As part of the process of writing up the results to our second annual salary survey of client-side researchers, I had the distinct pleasure of plowing through pages and pages of verbatims generated by the two open-ended questions we included this year.

The questions (What do you like most about working in marketing research? What do you like least about working in marketing research?) were meant to add a little color to the data and hopefully give us insight into the current state of mind of our respondents.

A little color? How about Jackson Pollock-like levels, with just about the same amount of chaos to the emotions being expressed!

We have included some of the comments in the main article on the survey results (see page 28) and have posted a full selection in the article archive at quirks.com. But I wanted to devote my column to exploring some of the best comments and in the process do a rough sketch of the Mind of the Client-Side Researcher.

On a side note, I now have a much greater appreciation for the joys and trials that accompany the coding and cleaning of respondent-generated comments. The tidying-up and making-sense-of consumed the better part of two days when all was said and done. And while there was a fair amount of tedium, those spells of eye-glazing drudgery were broken up by bursts of laughter.

Research humor

First of all, you people are funny. Check out the research humor in these two responses. First, one reader’s “like most” reply:

“1) Exercising creativity. 2) Developing ‘strategery’ (aka strategy if you’re coding this). 3) Influencing decision makers. But best of all DISCOVERY, finding out something new that no one else has thought of or even considered.”

And another’s “dislike most” reply:

“Questionnaire construction, coding open-ended questions (LIKE YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW! HA HA!) and tight deadlines with demanding clients who usually don’t have a CLUE about MR! ;)”

And you’re passionate as well, judging by the following answers to the “like most” question. Many respondents seemed to view research as more than just a job. For a few, it borders on a calling.

“The same thing that drew me to marketing research nearly 20 years ago . . . pulling together seemingly disparate pieces of data and information to draw a cohesive view of what’s occurring in the landscape to assist and direct strategic decision-making.”

“Marketing research offers a constant challenge to keep moving, keep thinking and staying ahead of the game. Total engagement with the world around you makes this job field less of a career choice and more of a way of living.”

“It satisfies my research nature - research is in my bones. I love having an impact on my organization and the satisfaction of our consumers!”

Solving mysteries

A sense of fulfillment from the process of research and the sleuthing it requires came through in many of the responses.

“I love the aspect of solving mysteries . . . answering questions my company needs to make informed decisions.”

“It’s like detective work.”

“I love being able to answer my own questions.”

“I love analyzing the findings of a survey. I primarily work in quant and seeing the results and digging in - finally getting the answers to my questions - is always so fulfilling.”

Self-fulfillment is one thing, but researchers also seem to enjoy meeting the needs of others, using research to answer questions for their internal clients while helping to make consumers’ lives better.

“Identifying consumer needs and then working to develop products that address those needs. It’s a chance to make someone’s life a bit more fun.”

“Representing the consumer, connecting research methodologies to practical business applications, supporting and informing business decisions, seeing direct business success coming out of consumer insights.”

Another plus of working in research, according to our respondents, is that no two days are ever alike.

“Your day can change at the drop of a hat. Walk into the office at 7:30 in the morning thinking about what you have to do that day and realize by 9 a.m. that the plans have changed.”

“There is always some new or different challenge to deal with, and that keeps me entertained. I’d get bored if I had to do the same thing over and over again.”

“The continuous variety. One day it’s focus groups, the next I am writing a survey, the next I am presenting to internal clients, the next day I am running a statistical analysis.”

Lack of respect

But of course, all is not perfect in the lives of our readers. Along with the annoyances that come with any job (bosses, co-workers, feeling overworked/underpaid), researchers seem to experience a fairly unique lack of appreciation for the work they do.

“Marketing research doesn’t get the respect it deserves in the business world as a bona fide profession.”

“Working with people who don’t understand that what I do is not equivalent to Survey Monkey.”

“That folks don’t truly understand the expertise we (those who are trained and experienced in the field) bring to the table. Management loves to see results that support their ideas . . . so it’s always fun to have to ‘pretty up’ a report for them, regardless of the unethical nature of that action.”

“Being told that if my project, done properly, doesn’t agree with a sponsor’s preconceived assumptions, that I have done the research wrong or made an error. I don’t make errors!”

“Clients who think they know how to do my job and tell me that I am wrong and thus do not listen to what the data say and then blame Insights when the project or initiative fails.”

   “With every new team/marketer/boss that I work with, I have to re-prove my experience and expertise to build credibility. This doesn’t seem to move along with you.”

“Research is considered a cost function instead of a strategic function.”

Spot in hell

Upper management is often at fault, but some of the respondents seem to have a particular spot in hell reserved for their counterparts in the sales department.

“Getting treated like sh_t by sales people because they don’t get it and think I’m evaluating them for mgmt.”

“At times, I’ve felt like a second-class citizen, especially when compared with sales.”

“Trying to explain math to ‘sales’ people.”

They expressed the other lows of working in research as fervently as they did the highs, with a mixture of bitterness, resignation and occasional self-loathing.

“Nonresearchers who like to play researcher.”

“I would have to say putting a lot of time and effort into a presentation that may or may not end up getting used, and if it does, someone else will be taking the credit.”

“There are times when I just don’t want to look at numbers anymore.”

“It is tough to not have all the answers; it is tough when management wants to kill the messenger.”

“I have to work with a lot of geeks. People who have little to no communication skills. It’s kind of embarrassing when we look at our peer group.”

“I don’t think the profession thinks very highly of itself. There has always been an undercurrent of ‘We’re lucky to be here’ versus ‘We are a vital part of the organization.’ ”

“People’s perceptions about what the function is - a bunch of nerds that live in a bubble.”

“Business colleagues tend to take ‘bad news’ from data personally, and often discount it.”

“That people order it up like french fries if you don’t prevent it from happening.”

A thick skin

It’s hard to find one quote to sum up the overall tone of the verbatims. Being a glass-half-full kind of guy, I of course would lean toward something that accentuates the positive. It’s clear that being a researcher requires a thick skin, a short memory, the ability to adapt on the fly and an acceptance of the role of underdog - at least in the organizations where the function is not held in the highest esteem. 

But in those firms where gathering insights is seen as a worthwhile undertaking, where understanding the consumer and creating products and services that meet their needs is part of the corporate fabric, the researcher’s job satisfaction can reach new heights on a daily basis.

“The opportunity to have a significant impact on an organization’s strategy, product development and brand. As a market researcher, you are in a unique position to solve business challenges for an organization by bringing the voice of the customer into the problem-solving and decision-making process. Your data and analysis can have a significant impact on organization-wide initiatives, and that’s an exciting process to be part of.”