The more you know, the better the interview is likely to be. Preparation is, therefore, critical for quality market and business research.
A. Knowing the Market.How is this market defined? How do we wish to view this market? How does the market view itself? Who are the customers? What do they sell? To whom do they sell? What are their product and services. |
| Products | Participants |
|---|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Who knows? | |||
B. Knowing the Value/Supply ChainHow is this industry structure? What is the value/supply chain structure? Who sells what to whom for what products? Why do they sell the products along a particular chain? At what point do products loss they identity? |
| Product Groups | Flow Diagram |
|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Who knows? | |||
C. What Respondents?Whom should we interview and why? Who knows the information we seek? Who are the decision makers? Who influences the decisions? |
| Function | Type of Organization | Information |
|---|---|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Who knows? | |||
D. Knowing the Respondents' Businesses |
| Before speaking to the respondents it is important to understand who they are and what they do. This information is often available from your "host", usually salesperson, consultant, service personnel or manager. |
1. What Do They Do?The respondents participate within his organization. They have specific functions which effects their outlook and values. Furthermore, the organization is in a specific business with specific and, usually specified, customers and contacts. The product produced and the customers served also effect the respondent's outlook and limits his knowledge. |
| Specific Respondent | Organization | Function | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
2. The Size of OperationsThe size of the respondents' organization effects the value and importance of the information provided. As such, it is important to understand the size of the operation. |
| Firm/Organization | Site/Group | Production | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Will the respondent tell us? | |||
| ¤ Absolutely | ¤ His opinion only | ¤ A guess | ¤ Don't Know |
3. His CustomersWho are your respondents customers? What do the respondents' customers purchase (products and services)? Why do they select him over his competition? |
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Will the respondent tell us? | |||
| ¤ Absolutely | ¤ His opinion only | ¤ A guess | ¤ Don't Know |
4. The Respondents' LexiconWhat are the key words and phrases that are unique to this market and the technology that they use to describe their products, processes and faults? |
| Product Phrase | Definition |
|---|---|
| Process Phrase | Definition |
|---|---|
| Fault Phrase | Definition |
|---|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Will the respondent tell us? | |||
| ¤ Absolutely | ¤ His opinion only | ¤ A guess | ¤ Don't Know |
5. Positioning the RespondentWhere in the organization are the respondents? What is their function? What are their authority? |
| Respondents | Organization | Function | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| How confident are you? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ¤ Very Sure | ¤ Confident | ¤ Somewhat Uncertain | ¤ Don't Know |
| Will the respondent tell us? | |||
| ¤ Absolutely | ¤ His opinion only | ¤ A guess | ¤ Don't Know |