Editor's note: Gayle Kaplan is senior research associate with National Information Services (NIS), Minneapolis. NIS is a division of National Computer Systems, Inc.

Whether you're collecting data on your own for the first time or you're an old pro and have hired a professional marketing research firm, the validity of your research is highly dependent on the thoroughness of your pre-research work. This article offers 15 tips and techniques to think about before beginning your research to obtain useful and valid information.

A survey gives you better information to help you make business decisions. When you do a survey (or other marketing research), you are checking with your marketplace before you decide to manufacture a new product, choose an advertising strategy or set up a customer satisfaction program. The information you receive from the survey allows you to understand your market’s requirements and opinions. Through survey research, you are better equipped to make the right decisions the first time. However, it is important to remember that survey results do not predict the future; the economy may improve, a competitor may issue a new product, a hurricane may hit, or, a Coca-Cola showed with the new Coke, you might not ask all the right questions.

Take time to think about what you want. Spend time and effort to plan your survey. Bad information is worse than no information at all. By the time you decide you need information, you usually need it immediately. But the time and effort you take up front to plan your survey ensures that you obtain good information to help you make your business decisions.

Involve employees who will use or be affected by the survey information in planning the survey. There are two reasons to do so. First, employees who will use the survey results are probably quite knowledgeable about either the subject or the customers you plan to survey. They can prove va...