Research Tools

Isurus helps B2B clients use a range of qualitative, quantitative, and secondary research tools.

We select the method—or combination of methods—that best provides the insights the client needs for the decision at hand.

The right research approach for each project reflects several practical considerations:

  • Addresses the Core Information Need: The design’s output must match the decision being made. Understanding how B2B buyers evaluate solutions requires a different approach than estimating market size, testing messaging, or evaluating pricing.
  • Feasible with the Target Audience: Some B2B audiences are small, specialized, or difficult to reach. Not every data collection methodology is practical in every market, and research designs often require thoughtful trade-offs.
  • Fits within Budget and Timeline Constraints: Research programs must work within real-world limits. Our goal is to design studies that reliably answer the critical business questions while avoiding unnecessary costs and scope.
  • Credible to Internal Stakeholders: Research only provides value if the organization trusts and acts on the results. Methodological choices sometimes need to reflect the preferences of internal stakeholders as well as the advantages of the approach.

When research involves multiple global regions, additional considerations such as language, cultural context, and regulatory requirements also shape the research design.

Research projects in B2B markets are rarely routine. The decisions that prompt a study, such as entering a new market, launching a product, adjusting pricing, or evaluating competitors, are often strategic and visible across the organization. Research also requires meaningful investments of time and budget, and the credibility of the project sponsor may depend on the quality of the outcome. For that reason, Isurus begins each engagement by first understanding the business decision to be made and then recommending a research approach

If you would like to discuss a potential project, we welcome the conversation.

“Isurus did an excellent job of shaping and managing our expectations throughout the project. They followed their project plan to the letter and kindly but firmly held us accountable to our commitments. They did a good job of getting buy-in from across our team and kept us abreast of their process.”

– B2B Technology Client

“They always seek to understand the research. The team also asks the right probing questions to make sure they’re delivering what we need.”

– SaaS Client

“When it came time to share the findings with the team, they had done their homework and were able to address all questions and concerns efficiently. Some people on our team had not done this kind of research before and were somewhat skeptical of the process, but in the end, they acknowledged that everything had worked out splendidly.”

– B2B Technology Client

What is the process of a research project?

Projects typically unfold over the following steps and milestones.

  • Discovery Meeting: We start with a discovery meeting to explore the insights that the client needs and how they will be used. This discussion also identifies any budget and timeline limitations that must be factored into the research design.
  • Research Design Proposal: Isurus develops a design that best meets the client’s needs while accounting for feasibility, client preferences, and budget and timeline constraints. The proposal includes a turnkey, all-inclusive project cost.
  • Materials Development: Isurus leads a collaborative process to create the research materials, e.g., screeners, discussion guides, and surveys. This critical step determines the data and insights the research will provide. Some clients are very active at this stage and include multiple stakeholders in the process. Others prefer to take a more hands-off approach. In either situation, the client provides the final sign-off on any survey or discussion guide.
  • Data collection: Once the materials are finalized, Isurus collects the data, whether through surveys, in-depth interviews, or focus groups. We keep clients updated on the status of data collection.
  • Reporting: Our reports are delivered as narrative-style PowerPoint decks that include a concise executive summary, implications for the client’s decisions, and detailed findings. We also provide raw data.
  • Findings Presentation and Discussion: The final step in the process is presenting the findings to the client team. We structure these meetings as interactive roundtables to encourage questions and dialogue. Isurus presents the results to multiple stakeholder groups if needed.

What role does the client have in developing the survey or discussion guide?

Clients play an important role in developing the survey or discussion guide. Our clients know their markets and the insights they need to make their decisions. Isurus brings a framework for structuring research and analysis and has experience helping clients in similar sectors with similar needs. We believe that pooling our collective expertise leads to the most effective research designs and insights.

How long does a project take?

Most projects require about eight weeks to complete, depending on design and scope. During the first one to two weeks, Isurus and the client work together to develop research materials, including screeners, surveys, and discussion guides. Data collection takes three to five weeks, depending on the project’s scope and the difficulty of reaching the target audience. Once data collection is complete, Isurus typically completes its analysis and delivers the report within two weeks.

How much is a typical project?

Isurus provides turnkey pricing that includes all project costs, including participant incentives. Most projects are within the range of $20,000 to $45,000, with qualitative research generally on the lower end and quantitative research generally on the higher end of that continuum.

A key cost variable is how challenging it is to reach the target audience. The time Isurus spends on design, materials development, analysis, and reporting is relatively consistent across projects.

Are respondent incentives or honorariums included in Isurus’ project pricing?

Isurus costs are turnkey and include all incentives and honoraria for participants in surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Incentives vary considerably by target audience. Isurus can disclose specific incentive amounts in project proposals.

Does Isurus have off-the-shelf industry reports?

Isurus is a primary market research firm; we collect new data for each project that is proprietary to individual clients. We do not offer off-the-shelf industry or analyst-style reports.

How does Isurus use AI as part of its work?

Isurus uses AI to improve our processes, analysis, and deliverables.

Tactically, this includes using AI tools to:

  • Review drafts of surveys and discussion guides to ensure they reflect the market’s voice and vocabulary.
  • Help identify and remove low-quality or fraudulent survey respondents.

Strategically, our 25+ years of experience working with B2B and SaaS clients informs our core analysis and reporting. We use AI to enhance our deliverables by:

  • Identify nuances that we may have overlooked.
  • Identify any biases in our analysis and interpretation of the data.
  • Ensure that our deliverables are clear and understandable for audiences that have not delved into the data the way our team has.

We use a range of LLM and agentic tools to support our work. We do not use AI-generated synthetic data. Client and respondent data are not used to train public AI models.

 

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