A look at both sides of the B2B research process

Editor’s note: Ruth McNeil is managing director of Response Consulting Ltd., a London research firm.  This article is adapted from McNeil’s book Business to Business Market Research, published by Kogan Page (www.koganpage.com ).

Many who commission business-to-business (B2B) research have specialist knowledge of their sector or industry but relatively little direct experience of B2B research or of the potential benefits, drawbacks or pitfalls of market research in general. Larger companies such as American Express, FedEx, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia and HSBC are likely to have in-house B2B market research specialists (and perhaps sector specialists within the B2B market). However, many companies - even sizeable ones (in industrial sectors, for example) - do not have staff with this expertise. Hence, it is a good idea for those undertaking B2B research to gain some understanding of the research process and what might be achieved. In particular, if external agencies are used, it is important that they feel they are in good hands.

What it is like being a B2B client?

Many B2B clients are not themselves researchers, and often feel rather in the dark about what is expected of them and what they should do. For example, one of my projects was for a government-affiliated agency operating across the world. The IT department wrote the brief (RFP, or request for proposal) and was sponsoring the research, but had no intimate knowledge of research practice. In circumstances like these, it is critical that the proposal is clear, that it outlines the design and assumptions, the expected outcomes, and that it explains the technical terms used. The proposal should provide process charts with “who does what” (client or researcher) laid out clearly so there is no mistaking what the research will be covering, what the different roles/responsibilities are, and what the likely output and timetable will be.

Responsibilities of the B2B client

What are the steps and tasks that the B2B client needs to look after? The main responsibilities are covered below:

1. Explore with the internal client the main reasons for undertaking the research (qualification of the problem or business issue at hand), and what, if any, budget limitations or timelines may apply.

2. Draw up a brief (or RFP), with due internal consultation. It must explain clearly the background to the issue, what the issue is, and give information on any previous relevant research, known limitations, and any suggestions about how the research might be best approached. For example, “We would suggest adopting a qualitative approach here as the sample is so small and individuals are difficult to get hold of.”

3. If external help is required select individuals or agencies from whom a proposal is requested.

4. Assess incoming proposals in response to the brief in relation to criteria such as understanding (not just restating) the specific concerns and issues at hand, knowledge shown of the sector or market and previous experience (of this or analogous problems in a different category), research design, suggested techniques to assist an understanding of the issue at hand, and ability to undertake the project in time and on budget.

5. Commission the research and coordinate paperwork with internal accounts; sort out and pre-book currency if the research is multinational and this is an issue.

6. Allocate a single contact point for market research liaison (and sometimes a specific team in the client company whose input can be used). This individual will be responsible for coordinating input to the process, reviewing and approving things like the final research design, screening criteria, topic guide, questionnaires developed, expert briefing papers (on language, technical terms, etc.). He or she should attend any briefing of interviewers (if desired), and ask for regular updates from the agency in terms of field process, such as number of interviews completed and reporting progress.

For very large projects, different coordinating “hubs” may be needed regionally or divisionally instead of just one single contact point. A corporate-wide employee commitment study undertaken by an Australian colleague provides a good example. At the beginning of the project, a steering committee was established comprising the MR manager, the HR manager, and four members representing key business divisions and separately-operating company units. Further, project leaders were chosen in each division to facilitate information about the research project and to encourage questionnaire return. (Several prizes were awarded for a high response rate - in this case, it was typically over 80 percent.)

7. Agree on analysis formats (reviewing a report template if submitted by the agency) and outputs with the agency.

8. Review any presentation drafts before delivery to the final internal audience, so that appropriate language or terminology can be used, and there are no surprises.

9. Arrange a presentation or debrief with relevant staff to suit the internal audience and attend the debrief (including helping with any equipment needs).

10. Ensure the results are communicated to any external audiences, to internal audiences such as the board, the management team, those working in the call centers, new product development and so on, in as accessible a format as possible - including, for example, notes on a Web site. Here the medium is as important as the message - keep it short and make people want to know the results.

In general, you need to work throughout the project as the representative of the company with the research agency to ensure it understands the brief, is on track and is delivering what was agreed (barring serious complications). As much as you can, ensure the research findings are used and that any survey contributes to company policy and action rather than gathering dust on a shelf (or taking up file space). It is important to ensure that staff understand the findings and implications, manage the knowledge gained and use the research to leverage the brand’s DNA.

Key aspects

There are some key aspects worthy of special attention that will expedite the whole process and assist in producing quality outcomes. As a B2B client, if you can, familiarize yourself with the basics of research and have an idea of the sort of work that might be required. Have an idea of the size of project you might need (small, medium, large; single or multi-country) and what you can pay for (limited budget or whatever it needs, because of the magnitude of the issue).

Determine:

  • The key business issues or questions to which you want answers - ideally via internal consultation with those who are involved in needing the research to be conducted.
  • Whether it is possible to develop some hypotheses for inclusion in the study about the possible reasons for, causes of, or contributing factors to the issue/problem at hand, and if there are any special groups whose reaction/views might be somewhat different. For example, do you suspect that the high-spending, technologically-advanced customers will likely be twice as willing to try the new service as the lapsed?
  • Who should be interviewed and what are the sampling issues associated with that? For example, can the company provide sample (contact) lists and in what ratio, with what facility? Are there any key segments that need to be included?
  • What actions might be taken if a given result is found (“action standards”)? The aim here is to understand if different possible outcomes mean different types of action and to determine if the company can (or will) act on information gathered. (Action standards are more commonly used in consumer research but can play a role in B2B at times.)
  • Are there any analogies with other industries/businesses/brands from which lessons can be learned?
  • Can any B2B research be combined with any other sources of data, for instance customer research feedback aligned with churn statistics or numbers of complaints received or sales records, so that the total is greater than the sum of the parts?
  • What are the internal time frames that allow a realistic timetable for the research while meeting internal deadlines? For example, a research executive summary might be needed by September 15 for input to next year’s budgeting process to allow for tooling up early in the New Year; more detailed findings can follow.

It is good B2B research practice to ask questions and request advice from others (internal team and external agency), and this is even more important where the person charged with undertaking a study is not a dedicated research practitioner. Ask the agency if it wants to know more in order to better address the business needs at hand. And ask questions about the research and any terms or techniques you would like explained - a research buyer who is not completely up to speed on the process should not hold back from asking for explanations of the process and any next steps. Do not be macho in not admitting where you are not skilled.

Skills the B2B client brings to the table

Particular skills of B2B clients include the following:

  • The ability to build a bridge between the business side and the research professionals:

- Liaise with external agencies that may have little knowledge of the specific product area at issue.

- Liaise with internal clients who may be remote from marketing and market research and may have technical, R&D or production experience and speak this language.

- Act as a reference point for queries and problem resolution throughout the project.

  • The ability to translate knowledge of the business and the category, including complex technical or industrial knowledge, into terms that will be understood by researchers, fieldworkers and respondents alike. This includes the provision of a glossary of terms or index that can act as reference material.
  • The ability to represent the company’s position in checking that the correct terminology and reference points are used in the final reporting. Let the report speak for itself (your role is not to edit the findings) but ensure that the information is framed in such a way as to maximize internal audience understanding and improve the likelihood of action being taken. In this way, internal clients do not lose faith in the researchers through their unintentional misuse of language or terms. For example, if a research executive reporting on a study muddles “chlorate” and “chloride,” or does not understand the nature of the distributor network, credibility can suffer.

Preparing B2B research briefs

B2B research briefs should include sufficient background to enable the supplier to write a proposal in response with reasonable confidence that he or she has the facts right, understands the basic parameters of the situation, and that suggested approaches address the key issues. Generally, give the agency at least two weeks to respond - preferably more if the likely work is complex and/or if it has an international component. (Obtaining quotes from local field agencies in the relevant countries takes more time than obtaining home-country quotes.) The following should be included in any RFP:

  • Details of background (this may be more extensive than for other forms of research), including any prior relevant research or market knowledge.
  • Why the research is needed - overall and individual business and research objectives.
  • Who the major sponsors of the research are - for example marketing, IT department, quality assurance, CRM or the board.
  • How any primary or secondary research will fit in, or need to fit in, with other information or output.
  • Who the respondents are likely to be, likely sample, and sample sources.
  • What research output (“deliverable”) is required, including additional presentations anticipated with sub-divisions or special internal clients.
  • When the research results are needed by.
  • If a face-to-face meeting or teleconference is wanted after the brief has been sent out.
  • In what format the proposals should be delivered (as written proposals, in PowerPoint, via a presentation or any combination of these).
  • Contact details for the main point of contact: postal and e-mail address, phone numbers.

What it is like being a B2B researcher?

The life of a B2B researcher is one of challenge and change. As a July 2002 article in MrWeb, a U.K. market research digest and newsletter, expressed it:

“The differences between the role of the B2B researcher and that of consumer researchers? There are lots, although there are plenty in common too. It could be summed up by saying that most of the skills are common but most experiences are different - you may have the same training and the same type of brain as a consumer researcher but you do different things with them when you are working among people who buy for business.”

There are many sorts of B2B researcher working within research agencies or operating independently: executives with client contact who design research, manage projects, analyze and report on data; fieldwork interviewers; those who enter data; coders; specialist computer programmers who manipulate data analysis software; data processors; and those who undertake special analyses such as advanced statistical analysis or modeling. Those most affected by the fact that the research is B2B as opposed to any other type are the executives and fieldwork interviewers. It is they who, in particular, need to know about the particularities of the marketplace, the characteristics of the respondent and the exigencies of the business clients commissioning the research.

Skills B2B researchers need are diplomacy, an ability to speak at senior levels, and an eternal interest in a wide variety of different business areas or areas outside the routine of our normal daily life. Also useful is the skill to absorb lots of rather detailed information like a sponge and distil it into meaningful results. Double- and triple-checking everything - with different sets of eyes - is not a bad practice to foster also.

Being able to work with clients throughout the full stages of the project is important too. For example, some clients may not be aware fully of the “real” deadlines associated with submitting a questionnaire to the field force, especially when a translation (or translations) is needed - each change requires new questionnaire versions, new translations and sometimes new briefing notes. Often, it requires patience and some flexibility to meet client needs, especially when the deadline is stretched by further rounds of requested changes. This is where initial good communication (especially about client/agency tasks and timelines) and strong project management skills can come in very handy.

Let’s turn now to the different sorts of jobs in B2B research.

Research executives

Research executives who enjoy working in a business as opposed to a consumer world will relish the career of B2B researcher. It is difficult to know whether you will like it, though, unless you try it; generally, the larger agencies will allow younger researchers to have a period in both research spheres on request. Some love it; some do not. Once a researcher has had experience of the business world (whether B2B or B2C), it is common to have a different perspective on consumer projects, which can be more repetitive and more of a known quantity. Some researchers prefer what is known and familiar to them - discussing with consumers subjects of which they know something themselves and undertaking extensive qualitative exploration of consumers’ buying behavior and attitudes. By contrast, the business researcher may have less time for psychological investigation and may be working with topics that are remote from his or her own sphere of knowledge. It can be a bit of a challenge, but one that someone who likes variety and is not fearful to tread in unknown fields may relish.

A university qualification of some sort (in Europe, a degree in psychology) is not unusual for a B2B researcher. It is not uncommon for business researchers to have experience of some other form of research or to have direct business experience prior to joining a specialist B2B research team. Some have training following a degree in business studies, law or medicine, and can bring expert background knowledge to their research.

The B2B researcher in the course of a normal week’s work usually will be involved in several projects and in many different stages of project. These may include the following (possibly on different projects):

  • Questioning a client about its market and the issues arising from a recent brief; for example, what are the particular market characteristics that need to be taken account of and what are the particular sensitivities, if any?
  • Deciding on the optimum sample size given the (often) very low incidence of some respondent categories of respondent (and budget considerations).
  • Obtaining quotes from an internal field force, “sister” or associated agencies (domestic and/or abroad) with known expertise in B2B interviewing.
  • Asking the client for more information on the particular translation of technical terms that may not be commonly known by the translation agency.
  • Checking up with agencies elsewhere about success in recruiting difficult-to-find samples - how many interviews completed, how many yet to do? Discussing options if the sample cannot be achieved in full - could some additional interviews be conducted with some other categories of respondent? Could minimum and maximum quotas be allocated rather than just one set quota size?
  • Finalizing a topic guide for a client in one rather unusual sector and sending it off to the client asking him or her to suggest any additions or changes needed.
  • Arranging to conduct a personal interview with a senior executive for a study involving a small number of qualitative interviews.
  • Double-checking on recruitment for a luncheon mini-group of intermediaries.
  • Checking the data processing specifications on a quantitative ad hoc project.
  • Drawing up the template for reporting and/or Web-based information dissemination.
  • Attending an evening B2B “forum” meeting with other B2B researchers.

In the course of their career, some B2B research executives will work client-side as well as for market research agencies or consultancies. This can be helpful if they then return later to agency life in providing an insight as to how larger companies work, in increasing specialist knowledge, and in understanding how to make research more usable. Many researchers are generalists - commonly working in different sectors, although sometimes with a specialty - while others are much more specialized and only work in one area such as transportation or health care. In this case, researchers tend to stay longer in that sector.

Normally, the precursor to a B2B career is working in an agency with B2B expertise and gaining good (general) market research qualifications. Interestingly, B2B is one area where commonly a researcher will undertake both qualitative and quantitative research. This allows both the left and the right side of the brain (sensitive “quallie” and more numerate “quantie”) skills to be drawn on; again, this reinforces the message that B2B research is the natural home for people who like variety and challenge.

The business executive or director in a research agency often has a close relationship with people (many of whom are not researchers) in the client company hierarchy. His or her contribution, drawing as he/she does on wide experience, often of other sectors, other markets but similar business issues, means that he or she may be asked to talk about research results in a very wide context, often acting as a management consultant as much as a researcher. An executive can promote research up the value chain, contributing analysis, interpretation, knowledge from research and other sources to what the research tells him or her. Intelligence-gathering, data fusion with data drawn from many sources, and interpretation are all skills that B2B researchers can, and do, bring to their clients. We repeat: intelligence gathering is now often as much the focus as primary market research. The B2B executive often brings a wider perspective to the client company and acts as a trusted adviser as well as a research partner.

A B2B fieldworker (telephone interviewer)

Much B2B work is done by telephone so the B2B telephone interviewer plays an important role. Typically, B2B research requires specialist interviewers who undertake nothing but business research or also some B2C research. Often they are mature and well-qualified, and have a degree or some other higher qualification that gives them confidence in speaking with business respondents.

Typically, interviewing is not their main occupation but provides some cash flow. Some are fluent in one or more additional languages, and in an international study this is essential if the subtlety of technical or complex language is not to be lost. As noted earlier, B2B interviewers must be well-trained, have an authoritative manner and voice, and be prepared to persevere in the face of some initial respondent (or gatekeeper) rejection or hesitancy.

Telephone interviewers may never meet those they interview, and must be able to be as convincing with, as interested in and as enthusiastic to hear the responses of their twentieth client as of their first. They must know when and how to probe, and be able to ask questions and record answers (some of which will be verbatim) at the same time. Maintaining the impetus and pace of the interview is important to maintain respondent interest. They must be “a cut above” in every way and should be rewarded accordingly.

Finally, on occasion a telephone business interviewer must be prepared to put in long and unsociable hours: for example, interviewing in a different time zone from a central location or contacting tradespeople outside normal hours. Interviews must be conducted when our respondents are available.

A typical day may include:

  • A morning briefing with a client where a series of Internet sites are displayed and the market background is discussed, for instance tourism in the hotel sector.
  • At the briefing, a discussion follows where the client and agency personnel involved are there to answer questions and walk through the questionnaire.
  • Spend half an hour absorbing the questionnaire and picking out what may be the issues arising. Familiarize oneself with the glossary of terms.
  • Do first interviews - set up several for the following day and for the following week but manage to do one with a respondent who happens to be there and wants to do the interview immediately.
  • Fill in contact forms and report back to supervisor. Discuss one problem that is arising on the recruitment eligibility (for instance, are motels allowed in the sample or not?). Check with what supervisor and/or researcher and/or client said about SIC codes and eligibility.
  • Leave to go home and dress up for night, doing some extra work in a totally different field (such as acting in a community play)!

Telephone interviewers can make or break a B2B telephone survey. A professional manner and approach can make a huge difference. If studies come back with lots of questions unanswered or many “don’t knows,” one must always look at the quality of the questionnaire and of the sample in the first place, but in the second, at the quality and briefing of the interviewers. Often, lots of unanswered questions (or uncoded responses that turn out to have been on the pre-code list after all) suggest that interviewing quality has not been as high as it should be. Go for the specialist interviewers whenever possible; skimping on quality in B2B fieldwork is never a good option.

B2B recruiters

B2B recruiters who set up face-to-face qualitative interviews, telephone interviews - or, on occasion, mini focus groups or full group discussions - are often a very special sort of person who share many of the characteristics of the previous categories of business researchers. Good business recruiters are few and far between, and when you find some, look after them. These people can recruit to the most demanding specifications; but this is not easy, and it takes time and skill. They need to be exceptionally persuasive, to know when to put pressure on and when to back off, and tend to have a good voice, patience and a convincing manner. Very often, the best recruiters have experience in some other field before falling into their jobs in recruiting (again, sometimes not their main career) - a happy accident.

Other roles

Other people engaged in B2B research include those who specialize in desk research, transcribers of tapes from focus groups and in-depth interviews, data entry staff, those who code up questionnaires, and those in data processing and analysis. Common to these roles is a need for a meticulous attention to detail and ability to translate the complex into the simple. The business researcher is often at the cutting edge in terms of business developments worldwide: a privileged position.

Respect and enjoy

Business researchers are rarely there by initial volition; many find their way to business research as they are attracted by its diversity and eclecticism. There tends to be somewhat more emphasis on ad hoc research and somewhat less on tracking research. The audiences to whom business researchers are speaking are often people with intimate knowledge of complex and sometimes arcane areas. We must sometimes encourage others who do not have a tradition of research to take risks and to have the courage of their convictions based on what we know is solid and good research. Business researchers are often aware of trends, of new business thinking, and of leaps forward in new product and design development well ahead of others. We are in a situation of both privilege and responsibility. Let’s respect and enjoy it.