First things first

Editor's note: Adam Warner is the director of the Market Research Center at Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J., a marketing professor and president of marketing research firm Warner & Associates Consulting. 

Every research client wants their results ASAP. However, the key to a successful research project is not a quick start but a smart start. Preparation is critical. Before jumping in with both feet, first things first: What question do you want to answer? What problem are you trying to solve?

It’s tempting to jump right in and skip over this step. Don’t. 

Albert Einstein has lots of wonderful quotes attributed to him but this was of his best: “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” This is often the opposite of what we do as marketing research consultants. We want to figure out the solution even before we get started. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious but it’s important to define the problem and create a thoughtful business issue/question BEFORE trying to figure out a solution. (Please note: In this article, we sometimes refer to the key business issue, question or problem interchangeably.)

We often see both clients and researchers hustle to get a project underway before aligning on the key business issue. This is a recipe for disaster. Without a clear question to guide the research that all key stakeholders agree upon you’ll get suboptimal results. In addition, you’ll often be dealing with a moving target in terms of objectives because you didn’t align on a key question at the outset.

At Seton Hall University, we conduct about 15-18 real-world marketing research projects each semester. Students in a marketing research course partner with businesses to address a specific business challenge. At the kickoff meetings, the first step for each team of students and their business partner(s) is to align on a key business issue. 

Sounds easy, but often it is a significant challenge to get the group on the same page with a focused business issue or question. Everyone is so anxious to get started and figure out “the answer” that they don’t always take their time on this important initial step. Typically, the first attempts at creating a business issue usually yield a very non-specific question, one that doesn’t provide the focus needed for a successful project.

Start brainstorming 

When kicking off a project and trying to develop a focused business issue, we use giant Post-it Notes and big markers. Stick the Post-its on the wall and start brainstorming with all the relevant stakeholders to formulate that key question. This way everyone sees the question as it’s being developed and the iterations it goes through. Once you have a solid, first-pass attempt written, then revise, revise and revise some more until everyone says “YES, that’s it!” Then hold hands with your team and clients and sing Kumbaya. (The holding hands and singing Kumbaya part is optional. But if it helps…)

Here’s a painting analogy for you. Think about painting a room in your home. Anybody can paint! You just hold the brush, dip and paint. It’s easy, right? Wrong! Preparation is needed for a successful paint job. You’ve got to move the furniture, cover electrical outlets, buy the proper paint and brushes, test the color, etc. Skip these steps and you’re asking for problems.

Preparation is key for a successful research project as well. Some other important things to do during that upfront stage of your project:

  • Background. Understand your client, their industry and competitive landscape.
  • Past info. Review any relevant data or history.
  • Resources. Identify resource constraints.
  • Next steps. What will the decision-maker(s) do with the information?

So now you’ve reviewed these topics with your clients, done your due diligence, gotten the appropriate background and asked lots of questions. Assuming you’ve already created that initial issue, then it’s time to revisit it. Take your time and fine-tune that key business issue/question. Prioritize. Ensure that your market research team is on the same page with your clients (internal or external). 

Remember: This key business question really needs to be right on target. Don’t just develop objectives, actually create a single guiding question in partnership with your clients. Look at it again. Beat it up. Make it a great question that everyone can align on. Do a gut check. Ask your clients: “If the market research answers this question, will that be a home run?” If not, go back to the drawing board (or the large Post-it Notes) and revise again.

The more specific you are in formulating your business issue/question, the better. Precisely defining the problem you want to solve leads to a better outcome. 

Here’s a fictitious example to demonstrate the need for specifics when creating a key business issue/question to guide your market research project:

Situation: Jimmy’s Pub & Burger has experienced flat sales over the past two years and wants to understand how to grow its business, particularly for the lunch crowd and especially with the local university population.

Key business issue/question attempt #1: We want more business.

Weak. Join the club. Everyone wants more business. You need to be lot more specific.

Key business issue/question attempt #2: Jimmy’s Pub & Burger wants more college customers.

Slightly better (but still weak). This is still not a question and needs to be a lot more specific.

Key business issue/question attempt #3: How can Jimmy’s Pub & Burger in South Orange, N.J., better understand key drivers of business and grow its lunchtime traffic with the nearby Seton Hall University community?

Much better. Now your business issue is in the form of a specific question. (Make sure your client and your team are fully aligned on an actionable issue before moving onto any next steps.)

One more important upfront item: scope. What is IN scope for your project and, equally as important, what is OUT of scope? Answering these questions at the beginning of a research project is crucial and can save anguish down the road. When a client has multiple objectives in mind, it’s important to have a candid discussion about what is feasible and what isn’t.

Another expression I love that can be related to the importance of prep work in a market research project: Don’t try to boil the ocean. In other words, FOCUS. 

We all love our clients and their “challenges,” right? However, typically, just like you, clients are juggling many balls at one time. They’ve got high hopes a research project will find that magic bullet to provide “The Answer” to their business challenges. That’s great. However, it’s critical to focus. Don’t try to boil the ocean by attempting to accomplish too much with a single project. You don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver. Make sure your project goals are clear and attainable. Deliverables and recommendations are valuable to clients when they are actionable. Don’t lose sight of this!

To illustrate further, wouldn’t we all love to deliver a market research project that does the following?

  • Fixes the client’s website
  • Improves their social media outreach across multiple platforms
  • Enhances messaging and communication to attract new customers
  • Develops tactics to make current customers more frequent users
  • Creates strategies to differentiate the client’s products/services from competitors

Yes! That would be a great project indeed! However, it is highly unlikely that a single project could accomplish all of these objectives. So … be sure and FOCUS. 

Will Leopold, a friend, market research colleague and member of our Seton Hall University Market Research Center advisory board, reminded me of another wonderful expression: “Measure twice and cut once.” Time and money are precious commodities when conducting a market research project and you don’t want to waste either. I had heard “measure twice and cut once” previously when conducting tele-depth interviews with orthopedists and neurosurgeons about surgical saws. Makes a lot of sense. Do-overs are not good in surgery OR market research.

Pay dividends

Take care of the key upfront prep work BEFORE starting your market research project. It will pay dividends in the end! 

To recap, remember:

  • First things first: Realize the prep work is critical to the success of a project. Don’t shortchange the process by skipping ahead or rushing through this key step.
  • What question do you want to answer? Take your time and develop the specific question you want the research to address. Get everyone on the same page BEFORE kicking off your project.
  • Specifics: Be specific when developing your key business issue/question. More specific = better! 
  • Focus: Don’t try to boil the ocean. With your clients, align on what you want to accomplish in the project and what’s in and what’s out of scope.