Quality qualifications
Editors note: Matthew E. Singer is director of Decision Development Inc., an Evanston, Ill., research firm.
The selection of the right marketing research vendor is critical to the success of your project, and the decision process for organizations that outsource marketing research services can be complex. I will argue in this article that organizations should seek out vendors who adopt a SAFER yet QUIRKY persona. Such providers are more likely to develop into collaborative partners, rather than simply fill a need for resources.
Stable organization
Achievements documented
Fit strategically and culturally
Experience and expertise
Resources accessible
Quality-focused
Understands outsourcing
Individualizes attention
Receptive to feedback
Keeps evolving
Yearns to be the best
Clearly evident
Organizations contract with marketing research vendors for various reasons. The most common reasons cited for awarding projects to individual vendors include acquiring specific capabilities and expertise, satisfying individual client preferences and achieving responsiveness and the highest quality of service for the most economical price. Oftentimes, the initial emphasis of the decision-making process for vendor selection is on objective measures that are clearly evident through interaction with the vendor or can be easily researched.
Based on my own inquiries and discussions with clients over the past few years, I’ve found organizations that outsource gravitate to marketing research vendors who possess tangible evidence for being SAFER. SAFER vendors objectively demonstrate five qualities:
Stable organization
• solid, organized infrastructure
• well-defined processes
• low turnover rate/handles turnover well
• does everything at one site/works with tight network
• customer service-oriented/client focused
• evidence of senior leadership
• retains well-trained/well-seasoned project managers
• empowered project managers
• on firm financial footing
Evidence of a solid infrastructure is typically evident in promotional information published by the vendor (e.g., company Web site, company brochure), intermittent communication from upper management (e.g., press releases, newsletters) and independent reviews (e.g., reports in trade publications, industry news). Look for data regarding number of years in business, annual revenue, organizational charts, professional biographies of principal members and number of years with the company, a clear mission statement, etc.
Achievements documented
• high quality of services/high levels of client satisfaction
• proven track record/positive word of mouth
• reliably manages critical projects
• on-time delivery of services
• excellent value for price
• adheres to project budget
• complies with industry best practices
• develops research methodologies that others mirror
• respected among competitors in the industry
Evidence that a vendor succeeds in areas that drive satisfaction is typically found in client testimonials (e.g., quotations from clients, recordings/videos documenting impressions, feedback from references). Specifically, look for comments pertaining to consistency in meeting timelines for milestones and deliverables (without deviation from proposed budget), meeting or exceeding expectations, as well as a client’s willingness to engage the vendor for future projects. Also, consider any notable achievement awards (e.g., from professional associations, trade journals).
Fit strategically and culturally
• understands client’s unique needs
• shares outlook with client regarding approaches to marketing research and strategy development
• internal processes blend well with those of the client
• relates to client/personality and approach of team members
• has prior experience with client/team members
• demonstrates flexibility/has ability to customize approach when appropriate
• provides a single point of contact/has logical contact points with organizational structure
• exhibits honesty in communication and business practices
Evidence that a vendor will be a good fit strategically and culturally is typically evident in the type, frequency, depth and tone of communication that takes place when a vendor is being formally evaluated in a competitive bidding situation or during informal discussions regarding potential projects (e.g., in conversation, vendor communicates accurate understanding of client needs; in written communication, vendor presents a research plan customized to meet specific client objectives versus an off-the-shelf solution; project manager can be easily reached and has a successful track record with the company).
Experience and expertise
• demonstrates proficiency in working with complex products and highly competitive marketplaces
• has previous category experience, including prior experience with the clients product and prior experience with the competitive set
• exhibits depth of technical expertise: competencies in qualitative and/or quantitative research; experienced in primary and/or secondary research methodologies; utilizes a broad range of measurement instruments and analytic tools; has specialized expertise/offers proprietary research design
• proposals and discussions showcase purposeful thinking and include insightful recommendations that demonstrate a profound understanding of the industry and marketing challenges facing the client
Evidence that a vendor has breadth of expertise can be found in years of experience in a particular industry segment, volume of work completed and type of work a vendor has been engaged in or is actively seeking. Depth of expertise is signaled by its members speaking/leading workshops at regional meetings and national conventions (e.g., American Marketing Association, Qualitative Research Consultants Association, Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Group), serving on executive/steering committees for professional organizations, as well as having a history of publication in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Marketing Research) or well-known industry trade magazines (e.g., Quirk’s, Marketing Research). Additionally, tutorials about research methods published on a company Web site or in white papers, proposal supplements that highlight approaches for questionnaire/survey design, methods for data collection and analysis, or mocked-up reports go a long way to demonstrate capabilities.
Resources accessible
• has adequate staffing
• provides transparency regarding firm resources, the composition of project teams and the background of key team members
• does not outsource critical project elements
• able to field more than one project simultaneously
• able to field multistage projects
• able to handle high volumes of work, even in condensed time frames
• able to respond to rapidly-changing market dynamics by executing research on demand
• able to accommodate changing client needs
• able to reply to all inquiries in timely manner
• able to recruit respondents, even difficult to reach professionals and/or consumers
• able to execute anywhere in the U.S. and/or globally
Evidence that a vendor has sufficient resources to accomplish marketing research objectives is typically found in proposed strategies for research design and execution - most notably timeline/milestones and identification of team members responsible for specific project-related tasks (e.g., number of different team members, location of critical team members, role of each individual). Also, the availability of tools, such as individual client portals on a company Web site where clients can track current progress and access project-related materials in real time, proves successful integration of technology and provides tangible assets for clients beyond human capital. Finally, flexibility and responsiveness also signal that a firm has adequate resources and is capable of adapting.
Watch for signs
Assuming you perceive multiple research vendors are equally talented based on objective measures, it is then helpful to consider business development activities which may explicitly or implicitly demonstrate that a vendor’s reputation is justified. Watch for signs that a vendor is willing to strategically align itself with both short- and long-term objectives of your organization, and that it is responsive, cares about quality and seeks to continuously improve performance and client satisfaction.
Again, based on my own inquiries and discussions with clients, I’ve found organizations that outsource gravitate to marketing research vendors who display a knack for being QUIRKY. These vendors subjectively demonstrate six qualities:
Quality-focused
• trains personnel to ensure skill sets meet project requirements
• seeks and hires individuals with relevant expertise
• proactively identifies problem areas and offers potential solutions
• is forthcoming about any unresolveable situations
• avoids making the same mistakes
• if a non-performer is ever identified on a project team, the individual is quickly replaced
• provides a means for renewable terms of service (based on continuing satisfaction)
• establishes relationships/contracts with a support network to ensure services unavailable in-house are seamlessly provided
Understands outsourcing
• Conducts ongoing inquiries to evaluate changing and emerging needs of the client: locates and develops deep dialogue with key decision makers; listens for and documents unmet needs; identifies factors that most frequently compel the decision to outsource; offers the type of marketing research projects/services most frequently outsourced; satisfies important selection criteria that influence the outcome of the outsourcing decision; understands internal operations/requirements related to the sourcing process
Individualizes attention
• recognizes uniqueness of culture and acknowledges preferences
• commits personnel to projects full-time/ensures consistency in point of contact
• provides higher levels of management involvement/priority over key resources
• offers competitive pricing/consistent rates
• actively monitors the marketplace and regularly updates clients on pertinent industry developments that may impact their business
Receptive to feedback
• creates measures to test for consistency of performance and satisfaction
• solicits feedback from clients to monitor progress
• assesses opinions to determine: which strengths/capabilities are of greatest importance to the client; which weaknesses, if any, could present a barrier to future business
Keeps evolving
• utilizes feedback to improve product and service offerings
• carefully and adequately responds to all questions, concerns or suggestions in a timely fashion
• willing to compromise
• develops operations in areas of strategic importance to the client
• creates tangible synergies from project inception through completion that: decrease the learning curve required to acclimate new project teams/team members to specific client needs and/or staff; shorten timelines; reduce transaction costs; create a more predictable workflow that conforms to internal operations of the client
Yearns to be the best
• enjoys the work and is enthusiastic about every project - a vendor’s enthusiasm should show
• firm immerses itself in the industry and seeks ways to engage the client in interesting and relevant conversations
• serves as resource where the client can turn with questions, when advice is needed or just to talk through an idea
• provides case studies that represent actual engagements/precise examples of ways unique information needs can be efficiently and effectively addressed
• embraces continuing education, not only as a way to benchmark best practices but to ensure its ability to successfully adapt to changing industry dynamics
• vendor’s own marketing efforts effectively convey its value proposition
• in areas of operation where the vendor surpasses the competition, communications highlight strengths/capabilities most important to the client
• in critical areas of operation where the vendor may not currently stack up to the competition, communications highlight efforts to improve expertise and product/service offerings
Frequently change
Marketing research needs frequently change based on the evolution of product lifecycles, new team member preferences and revisions to corporate initiatives. Also, the specific characteristics that outsourcing organizations consider most important in choosing a vendor may vary somewhat from company to company - and even among different team members from the same company. Therefore, it is important to seek a vendor that engages your organization in ongoing dialogue and uses feedback to remain cognizant of continually-changing needs and to determine where to focus its business development efforts.
If a vendor strives to understand important capabilities your organization is seeking now, this likely means the firm’s future product and service offerings will better correspond with your individualized marketing research needs.
Extend beyond
Highly successful marketing research vendors consistently prove to clients that choosing their firm provides benefits that extend beyond the life of a single project. Therefore, when your firm is trying to decide on a marketing research provider keep the following in mind:
1. Objective measures exist that can be used to identify SAFER marketing research vendors. A review of objective measures will ensure that potential vendors stack up favorably on key measures that influence your organization’s outsourcing decision.
2. Subjective feelings you have about a firm can considerably influence your outlook and perspective regarding its qualifications and suitability as a vendor. Client-focused activities and communication are excellent metrics for assessing subjective qualities and identifying vendors with QUIRKY personas.
3. You should use both objective and subjective measures to seek out and partner with vendors who have expertise/capabilities in areas most important to your current business and who are best suited to address the marketing research and strategy development needs of your future business.