. That way, we can ensure you are getting the first hand opinions of the people you are interested in learning more from. After all, how do you know what people are really thinking unless you ask them?
When you hire a consulting firm you deserve than just charts and graphs, you deserve personal attention and insight based on industry experience and know-how. Our approach is conversational and personal. Whether you need a brief opinion poll or a detailed market survey, we know the right questions to ask you on the front end and the right way to ask our participants during the survey. On completion of the survey we will provide you with a deliverable that is not only chock full of direct quotes and comprehensive analysis, but with recommendations on how to use the data and what it means to you.
Below are just some of the questions we've been asked to investigate through survey research:
- What is my image in the marketplace?
- Do my clients believe my communications message?
- What selection criteria are important in selecting a services firm?
- Who are my client's decision makers and decision influencers?
- How satisfied are my customers with the services I am providing?
- How satisfied are my employees?
- Are my customers open to new services or technologies?
- Do my customers believe that the organizational changes we have made are good?
- Who do my clients consider to be my competition?
Today more than ever before we have access to vast stores of information. SEC filings, newspapers, magazines, trade journals, technical papers, the Internet all contain valuable data that can allow us to develop market information, track our competitors, and learn more about our clients. The trick is, where do you find the right data and what do you do with it once you've found it.
Because we have been searching commercial, free, and hardcopy resources for more than 20 years, we not only know how to find the information but also know how to interpret it and package it in a form you can use. The following are some typical assignments that would utilize secondary research.
- Competitor Profiles
- Client Profiles
- Market Profiles
- Market Size Estimations
- Acquisition Candidate Identification
- Acquisition Candidate Identification
How you get your message is as critical as the message. Who is your audience? What is the purpose of the presentation? What type of information do you have to present? These are all questions that must be answered when developing a first class presentation.
We are frequently asked by our clients to prepare custom presentations that can be delivered to clients, Boards of Directors, stock analysts, and employees. Our years of preparing high quality, high level presentations as part of the projects our clients have asked us to undertake, provides us with unique insight into just the right amount of detail and the right mix of narrative and graphics to include. We know the right questions to ask and how to use the tools necessary to craft the right message.
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WEB/PUBLICITY CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
As a result of the work we do gathering information on image and client perception, we are often asked to assist our clients in developing their sales message. This may include participating as a member of the web development or communications team, critiquing tag lines or developing an entire website.
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