Why buy what you can borrow?

Well research specialists can use very fancy mathematical and statistical tools to gauge on a brand’s reputation and its equity in the market. They can study consumer reaction towards, say a new product recently introduced in the market or a new promotional campaign launched for its target buyers. But that’s not all, they can also go that extra mile and read between data driven insights and identify, who the real final purchase- decision influencer is? Is it the lady of the house who determines which fridge to purchase, or the kid who influences his dad on which television to buy or man of the family who subtly nodes and influences his wife to purchase a specific dress. Research is indeed the job of delayering the multi-tier decision making of the human mind based on various internal & external factors such as cost, availability, status and utility and the list goes on, I can assure you.

But consider for a moment, is the researcher’s core job also to collect samples for his study? Must he connect with each and every sample candidate individually to determine his or her suitability for the study under question? Must he also focus his efforts and energies in reaching to every candidate to complete his sample size? Well, no. this is not how the human race has evolved, work was always divided between teams that take on jobs that they individually specialize in, and rest is well, history.

So why must we have such amplified expectations from research agencies? The corporate revolution strategists have asserted the theories of core competencies time over time. So then it’s time to sit back and think, how will I get breakthrough research insights from an agency that claims to be the jack-of-all-trades?

The answer is clearly out there, there are agencies that specialize in maintaining, profiling, and reaching out to potential or existing consumers who are willing to participate in research studies. So why spend additional resources and technologies in doing the same activity you can achieve with a trusted sample agency alliance. It is after all a core specialization for these agencies to engage & reach out to new consumer samples. Sample agencies that dedicate advanced technologies in studying their sample panels, clearly move higher on the credibility and reliability scale.

So it’s time to get realistic and focused on what your business truly stands for. Is it simply the doer? Or is it the strategist and higher level thinker? As the market mantras go, think sharp and stay ahead in this increasingly competitive research based business environment. After all, numbers will speak for themselves!