You want to know the state of the nation. How would you find out? You could look at GDP, unemployment and a host of indicators. Or, you could ask people how the nation is doing. After all, people live here so they should know. Right?
This approach of asking people their opinions brings us to a serious mistake made by those new to survey writing. Read More...
I often have the opportunity to see surveys written by people with little research experience. Sometimes, students will show me questionnaires they are writing for a project. Or I’ll get a draft from a nonprofit or a church. Regardless, there are some simple mistakes often made by those new to survey preparation. While these are mistakes most often made by rookies, it’s still good for those of us with more experience to do a bit a review. Read More...
It’s a wonder of science how quickly the human eye can glaze when someone hears the words “margin of error.” People want to know the best or the biggest, but they often have no interest in knowing how certain we are about those responses.
Survey results and studies are often the basis for business decisions with incredible amounts of money on the line. So, don’t we have a duty to try to show our clients whether they can trust our findings before they act on them? Read More…
Occasionally, we all need to take a deep breath.
So, this blog is written for those businesspeople who work hard to correct and handle image problems, both real and perceived. It’s written for those who work hard to increase customer satisfaction, trying to squeeze out an approval rating of 9.6 instead of 9.4. It’s for those who can name every major issue customers have had with a brand or company, and quote the official company stance on each.
To those people, I say back away slowly. Relax for a moment. Read More…
Imagine walking into a store and seeing a box on the counter with a sign that reads, “Surveys – take one.” Most of us would shake our head, knowing that the typical customer won’t participate. The ones that would are most likely to be friends of the owner or very upset, looking for a place to vent. Virtually none of us would assume that the results would reflect the store’s entire customer base. Read More...
Focus groups are so much fun. And clients love them. There’s almost nothing as rewarding for a client as seeing a room full of customers and prospects talking about their products.
The problem is that focus groups have very limited utility. Let me say that again…VERY LIMITED! I have found that it is often dangerous for clients to observe focus group sessions (or even read summary reports of those sessions) because they often create expectations that may not at all be appropriate.
Are focus groups valuable? They can be. But most groups suffer from a serious flaw that almost always skews the results. Read More…
An interesting study recently appeared in an academic journal that reports the findings of a comparative field experiment that compared the efficacy of interviewing people on mobile phones vs. fixed (land) lines. The results might surprise you. Read More...
Jeff recently was featured in the D.O.M. July/August issue for an article on research. Titled “Simple Marketing – Research that’s sure to increase your market share,” you can read it online at Director of Maintenance’s website www.dommagazine.com. Read More...
Dr. Warr is currently vice president and director of research services at Zachry Associates. He has more than 30 years experience as a marketing and research consultant for a variety of universities, financial institutions, manufacturing, retail and service companies and to a number of advertising agencies as well.
