You don’t need eyes - you need vision
The world is changing fast at the moment. Against that fluid, uncertain backdrop it is more important than ever to keep ahead of your competition, anticipate clients’ needs and react quickly to external forces impacting on your reputation.
Sitting in the dark, awaiting the results of your annual customer or stakeholder survey no longer cuts it. It is most likely too slow, is often tracking attributes that are no longer the right business value drivers and is rarely used as a call to action to inform business activity. To tweak an old adage - there is little point in trying to drive your ‘research’ car by looking in the rear view mirror – you have to keep your eyes on the road in front of you!
Organisations need to be more switched on than ever to the changing dynamics of their marketplace. We are seeing more and more demand for primary research that is seeking to shine a light on client’s and stakeholders’ opinions and needs more directly than ever before.
As a result, many communications tools initially designed for the consumer market are now being taken up by business-to-business organisations. If implemented well with the latest technology these methods can be cost effective, achieve results quickly, can refocus the company, build reputations and ultimately create a competitive advantage. Our experience across marketing and communications has placed us well to advise clients and implement a medley of primary research projects in the B2B realm. Whether it’s focus groups, street surveys, online questionnaires, filming vox pop interviews on the street or web enabled clips, what was confined to consumer marketing departments, has suddenly got a much broader appeal.
With new technology, the digital world enables what used to be a very timely and costly process to become easier and more accessible. Primary research can be carried out quickly and directly to your key audiences.
The results can be surprising. When companies do take the brave step and start talking with their clients, it is amazing how often the very act creates a new culture of openness, and then galvanises both the client and the company to develop a better relationship and understanding.
Taking the voice of your customer into your business can create a ripple effect leading to an open minded, questioning and a more thought provoking environment. It may even provide trust around job security to your staff if they can see that customers genuinely have a need, and even a love, for the product or service you are providing. In a difficult market it can give a well deserved boost to the organisation.
Due to the immediacy of these adapted research techniques, they can be used effectively to track market changes and allows your key stakeholders to know you care about them and are forward thinking. By taking the time to understand them - they understand you better, which all works towards a competitive advantage.
We know that we must all be more responsive to the needs of our customers more than ever before. Deploying some of the research skills and experiences from a consumer marketing environment into the B2B world is providing some of that extra collateral to gain real depth of client knowledge.
It’s a simple concept. Use your vision to become really focused on your client. Learn from them and let them help you through the mists of this changing world. Then you stand a fighting chance of emerging from the gloom ahead of the field.
