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The value of NPS in B2B enterprise markets
A client recently asked our opinion of the value of the Net Promoter Score. As with all flavor-of-the-month management technique we followed the pattern of curiosity, skepticism, and finally came to a set of beliefs regarding where NPS provides the most value – and where it does not. Our beliefs are based on our experience helping B2B enterprise clients implement and interpret NPS results.
Read MoreWhat do mayors and market research have in common?
Political theorist Benjamin Barber’s talk at TEDGlobal 2013,“Why Mayors Should Rule the World” holds a lesson about our political institutions but is also surprisingly relevant for the effective use of market research. Barber contends that mayors have an extremely influential role in shaping the world because they are much more effective at actually getting things done than other parts of government (e.g., Congress, Executive Office, etc.). Mayors can’t stay mired in ideological debate; if potholes don’t get filled the mayor loses her job.
Read MoreCloud adoption follows old patterns
The hype and backlash surrounding cloud applications shares many similarities with the market dynamics that occurred when organizations shifted from homegrown solutions to third-party commercial applications. As Mark Twain said, “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” Cloud applications are an evolution, not a revolution. They continue ongoing trends and are an inevitable part of the future IT infrastructure for most organizations. This post outlines the parallels in the adoption of these two technologies and identifies some implications for software firms, whether they offer cloud-based solutions today or not.
Read MoreEvaluating data sources
As part of their informational literacy education, high school and college students are provided with an evaluation tool called the C.R.A.A.P test. The tool’s intention is to help students evaluate the validity and usefulness of the information sources they use in their research papers.
Read MoreIt’s still the people – even with Big Data
A recent WSJ article on big data focuses on the mistakes organizations make as they implement big data initiatives. Common mistakes include being seduced by Big Data’s promise and moving forward without setting clear and achievable objectives, overestimating their staff’s abilities, trying to connect too many disparate data sources, having too many cooks in the kitchen and setting unrealistic goals. Four of these challenges do not relate to the technology side of big data – they are problems with the human side of the equation.
Read MoreThe other “focus” in focus groups
Much of the debate around the value of traditional focus groups centers on the discussion that happens around the table of participants. Left out of the conversation are the benefits traditional focus groups provide to the people sitting behind the one-way mirror – the team sponsoring the research.
Read MoreThe Price of Incivility
Isurus applauds the extensive research by Christine Porath and Christine Pearson on the “price” of incivility. They outline their findings in a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review. The long and short of their findings is that a lack of respect and civility in the workplace has real and meaningful consequences for the bottom line.
Read MoreThe human component of Big Data
You cannot avoid “Big data” if you tried. It’s plastered across every media outlet and promises to change the way business is done. As a research firm Isurus wholeheartedly endorses the two underling principles of how big data can improve business operations: 1) It is far better to manage your business with facts rather than assumptions. 2) In a general sense more data is better than less. However one thing that sometimes gets lost in the hype is that as useful and insightful as big data can be, running a successful business still requires sound human judgment, decisions and calculated risks.
Read MoreDo dominant personalities sway participants in focus groups?
It is almost inevitable that during the course of a set of focus groups one of the backroom observers will point to a participant with a strong personality and say, “I think that person is leading the other participants.” After almost twenty years of watching and conducting focus groups the idea that B2B decisions makers can be so easily swayed by an individual with a strong personality seems like the market research equivalent of the boogeyman.
Read MoreWords matter. Exhibit A: The “fiscal cliff”
Most readers of this blog need no convincing when it comes to the importance of the words we use to name and describe products, companies, and issues. We spend significant hours and budgets thinking about the most compelling, resonant language with which to describe our offerings.
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