How to obtain really useful measurements
Image is how others see us. It is the cornerstone of the success of any business. If a company’s image is right everything else will follow easily.
Image research is only one part of attitudinal research, other elements being measures of awareness and experience. If, for example, 50 per cent of buyers of office equipment are aware of Bisley and only 20 per cent are aware of Railex, it is clear that the latter is at a relative disadvantage, assuming both companies are selling a range of goods which most companies are likely to need at some time or another.
It is obvious, therefore, that for a company to possess an image, buyers or specifiers must be aware of them. It is not vital that they should have had experience of the product or company. Although you may never have driven a Skoda car, you are likely to have heard of the car and have some sort of image which will influence your likelihood of buying one. It is because image is such a strong influence on the propensity to purchase that it is the cornerstone of a successful business. A good image will encourage sales, a poor image will work against them.
What is a good image? This depends entirely on what face the management of the company wants to project. The BSC may find it advantageous to be seen as a big manufacturer of steel plate. This image of size may place them in a position to compete for very latest orders at home and overseas. Spartan Redheugh of Gateshead on the other hand, is a plate mill which aims to build an image of flexibility – they can handle any sort of plate , in small quantities if need be. To them an image of size would be counter productive as it would discourage the type of customer they seek – one who requires service and is prepared to pay a premium for it.
It is important that every company should ask themselves what image they wish to project and at whom. This article concentrates mainly on researching image among customers, but it is of course possible that a management’s chief concern is its image in the City, with employees, or even among households around its factory.
Customers and potential customers, being the lifeblood of a company, are the most common target for image research. Actual customers should be considered separately from potential customers in an analysis of image as they are two very different groups. Customers have a first hand knowledge of the company, its sales presentations, prices, product design, reliability and after sales service. Their image of it is likely to be more accurate since it is born of experience. Potential customers may have an image which, for all that it is not based on experience, is nevertheless real to them and likely to influence their inclination to buy from the company.
The questionnaire which is used to measure the image of potential customers is likely to be the same in construction as for actual customers but it is more difficult to administer. Potential customers find it hard to understand why they are being questioned about a company from which they do not buy. To their mind it would be far more interesting and sensible to discuss the companies from which they do buy.
The researcher has three techniques for carrying out image research – personal visits, telephone interviews and postal questionnaires. Bearing in mind the need to have a database of at least 200 completed questionnaires (below this figure little confidence can be placed in differences between each company’s image scores), the research sponsor must select the research method after balancing budget against the number of topics to be covered.
The telephone has some limitations for measuring image as it makes difficult the use of prompts – and these are required to stimulate a response. However, the telephone provides a fast and relatively inexpensive check on the more important aspects of image, even though it is not conducive to probing in depth.
“which companies are you aware of that supply twist drills?” FOR EACH COMPANY THAT IS KNOWN “What do you consider to be the strengths of this company as a supplier of twist drills? And what do you consider its weaknesses to be?”
Postal questionnaires have seen more limitations. Their chief advantage is the opportunity which they provide for the respondent to reflect on each question. There is no pressure for an instant reply as is the case on the telephone or face to face. (The instant response is not necessarily the best as it could be ill considered). Decisions to buy industrial products are deliberated long and hard.
The postal questionnaire can be designed to make its completion interesting and even fun. Layout, typestyles and pictures can all be used to liven the questions and improve the quality of the response. However, without complicated and often expensive checkbacks, it is impossible to say whether or not the response is truly representative. A postal survey carried out among truck operators to establish their image of the types of chassis on the market generated a very acceptable 40 per cent useable response, reflecting the interest of the target audience in these products. But a postal survey on industrial cartridges filters produced only a five per cent useable response, even with the backing of a small incentive. Cartridge filters are unfortunately of little interest to industrial buyers.
Face to face interviews provide the opportunity to explore image from many different angles. Respondents can be asked to study prompt cards and even complete certain questions themselves under the “supervision” of the interviewer.
This article is the first part of two. The second part will be published on Wednesday 13th.
For more articles visit www.b2binternational.com/articles.html
This entry was posted
on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 9:49 am and is filed under Articles, Industrial Research, Market Research.
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