Research Rockstar

PowerPoint-based Reports: Overused or Just Abused?

Poor PowerPoint. It has many two-faced critics who on one hand use it to create market research deliverables but on the other deride it as an over-used crutch. The debate tends to get framed in an over-simplified way as, "Should market researchers u... Read >

Out-tasking Comes to Market Research: Why In-House vs Outsourced Is No Longer the Choice

Clients seeking to conduct a market research project typically choose one of two paths: do it in-house or outsource to a full-service market research agency. Pretty simple. But now, a third option exists: out-tasking. Today, there are plenty of... Read >

Preventing Market Research Abuse

Well, "abuse" may be a little strong…but market research results certainly do get misused. Sometime intentionally; twisting results to confirm existing opinions, or ignoring results perceived to be inconvenient. In other cases, the misuse is acciden... Read >

When Skimping on Market Research Fails: 5 Cheap Moves That Will Ruin Your Research

When Skimping on Market Research Backfires Never skimp on budget for: • Quality sample. Having quality sample is critical. Avoid sources that can't talk credibly about their recruitment tactics or list sources. You don't want to bake a cake wi... Read >

Market Forecasts: 3 Tips for Useful Predictions

Market forecasts have a bad reputation. Ask anyone who survived the last tech bubble, which was preceded by years of "hockey stick forecasts" for just about every technology-related market you can imagine. A lot of people, including investors, found out ... Read >

Seeking Balance in Product & Pricing Research

The difference between good market research and great market research can be significant. But sometimes the incremental time, cost and sweat of that extra effort to go from good to great simply doesn't make sense. When it comes to product market research,... Read >

Using Customer Feedback to Inform Product Design Decisions

So you're planning to develop a new product, and want to know which features will be most important to potential buyers and which could be nice to have, but not critical. Maybe you want to estimate how adding a specific attribute could change potential ma... Read >

Presenting Market Research Study Results: Setting the Stage for Success

You have spent months executing a killer market research study â€" collecting research insights that have the potential to have a real impact on your organization's success. Now it's time to present your market research findings to the colleagues who will... Read >

Including IT topics in Employee Surveys: Stop Investing in Technology That Employees Don't Want

While looking over a questionnaire for a large accounting firm's employee survey, I was surprised to see few questions related to technology use. There were a few perfunctory items on satisfaction with the IT department, but these employees used technolog... Read >

Bringing Life to Market Research Results

Have you ever delivered a big market research study, and had your internal clients completely ignore it? It is an unfortunately common and painful experience. Sometimes the challenge is that audience members find market research data too impersona... Read >

8 Ways to Spend Less on Customer Satisfaction Research

Has your market research budget been cut? If so, one of the programs most often impacted is Customer Satisfaction tracking. For firms accustomed to tracking on a continuous or quarterly basis, cutting back on this program is often a necessary, though unfo... Read >

DIY or Hire a Market Research Company?

Are you thinking about a market research project? If so, you may be debating whether you should hire an outside market research agency or do it in-house. Of course, working with a market research agency is a big investment. Depending on the scope of yo... Read >

Igniting Employee Passion Through Deep Customer Insights

These days, keeping employees motivated is no small task. Between workplace financial concerns, and ones at home, people become discouraged, even apathetic. So now is a great time to think creatively about re-igniting employee passion. And to do that,... Read >