The Roadmap To Insights. Presented by Merrill Shugoll, Shugoll Research, Inc.

1. The Roadmap To Insights
April 2013
Presented by:
Merrill Shugoll
President, Shugoll Research

2. 2
Why Do Organizations Invest in Research?
Organizations invest in research
to:
Guide their decision
making
Solve a business problem
Minimize business risks/
capitalize on business
opportunities

3. 3
Consider your capital expenditure and risk
tolerance:
What is the Role of Return on Investment
(ROI) in Determining Research Scope?
High capital
expenditure
Need to minimize
risk
A larger research
budget is
generally
warranted
Low capital
expenditure
Higher risk
tolerance
A smaller
research
budget/no
research

4. 4
How Do Organizations Use Research?
Determine how to
solve their customers'
and/or prospects’
problems and identify
their unmet needs
Guide the design of
new
products/services
with optimal
features/benefits
Identify and describe
current and potential
target market(s)
(e.g., by demographics,
psychographics or
behaviorally)
Identify influencers
Examine the
competitive
environment
(i.e., Who are their
competitors? How are
they different from/better
than their competitors?)
Determine optimal
market positioning/
branding/
communications/
promotions
Determine optimal
pricing, packaging,
distribution and
media channels
Identify their targets'
media habits
(i.e., mass media, direct
marketing, digital media,
etc.)

5. 5
Types Of Research
Primary Research
Surveys (telephone,
online, mobile, etc.),
focus groups or IDIs (in-
person or online),
ethnographies/observatio
nal research, usability,
social media analytics,
etc.
Secondary Research
Information and statistics
from industry
associations, government
agencies or credible
sources on the Internet
Organizations conduct both primary and secondary
research:

6. 6
Should Organizations Use a Research
Partner or Do It Themselves?
Assess the need for objectivity
Assess the need for research expertise/specific skills
Determine if an outside consultant would be more credible
delivering results to management
What is the budget?

7. 7
How to Select a Research Partner?
Six selection variables are critical R3 VET:
Reputation, Response, References, Value, Expertise,
Timeliness
Reputation in the
industry
Quality of the
proposal
response
References
Value
(Pricing/fee)
Expertise/credibili
ty of the team
assigned to the
project
Project
Timeliness
See the following slides for additional detail on each
variable

8. 8
R3 VET: REPUTATION, Response,
References, Value, Expertise,
Timeliness
Reputation in the
Industry
 # of years in business
 Ethics e.g., privacy
commitment to
clients/respondents
 Caliber of their client roster
 Contributions to the research
industry
 Contributions to the community
 Breadth of company's services
e.g., local, national,
international
 Commitment to quality control
for sampling, data collection
and analysis
 Financially stable
# of years
in business
Ethics and
commitme
nt to
privacy
Contributio
ns to the
community
Contribution
s to the
research
industry
The arts are our
passion, and we
pursue them through
volunteerism in our
spare time and pro-
bono research for
non-profits in these
industries.
Woman-owned
business
founded in 1957
Shugoll
Research is
committed to
maintaining the
confidentiality of
our respondents
and our
research clients.
Senior staff are
committed to
serving our
industry
associations

9. 9
R3 VET: Reputation, RESPONSE, References,
Value, Expertise, Timeliness
Quality of the Proposal
Response
 Responsiveness to the RFP
 Quality of writing
 Organization of content
 Comprehensiveness
 Creativity of the approach
 Visual appeal
 Ability to meet deadlines
 Competitiveness
(pricing/added value)
For example, some firms demonstrate
possible techniques e.g. Brand Maps

10. 10
R3 VET: Reputation, Response,
REFERENCES,
Value, Expertise, Timeliness
References/Testimonials
 Specific company name
 Specific client name and
contact info
 Similar industry (e.g.
association references for an
association)
 Similar applications (e.g. new
product research example for a
new product RFP)
“With the adept guidance and
strategy of Shugoll Research, I was
able to isolate those issues with
our membership program that were
slowing our progress and costing
us members!”
- Danielle St.Germain-Gordon, Vice
President/Institutional
Advancement, American
Association of Museums

11. 11
Project
costs for
methodolo
gy
requested
by client in
RFP
Costs for
optional
value
added
Added
Value
R3 VET: Reputation, Response, References,
VALUE, Expertise, Timeliness
Value (Pricing/Fee)
 Competitiveness
 Provides added value
 Billing requirements
Online
quantitative
survey plus
report
$XX
MaxDiff
Analysis
$YY
Social Media
Listening
$AA

12. 12
References,
Value, EXPERTISE, Timeliness
Expertise/Credibility of the Team
Relationship Management
 Listen well and understand
client's needs
 Good communications skills
 The team asks questions that
clearly articulate the business
problem
 The team understands the
project objectives
 The team asks how the study
results will be used
 The team asks the client to
state their hypotheses upfront
 The team answers questions
promptly and in a way that is
easy to understand
 Chemistry or relationship style
fit
Team Potential
 The team is creative/can think
outside the box
 The team is flexible if or when
project parameters change
 The team's credibility for
presenting results
 Report content and format
 The team's analytical
capabilities
Team Experience
 The team has experience with
various research
APPLICATIONS, particularly
the one you need
 The team has experience with
the latest research/data
collection METHODOLOGIES
 The team has business
experience
 Understanding of new
communications channels and
technologies
Team Knowledge
 The team has knowledge of
the industry category
 Educational background
and/or certifications of team
members

13. 13
R3 VET: Reputation, Response, References,
Value, Expertise, TIMELINESS
Project Timeliness
 Reasonable timetable for
completing the scope of work
 Ability to be flexible e.g. interim
deliverables
Example Project Timeline Date
Contract Signed and Project Kick-Off Call 4/1 - 4/7
Questionnaire Design 4/8 - 4/22
Survey Programmed for Online Administration 4/22 - 4/25
Program Testing and “Soft Launch” 4/26 - 4/30
Data Collection 5/1 - 5/12
Data Analysis and Tabulation 5/13 - 5/18
Preparation of Final Report 5/19 - 6/1
Summary Of Key Deliverables:
Contract 4/1
Questionnaire 4/22
Data Tables 5/18
Final Report 6/1

14. 14
What Are the Trends in Marketing Research?
Apps Based
Research
Behavioral
Economics
Biometric
Response
Crowdsourcing
Ethnography/
Observational
Research
Eye Tracking Facial analysis Gamification
Mobile
Surveys/
Qualitative
MROCS
Neuromarketin
g
Prediction
Markets
Social Media
Analytics
Text Analytics
Virtual
Environments
Visualization
Analytics
Webcam-Based
Interviews
The Latest and Greatest Join the Oldies but
Goodies

15. 15
How Do You Find Career Opportunities in
Market/Marketing Research?
Finding A Career
In
Market/Marketing
Research
Trade
Organizatio
n Events
Profession
al
Associatio
ns
Publications
- Print And
Online
Job
Boards
Social Media/
Networking
Communities
Industry In-
Person
Meetings
• Conferences
• Seminars
• Workshops
• Webinars/virtual
events
e.g. Monster
e.g. AAPOR, AMA,
AMSRO, AMSRS,
AQR, ARF, CASRO,
ESOMAR, IIR, MRA,
MRIA, MRS, NGMR,
New MR, QRCA,
PMRG,
e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter,
Facebook, Google+
e.g. Alert, Daily Research
News, Greenbook/GB
Blog, Greenbook Research
Industry Trends (GRIT),
Marketing News, Quirks,
Research Live, Survey, etc.

16. 16
What Skills Will You Need for a Career in
Market/Marketing Research?
Datacollection
• Brainstorming Skills
• Ideation Skills
• Interviewing Skills
Including Probing
and Clarifying
• Mediation Skills
• Meeting Facilitation
Skills
• Moderating Skills
• Projective
Techniques
• Social Media
Monitoring Skills
• Survey Design Skills
Dataprocessing/interpretation
• Advanced Analytics
• Basic Statistics
• Business Skills
• Marketing Strategy
Skills
Presentation
• Communication
Skills
• Data Synthesizing
Skills
• Software Package
Skills e.g., Advanced
PowerPoint,
SmartArt, Excel and
Other Graphics
Packages
• Writing Skills

17. 17
What Fields of Study Do Market/Marketing
Researchers Pursue?
Fields of
study
Advertising
Research
Methods
Public
Relations
Busine
ss
Anthropolog
y
Sociology
Consume
r
Behavior
Communicatio
ns
Marketin
g
Psycholo
gy