Talking to Your Customers

Marketing research will not be complete without

talking directly to the target customers.
• It is good to estimate numbers such as
market size, market share, and other
general market assumptions, but the best
way to fully understand the customers is
to ask them about their specific thoughts
and desires.
• A marketing research should first have a solid
objective, which states the research's purpose.
From this objective, will identify the appropriate
research activities, tools, and samples that will set
the scope and limitation of the research project.
• Next is to analyze proper timing for research
execution. This is important because the
entrepreneur will be able to get maximum
results when he or she identifies the
respondent's answering pace.
• Last is to establish a market research
design that will effectively implement
the steps mentioned. Depending on the
objective, responses are either
qualitative or quantitative.
• Qualitative research includes
identifying the written or spoken
opinions of customers, whereas
quantitative research involves
analyzing the customers' preferences
by using relevant statistics (such as
those in surveys).
4 Most Common Methods of Collecting
Data from the Target Customers

1. Interview
2. Focus Group Discussion
3. Observation
4. Survey
The Interview
Interview
• Is one of the most reliable and credible ways
of getting relevant information from the
target customers.
• It is a face-to-face contact between the
researcher/entrepreneur and a respondent
where the researcher asks pertinent
questions that will give him significant pieces
of information about the problem that he
will solve.
• It is a credible way of getting information
because the researcher will be able to
capture not just verbal but also the
nonverbal answers.
Advantage Disadvantage
Even if the business has Interviews are often
already started, the expensive, especially if
entrepreneur will still be the number of
able to gain customers' respondents is large.
feedback that can
provide him a glimpse of
what the customers think
about the business.
 Disadvantage (Solution)

Apply sampling, which is the selection of

respondents that statistically represent the
total population.
2 Main Types of Interview

Unstructured
• Is an informal type of interview and does not
follow a specific set of questions.
• It is a preparatory interview to gather ideas about
the problem(s) that will be solved,so that these
issues will be considered in the formal survey
questionnaire to be presented to the respondents
later.
• The respondent can answer freely
including everything that he or she feels
about the issues raised, so long as these are
related to the questions being asked by the
researcher.
• It produces qualitative data.
Structured

• It employs a specific set of questions and

produces quantitative data.
• A prearranged questionnaire with specific
questions usually answerable by yes or no
(closed-ended),forced ranking,multiple choice,
or choose-the-best will be answered by the
respondents.o
• It does not allow the interviewer and the
responder to omit or add questions, nor
change the sequence or how the questions
are worded.
 Similarities

• The researcher has to be very objective

and avoid biases to come up with
partial answers.
• He or she should be able to raise
relevant questions that can directly
give appropriate answers to the
research objective(s).
There are many challenges in an interview. Here
are the ff.:

1. The first challenge involves setting an

appointment with an interviewee, which includes
asking the respondent's permission.
2.) The second challenge involves the
respondent's indifference to how they share
their opinions.
3.) The third challenge involves getting unbiased
answers from the respondents'. Factors for such a
challenge includes limited memory or
forgetfulness, difficulty of the questions and the
environment.
Observation
Observation
• Is one of the preferred and practical
methods of generating ideas because
the researcher documents the
behavioral patterns of people or of
objects or events without necessarily
requiring them to participate in the
research process.
• It is reliable because it allows the researcher to
see the real and actual behavior of customers
rather than hearing what they say.
• The key to observation is that the researcher
must be keen and accurate on what he or she
really wants to observe-he or she must have a
very clear objective.
Observation can performed by
either:
Human Observer Machine observer
It records information as It employs an equipment
it occurs or as it happens (e.g., video camera or
using his or her five computer) to record the
senses. information needed.
 Examples of human observation:

1. Customer purchase patterns

This human observation technique uses

the researcher to understand the buying
behavior of the customers such as
determining their pain points, buying
patterns, location, price,or promotion.
Application to a Printing Business

The human observer will count and

rank the type of printing jobs
requested by the customers per month
(e.g., calendars, posters, student
publications, invitations).
2. Mystery shopping

This is a common practice of service

business today where the researcher
pretends he or she is a customer of
his or her own business or the
competitor's.
Application to a laundry business

The human observer will bring his

or her laundry bag to a competitor
and validate if the service provider
counts the clothes and if the same
will be delivered completely.
 Examples of machine observation:

1. Video cameras or closed-circuit television (CCTV)

These are positioned within the business

premises. They record the customers in
their organic shopping or service
behavior.
Application to a gym business

The machine observer (the video

camera) will record the behavior of
gym members as to which gym
equipment is used more often.
2. Traffic counters

These are very common machine

observers used by researcher to
determine foot traffic or vehicular
traffic in a particular location.
Application to a convenience store business

The traffic counter needs to determine

how many people pass by the area to
determine if the entrepreneur can
meet sales targets.
3. Web analytics

This is an online tool that tracks the

performance of a Web site as to the
members of its visitors, the contents
they usually access, and other
information relevant to the Web site
owner.
Application to online buy-and-sell business

The researcher will use Web

analytics to track how many
visitors click on the features of
the website, the content they
usually access, and where they
geographically located.
4.) Barcode scanners

These machines help researchers

understand the purchase behavior of
the customers by reading the product
codes and generate relevant sales
information.
Application to supermarket business

A barcode scanner is usually being

used by groceries or convenience
stores and supermarkets to analyze
the customers' purchase behavior
and inclinations.
5.) GPS technology

This technology allows tracking of

vehicles and pedestrians exposed
to out-of-home advertisements.
Application to a fast food restaurant

Owners of fast food restaurants will

be able to determine where to
strategically position their tall
signage so that it will be seen by
more passing vehicles and
pedestrians.
Observation only becomes a relevant research
tool if it meets the following conditions:

1.) If the person, object, or event is indeed

observable.

2.) If the person does the activity

regularly or the event happens on a
regular basis.
3.) If doing an interview or FGD is becoming
intrusive of the privacy of the person.

4.) If the subject of observation does

not take too long to produce relevant
information.
Traditional and Online
Surveys
Survey
• Is the process of getting answers from a
sample of respondents derived from a
particular population.
• Is very simple and practical to run because it
requires preparation of predetermined
questions answerable by definite responses
using equitable scales.
• When it comes to quantitative research,
taking surveys is essential.
• Depending on the objective of the survey,
the respondents will be given a
questionnaire asking about their
awareness level.
Some of the traditional ways to conduct a
survey are the ff.:

1.) Telephone

2.) Face-to-face interaction

3.) Snail mail

The emerging and more efficient way of
conducting a way through the Internet (online)
are the ff.:

1.) E-mails

2.) Web sites

3.) Social media sites

In preparation for the survey, the researcher
must identify the ff.:

1.) Sampling Techniques

A sample is a percentage of a specific population
carefully chosen by the researcher to generally
represent the whole population. When the entire
population is relatively small,the researcher may
choose to include the whole population in the
research project. This method is called census.
Sampling techniques include:

Probability Sampling Nonprobability Sampling

• Is a technique wherein • It does not give the
samples are given samples equal chances
equitable chances or of being selected,
nonnzero chances of because samples are
being selected from a instead selected
population. according to their
accessibility or personal
choice of the
researcher.
Probability Sampling

• The researcher needs to apply

randomization, wherein he or she
needs to assure that every sample has
an equal representation for the
selection process to be unbiased.
• In this technique, sampling error can
be identified. Sampling error is a range
of inaccuracy to which a sample might
vary from the particular population.
 Nonprobability Sampling

• The scale of error where the sample

deviates from the population is
unidentified.
 2.) Sample size

The researcher must be able to

calculate first the appropriate sample
size in conducting the survey.
 3.) Questionnaire blueprint
Here are some tips on how create a blueprint for the
questionnaire:
a. Be specific and direct with the questions and the
answers required.
b. Be flexible with the respondents' convenient
way of answering the questionnaires.
c. Ensure that each question is necessary and not
repetitive.
d. Always put yourself in the shoes of your
respondents.
e. Make sure that questions are arranged in a
coherent order that will lead to the answers
required.

f. The questionnaire should look professional,

be divided into strategic parts, and be
properly numbered.