Upcoming NorthWest MRA Events

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President’s Message Continued: New year of opportunity, by Amanda Durkee

So can we do a better job of following-through on our new year’s resolutions?

Many research studies have shown that having a buddy system not only increases follow-through on set goals, but it also reduces stress and increases happiness. You are likely working with your colleagues to help keep each other accountable to your internal goals, but it’s also helpful to get objective input from those outside your organization.

As you finalize your goals for 2011, consider enlisting the help of friends and acquaintances in the market research community. This is a great time to reach out and expand your network. Here are a few suggestions of how to do so:

1. Attending local networking events. We’d love to see you out at an MRA event, such as the New Year’s meet and greets in Portland and Seattle. Check out the newsletter below for pictures and a report from these events.

2. Make connections through social networking groups. The NorthWest chapter (“NWMRA”) and National MRA (“Marketing Research Association”) both have groups on LinkedIn—just run a search by either term to find them. Or, if you prefer Facebook, there’s the “NorthWest MRA.”

3. Volunteer your time with the MRA. This could be as simple as signing people in at upcoming events or serving on the 2011-2012 board of directors. (If you are interested, please contact me.)

Here’s to a happy, healthy and successful 2011!

Amanda Durkee

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Guest Article Continued: Research Commoditization – Three Steps to Succeeding in a Radically Different Research World, Brian Cooper

No longer is it acceptable for research agencies to provide field and tab work. To remain competitive in this evolving market, researchers have to provide more than just this “simple” deliverable. Given that the tools and the technology put all researchers on an equal playing field, researchers must adapt to the situation.

There are many approaches to dealing with this fundamental change in the industry. Researchers must look to be partners, vendors must embrace procurement, and researchers must learn how to effectively leverage off-shoring. Integrating some of these fundamentals will create the foundation to create a different type of researcher, a partnership. As research partners we must learn how to differentiate ourselves.

Partnership
“Consultant” is an overused word for researchers trying to extend their services beyond traditional field and tab work. In research, a consultant can be anyone that helps their clients (internal or external) with good research recommendations. In today’s research world, it is important to extend beyond a consulting role and become a strategic partner with the business. Being a business partner is a big leap for researchers as we have too many times forgot about sound research for the sake of business needs. Research is about trade-offs and it is important to determine the best set of conditions that will help your partners solve their business needs.

Being a partner sounds easier than it really is. One way to determine if you are a good partner is to ask yourself, “What three things are you doing in your regular research role to be a good partner?” If you cannot quickly think of three things that you routinely do to be a good partner, then you are probably still just a researcher. Partners have techniques in mind that will help their clients’ improve their business. This applies to both client-side and vendor-side work.

The clients I typically work with are in the technology space, so my three steps are unique to that business, as they should be. My three routine steps are 1 – Subscribe to whatis.com word of the day, 2 – Look at news.com every business day, and 3 – Read technology books on various technical topics (e.g. networking, programming, etc). Notice that none of these are research tasks. These are all focused on my clients’ business. As your research skills grow, you will be able to better leverage your skills with the knowledge you have of your clients’ business. Only then will you be a true partner.

Procurement
Embrace procurement. Procurement is pervasive in our research world. No matter how pushy procurement is, you still need to make a profit. If they ask for hourly rates, give it to them. If they ask for the number of hours required to complete a project, provide it to them. You should be in tune with what is required to make a profit in your business. If you are, then you know what the thresholds are for making a profit or losing money. If procurement pushes you beyond a point in which you can no longer make a profit you need to say “NO”. If you are engaged with procurement, then that most likely means your client has selected you as a vendor. Use that as reassurance when negotiating with procurement.

Off-shoring
Researchers have not been known for moving fast. The market research world might be one of the last areas of the business world to embrace off-shoring. This is unfortunate because there are many mundane tasks that can be outsourced to cheaper resources throughout the world. This works for both clients and vendors. Tasks like coding, data entry, banner decks, and survey programming can all be outsourced at a fraction of the cost of doing the work in the US.

Client researchers can better demonstrate their value by looking at these clever ways to reduce their costs. Clients can push their vendors to use outsourcing or may have simple tasks that they can quickly push to their off-shore partners. For vendors, this is a no-brainer. This approach will help keep costs low and also lower the costs to clients allowing you to be more competitive. Hopefully you will not encounter a message like, “You lost the bid because your costs were too high.”

The research world has evolved to the point where words like complicated, difficult, and black-box are no longer part of our vernacular. Everyone has access to the same set of research tools, making research accessible to everyone. Sure, some are better than others at research, but that does not stop people from conducting research. Given the ubiquity of research tools, competitive pricing threats, and the evolving information demands of clients (both internal and external), researchers are changing the way they work with their clients. If you do not adapt to these market changes, your business will not succeed.

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