Comments on: Need Research? Think Independently http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/ Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:50:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Hans De Keulenaer http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/comment-page-1/#comment-18023 Hans De Keulenaer Sat, 22 Sep 2007 07:41:45 +0000 http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/#comment-18023 The action is not necessarily where the budgets are spent. When collecting quotations for market research, the variation of offers can be up to a factor 10. For example, if you have a market research question for the Russian market, you could ask a quote from an international research firm, based in NY, or contract a local company. That's likely to produce a difference of at least one zero. The international research company may very well use the same local company, but the difference in cost results from overheads, quality controls, ... Some large consulting firms use so much resources on customer acquisition that you know you've already used the first year's budget on the quotation. If your market research needs are many and frequent, such as for example with industry associations, managing your our research needs, using smaller companies in combination with web-based intelligence and surveys can be a very powerful combination. The action is not necessarily where the budgets are spent. When collecting quotations for market research, the variation of offers can be up to a factor 10. For example, if you have a market research question for the Russian market, you could ask a quote from an international research firm, based in NY, or contract a local company. That’s likely to produce a difference of at least one zero. The international research company may very well use the same local company, but the difference in cost results from overheads, quality controls, …

Some large consulting firms use so much resources on customer acquisition that you know you’ve already used the first year’s budget on the quotation.

If your market research needs are many and frequent, such as for example with industry associations, managing your our research needs, using smaller companies in combination with web-based intelligence and surveys can be a very powerful combination.

]]> By: B2B International http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/comment-page-1/#comment-17835 B2B International Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:24:44 +0000 http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/#comment-17835 Jenson - thanks for your comment. This is an excerpt from an article published by indepenconsultants.org and is based on interviews with research buyers. I do think that there is defintely a distinction to be made between the quality of return from small research agencies and consultancies. However, I would argue the case that sometimes it is 'horses for courses' and large agencies can be culpible for offering 'off the shelf solutions' far too often. Jenson – thanks for your comment. This is an excerpt from an article published by indepenconsultants.org and is based on interviews with research buyers.

I do think that there is defintely a distinction to be made between the quality of return from small research agencies and consultancies. However, I would argue the case that sometimes it is ‘horses for courses’ and large agencies can be culpible for offering ‘off the shelf solutions’ far too often.

]]> By: Jensen http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/comment-page-1/#comment-17810 Jensen Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:55:54 +0000 http://www.b2binternational.com/b2b-blog/2007/09/17/need-research-think-independently/#comment-17810 I'm not sure if you are offering suggestions or stating fact, but I don't agree that independent consultants are valued for their creativity while large agencies are seen as stodgy, slow moving and unable to understand the big picture. All you have to do to see that this is not an accurate view of research buyers perceptions is to look at where they are spending their money. It's not at the small independant firms, but the large ones. I’m not sure if you are offering suggestions or stating fact, but I don’t agree that independent consultants are valued for their creativity while large agencies are seen as stodgy, slow moving and unable to understand the big picture. All you have to do to see that this is not an accurate view of research buyers perceptions is to look at where they are spending their money. It’s not at the small independant firms, but the large ones.

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