Previously I spoke about the iceberg principle which states that only 10% of a problem’s true nature is visible to decision makers. It is the 90% that lies below the surface that offers market researchers the greatest opportunity to do good for our organizations.
In order to reach a comprehensive problem definition useful for guiding our research efforts we have to put on our detective hats and get out onto the streets. By this I mean we need to start by interviewing stakeholders to assess their take on the problem. In my 20+ years in marketing research I can honestly say that seldom will you come across a problem that is one-dimensional. Invariably, the issue will involve more than one stakeholder and there will likely be more than one agenda. As consumer and B2B market researchers it is our mission to distill these overlapping agendas and sets of personal needs into a research question that can be properly answered through primary or secondary research.
The process of getting to the core research question involves give and take, but when your question is finalized and the key stakeholder(s) has signed off you will have an outline to guide your guide your initiative. What makes an actionable research question? The answer to that involves the old who, what, where, how and why. I would also include “when”. Some sample research questions include:
- What is the relationship between customer satisfaction and changes in market share?
- To what extent are our poor sales figures related to performance measures for our sales force?
- Are there geographic differences in brand awareness and can these differences be linked to regional advertising spend?
- How will current and prospective customers react to potential user-interface changes on our website?
- Why are members of the customer service team leaving the company and what factors can be improved to increase employee retention?
Research questions can be multi-faceted, but they should maintain a focus that allows the researcher to develop data collection strategies designed to provide stakeholders with actionable information. Keep the simple, but also ensure they are complete.