Can you help me pick the right methodology?

Your researcher should consult with you to determine the best qualitative methodology for your project. While well-executed focus groups are enormously valuable, each product, client and research outcome is different, and therefore the research methodologies should be customized to the desired outcomes. Many factors go into determining the best methodology to achieve the project goals, including cost, time, convenience and available technology.

After the project is completed, what are your deliverables?

Most qualitative researchers offer a variety of reporting approaches ranging from written report (toplines, executive summaries, full reports, etc.) to in-person presentations. The type of reporting will vary depending on your needs and pricing considerations. At the end of the project your organization should have learned more about how your customers feel in a way that aligns your marketing efforts with the needs of your customers.

Can you help me determine where should we hold our focus groups?

A skilled qualitative researcher should be able to help you choose which market or markets to visit. Obviously, you should interview people in the markets where you have customers. If you are in many markets, you should pick representative markets, but also consider a good spread by geography and size of market. As the economy grows ever more global, regional differences in many product categories have been evaporating. However, with some categories regionality is still important.

What is your philosophy of moderating?

The answer should be in line with the client’s general approach to marketing research and also align with the client’s corporate culture and with the type of product or service being researched. For example, if the client firm is a staid, no-nonsense company, its in-house researchers may not be comfortable with a moderator who uses a variety of exploratory projective techniques.

How do you prepare for a study?

A good moderator learns about the client’s product/service and its major competition by, for example, reviewing one year’s issues of an industry magazine, looking at industry Web sites, examining products in stores or using the products.

Here are my project objectives - what would be the best qualitative approach to accomplish them?

Keep an open mind as to which is the best methodology: online or offline, focus groups or in-depth interviews, ethnography or in a facility. Think about your customers - how they can be reached best and how well would they respond to each methodology? A strong qualitative researcher should be able to consult with you and help you identify the best methodologies for your project.

How do you handle the interview/focus group if the materials you are exploring draw highly negative reactions?

A good moderator explores respondents’ reactions in an open-ended manner, then, as needed, offers respondents more information, explains other ways of looking at the concept and probes for possible positive points - all in a non-leading way.

Special thanks to Steve Richardson, director of communications for the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, and Judy Langer, president of New York-based Langer Qualitative, for providing input on the questions and responses.