Q&A with a client-side researcher

Editor's note: If you're an end-client researcher and interested in participating in a Q&A with Quirk's, please e-mail me at emilyk@quirks.com.

What was your first job at Quirk’s?

Steve Quirk: My first job at Quirk’s was back when I was a freshman in high school, and I had to do data entry. My dad had a list of people in the marketing research industry, but of course, it was all on paper! So, I had to sit all summer long and data enter all those people into our old 286 computer.

Dan Quirk: My very first job at Quirk’s was actually twofold. I redesigned the circulation system for Quirk’s and the database for it. And I also set up our very first website back in the ‘90s.

Describe your most memorable industry event experience.

Dan Quirk: My most memorable event is not the best memory. It was our Orange County event when the power went out at 10 a.m. and did not get restored until the event ended. It wasn't, at the time, a great experience at all. We now call it Quirk’s Unplugged. What was amazing about the experience was how resilient the Quirk’s Event speakers were, and the hotel staff, in pulling off an event with no power. Thankfully the California location had a lot of windows!

What has contributed to Quirk’s longevity and success?

Dan Quirk: We have a single mission, which is to serve the corporate, or end-client, researcher. Everything we do is designed to promote the value of marketing research and insights, and we provide free resources to do that. We've done this in many different formats – in print, online, through email and now in live and virtual events. But Quirk’s mission has remained the same. As long as we're serving our core customer, we should be around for a long time.

If you were starting out in the insight industry today, what is the main thing you would focus on?

Steve Quirk: The big thing is that you have to be really a curious person. You want to ask tons of questions. The other thing, especially if you're on the brand side, is really focusing on the company's mission, vision and what are they trying to accomplish over the next year, three years, five years, and how you, as an insights professional, can help them achieve the organization’s greater goals.