Research involves collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data and opinions to explore issues, solve problems, and predict trends. I have an extensive research background and provide research services to government departments and agencies, national research facilities, authors, universities, non-profits, corporations, think tanks, and international associations. Researchers is conducted through interviews, questionnaires, focus groups and a variety of information sources; the target audience and the specific type of information desired affects the choice of data collection methods.
B2B Research
Survey customers to uncover potential success stories for use as testimonials or case studies
Avoiding the mistake most companies – big and small – make when talking client benefits
Most companies who have put some research into marketing understand that the first step of marketing is clearly defining who your target market is. Without recognizing who your best prospects are – and knowing them inside and out – you’ll waste a lot of blood, sweat and tears – not to mention money - marketing to those who will never buy from you.
These days, most businesses put in the time and effort into identifying their best target markets. They clearly define them looking to get narrower and as specific in their definitions as possible. They explore their objectives, key pain points and potential buying objections and ensure that these are being addressed in their marketing communications.
But here’s the key – and potentially costly mistake – that many companies are making. They assume they know or are able to identify the benefits of their product or service to their target market. And the problem is in that assumption. They have taken the time to identify the benefits to clients, but, most often, they have done it from their point of view. In other words, their marketing team has sat around a table and come up with a list of client objectives, their key pain points and their buying objections (the latter usually based on clients who didn’t buy from them).
Many companies don’t know they’re clients as well as they think – and it’s costing them. The business is wasting its marketing dollars and missing out on opportunities to talk authentically to its clients and easily attract more clients – and taking the chance of not providing the services in the way that clients needs and wants.
Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this. You simply ask your clients why they purchased your product or service and the benefits they received. Specifically, you start with your ‘gold’ clients (those clients who are bringing in the most money into your business either directly through purchases or indirectly – for example, by talking you up and sending referrals your way). You ask them why they buy from you. What caused them to make the initial decision to go with your company? What keeps them buying from you? What do they tell others about your company? Then carefully record that information. As you get enough responses back, you can begin to identify the patterns in what your clients describe as your benefits as well as the language they use to express those benefits. Both the language and benefits are very valuable – you begin to incorporate them into your marketing materials and now your company has the tools it needs to attract more gold clients – in a very easy and natural way. Such research will pay dividends many times over by enabling you to go to market with messages that truly resonate with your target market.