Market Research Ears to the Ground.

Market change can be dramatic or it can happen slowly over time, but shifts in a company’s demand, performance and perception are both real and constant. The result? The result is You, wondering why your company isn’t posting the gains you expected. Why offerings aren’t gaining traction like they should. Why your company’s growth curve is tapering off – or why you’re losing more pitches than you win. The answers to questions like this are always complex, but they can be uncovered through market research. Not through the “rate us on a 1-10 scale” kind of research (although quantitative study has its place), but the kind Pennebaker has developed, focused on the issues behind the trends.

Market Research Digging

Market Research – Getting Below the Surface

We believe – and we have demonstrated – that an impartial third party holding one-on-one anonymous conversations with your key stakeholders can produce game-changing insights for your company.

Our senior consultants understand how to get at the heart of why things aren’t going according to plan. Over and over, we’ve uncovered actionable information to resolve issues that have been cutting into performance and profitability.

Qualitative research is no place for amateurs. Over the past 25 years, we’ve developed an approach that really works.

“In one instance, our client was convinced that sales were falling below projections due to low name recognition. Our research, based on numerous interviews with past clients, revealed frequent and repeated poor customer service. Word was getting around. Ouch, yes. But once you hear the truth, you can do something about it.”

Market Research Pennebakerguide

The Pennebaker Guide to Qualitative Research

  • Design a targeted survey.
  • Talk to the right people.
  • Develop a compelling summary and action plan.

In order to get actionable information from research you have to ask the right questions – and then ask the next question. We work hard to understand current needs, expectations and goals for the research, then design the survey around your needs.

To get the right answers you have to talk to the right people. We will help you to define the audience that can be most helpful. Often we find it useful to talk to current customers, ex-customers, and people you pitched to and lost.

Once we complete the research, we clearly present the findings to management, along with a concise written report with customer verbatims, (because who can argue with those?). We also define our recommended next steps, so you can put the research to work right away.

Qualitative Research Works for Internal Issues, Too.

Has the morale of your employees dropped? Is recruiting or retention getting more difficult? What’s behind the symptoms? If this sounds like something you should be on top of (and no doubt it is), put Pennebaker to work.

Want to know what your customers are thinking?

We’ll help you find out.