Telemarketers, market research, and communicationYou're in the middle of dinner and the phone rings. Again. A pleasant-voiced lady with just a first name wants to ask a few questions for a survey she's doing. Quite frankly, when they phone me I try to dump them as quickly as I can. Still, I've done research projects, too, so I empathize to a point. And I understand the importance of the call. That irritating telemarketer is the tip of a research iceberg, a project of importance to some organization. In this article, we'll explore that iceberg, looking below the surface to the relationship between market research and communication. And, I'm going to explore it from the perspective of the seller (supplier), rather than customer (purchaser). A different view Let's start like economists, by assuming that once upon a time consumers went out into marketplaces and bought things. At the same time, entrepreneurs observed what happened in those markets and produced products and services that met the needs of those consumers. Now, let's look at it like communicators, and ask about the communication dynamics involved here. Well, for starters we might call the behavior of consumers in the marketplace 'enabling information.' When consumer buying patterns and price sensitivities become evident to companies, then enabling communication occurs. Companies are enabled in the sense that this communication allows them to create, develop, and sell products for which there is a paying, and perhaps profitable, market. Call this compliance communication, or feedback that acknowledges consumers' earlier purchases and price sensitivities. Trying to see through muddy water Of course, these signals from the market are notoriously hard to interpret. Much depends on subjective judgements, assumptions, personal predilections, and more. Add to that the fact that consumer preferences change, and can change rapidly. In addition, technology, government action, and factors like globalization alter the competitive landscape and consumers' expectations. All this helps account for many stories of business failure you read about in your newspaper and magazines. The inability to clearly divine customer needs, whether now or in the future, jeopardizes companies and careers. There oughta be better way Given all this it's not surprising many organizations use market research, which we can think of as a tool to clarify or amplify communication from the marketplace. Questionnaires and surveys, when properly designed and administered, give us an insight into consumer behavior. We gain a competitive advantage, for example, by having better enabling information. That enabling information helps us determine what marketers call the Four Ps: People (what market segments to select); Products (what mix of products and services to offer); Prices; and Places (usually a channel strategy).
In summary: Marketplaces communicate many important pieces of information to companies that compete for consumers' money. But, that communication is not always clear, so we clarify or amplify it with market research. Application: If you're planning any kind of initiative that depends on customer or consumer response, consider market research. It's a quick and inexpensive way of finding out whether your interpretation of marketplace communication is correct. And, if you want to live dangerously, answer the telemarketers' questions and see what you can learn in the process. Next, read 10 Reasons to Market with Postcards, go to the marketing communication page, or visit our home page Communication Skills . Contact informationRobert F. AbbottEmail: wordengines@gmail.com or wordengines@gmail.com Telemarketers, Copyright Robert F. Abbott 2009 |