There is no doubt that there are many unhappy marriages between manufacturers and their distributors and that the commonest causes of friction are misunderstandings as to when and where this channel should be used and how to get the best out of it. ...
A successful postal survey is one which achieves an accurate and high response. The design of the postal questionnaire is the key to that achievement and this article looks at some ways of maximising the response of postal research - and its practica ...
Interviewing is the key element in nearly all industrial market research surveys. It dictates the accuracy and depth of information obtained and very often leads to conclusions and recommendations involving thousands of pounds worth of plant and hund ...
The two disciplines of b2b and b2c market research, though employing many of the same research tools and techniques, both have very differing requirements, traits and skillsets. In this short article, we outline some of the core differences between b ...
Using distributors as an alternative to selling direct is very far from being a soft option, though it may be inevitable. Here we consider the manufacturer distributor relationship and look at its three commonest problems. ...
A research brief is a statement from the sponsor setting out the objectives and background to the case in sufficient detail to enable the researcher to plan an appropriate study. As a general rule a market research study is only as good as the brief. ...
Increasingly distributors are replacing direct salesforces in industrial marketing. They cost less, they absolve the manufacturer from the burdens of credit control and they provide a wide geographical spread of stocking points. But, how can the prin ...
This article discusses the different insights that tend to arise in different geographies. In particular, how do the critical marketing success factors in the developing and developed worlds differ from each other? ...
It's so easy to do, and so useful, that it's amazing more companies don't do it. Profiling the competition plays an important role in four decision making areas: product planning, setting future strategies, pricing and acquisition policy. ...
Postal surveys have a very bad image, so much so that by far the majority of industrial marketers dismiss them as being inappropriate as a research technique. However, postal surveys have an important role to play in industrial marketing research as ...