Search Smart and Get Ahead: Find All the Information You Need (Your Fast-Track to Business Success)

SEARCH SMART AND GET AHEAD by Susan Shelly

®

NEW YORK

Copyright © 2000 LearningExpress, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York. Shelly, Susan. Search Smart and Get Ahead / by Susan Shelly. p. cm. ISBN 1-57685-202-4 1. Business—Research—Methodology I. Title. HD30.4.S5 1999 650'.07'2—dc21

II. Series. 99-20289 CIP

Printed in the United States of America 987654321 First Edition

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1: What Exactly is Business Research? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2: Making Sure You Understand What You’re Researching . . . . 11 Chapter 3: Choosing the Right Method of Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Chapter 4: Getting Started with Your Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Chapter 5: Identifying the Kind of Information You’ll Need . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chapter 6: Using the Library for Your Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Chapter 7: Pick Up the Phone and Start Dialing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Chapter 8: Take a Walk Down the Hallway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Chapter 9: Get on the ‘Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Chapter 10: Mail and Telephone Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter 11: Conducting a Great Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Chapter 12: Focus Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Chapter 13: Digging In: Sometimes You’ve Got to Roll Up Your Sleeves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Chapter 14: When Do You Need to Consider Outside Help? . . 149 Chapter 15: What Does All This Data Mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Chapter 16: Figuring Out Where and How to Store Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Chapter 17: Show Me the Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Chapter 18: Even if Your Results are Boring, Your Presentation Doesn’t Have to Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Chapter 19: Tying it Together: Measuring the Success of Your Business Research Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Chapter 20: Here’s How it Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Appendix: Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

CHAPTER 1

WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?

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h, and the day had started off so well. You came to work—the job you’ve had for just six months but are doing really well at—with a big smile. You were feeling just great. Your boss has been telling you how happy he’s been with your work, and promised that today you were going to get a special assignment. You’re thinking that if you do a good job at whatever this mystery assignment might be, you’ll probably be considered for a raise. If you get the raise, you’d be able to move to a better apartment, and . . . well, no point in thinking about all that now. There’s no point because it’s not going to happen. You’re sure you won’t be getting that raise because you’re sure you’ll never be able to do the assignment your boss just gave you. Your good mood had evaporated when you heard the words uttered from your boss’ lips: business research. “I’d like you to conduct some business research for us, Linda,” was what your boss had said. “I’m confident you’ll do a fine job.”

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Business research? You’ve barely even heard of business research, and now you’re supposed to be doing it? Wherever will you start? Who will help you? Who will even tell you what it is? You know it’s going to be impossible. Your boss will never give you another assignment more important than refilling the office coffee pot. This is so depressing!

CHEER UP! HOW BAD CAN A LITTLE BUSINESS RESEARCH BE? Hold on, there. Before you start looking for a new job (which, by the way would involve business research), take a deep breath, and continue reading. Granted, business research sounds terribly complex and intimidating. It’s one of those phrases, like “mutual fund” or “managed care program,” that just makes you want to run to another room and tune in the I Love Lucy reruns. Actually, though, business research isn’t all that complicated. True, there are many intricacies and nuances that people who conduct research for a living work for years to master. They talk of things like stimulus presentation, psychographics, and multivariate analytical techniques—phrases guaranteed to drive you to your remote control. The basics of business research, however, are relatively easy to understand and to put to use. And that’s what we’re going to do in this book. We’ll present to you the basics of business research in easy-to-understand, useable steps. We’ll start at the very beginning—examining possible objectives of business research, the types of research you’ll most likely be asked to conduct, and why business research is so important to so many companies. Then we’ll take you step-by-step through the process of business research. You’ll learn where to go for help, and some of the different methods of research. You’ll learn how important it is to be able to think on your feet and use some ingenuity; you’ll learn that some of the information you need for your business research might be much closer than you imagined. So, give your boss a big smile, and tell him you’ll be delighted to take on the business research project he has in mind for you. After you read this book, you’ll be able to apply the skills you’ve learned, and he’ll never know how you panicked when the assignment was first mentioned.

WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?

Soon, the only thing left for you to do will be to start picking out furniture for your new apartment.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT Without even realizing it, you’ve probably conducted dozens of research projects already. Some of them concerned work, while others were personal. Consider the following: • Over a period of several years, you wore five different brands of jeans. Finally, you decided that Gap jeans were the ones for you. • You served pork for dinner, and one of your friends couldn’t eat it. You grilled a steak, and someone objected to red meat. You broiled some salmon, but two people didn’t like fish. Finally, you roasted a chicken, and everyone was happy. • You went to four informational interviews while you were job searching, because you wanted as much information about different jobs and businesses as you possibly could find. • When you heard that Heather was going out with Kevin, you were pretty upset. You’d been seeing Heather pretty regularly for a couple of months, and thought things were getting kind of serious. You didn’t know much about Kevin, who hadn’t been in town too long, so you got on the phone and called up Dave, who knew Kevin before he moved to Greensburg and started hanging around with you and your friends. Dave gave you all the information he had about Kevin, and suggested that you call Heather’s best friend, Sarah, to find out what was going on. In case you haven’t guessed, each of the above scenarios involved research. • In the first instance, you were testing a product—jeans. You acted as the consumer and the researcher, trying various types of jeans to find the ones you liked best. You no doubt considered things such as fit, comfort, price, availability, and so forth. Finally, after testing available products, you decided which one you liked the most. • When you made dinner for your friends, you were the manufacturer and the researcher and they functioned as the consumers. By trying different dinners, you were able to gather information regarding their likes and

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dislikes. Eventually, you were able to find something—the roasted chicken—that made everyone happy, and ensured a successful dinner party. • In the third example, you were the researcher. The people with whom you had the informational interviews served as your focus groups. You targeted them in order to get specific information about jobs in which you thought you might be interested. Hopefully, you used the information you gathered to make a decision concerning the job you wanted. And, hopefully you made a good impression during the interviews and landed a job as a result! • And, in the last example, you were researching your competition, something that businesses do all the time. You relied on Dave and Sarah to give you the information you were looking for about Kevin and Heather, and, presumably, used the information to draw conclusions concerning the situation. So you see, research isn’t as complicated or difficult as you might think. It’s conducted—formally or informally—all the time, in all kinds of businesses, and for personal reasons as well.

IT’S QUIZ TIME! Just when you thought this book would be a piece of cake, we throw in a quiz. Well, the purpose of the quiz isn’t to ruin your day—it’s just to assess your knowledge of business research. You don’t even have to tell anybody how you scored. You might be pleasantly surprised, however, to find out you know more about business research than you thought you did. Just hang in there. How hard can 10 true-or-false questions be? 1. All business research is done in the same manner, but the results vary depending on the type of company conducting the research. True / False 2. Many large companies use business research, but small companies usually can’t because it’s too expensive and time-consuming. True / False 3. Common goals of business research are to assess the chances for success of a new product, locate competition within the market, and find out who is buying (or might buy) your product. True / False 4. The best way to conduct business research is to go door to door and ask people what they think about a specific issue or product. True / False

WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?

5. While some companies hire professionals to conduct business research, others are very successful using their own people and resources for researching. True / False 6. Business research doesn’t require any preparation or organization because things will fall into place once the research process is underway. True / False 7. A business research project will require a minimum of nine to 12 months to complete. True / False 8. Once you’ve completed a research project, the way you present it is extremely important, and you should spend significant time deciding how to best showcase your results. True / False 9. Although the Internet is useful for some projects, it probably won’t help with business research because it’s too new, and the information you need won’t be on it yet. True / False 10. The results of your research project will determine your business’ response to the problem or question that triggered the research in the first place. True / False

AND THE ANSWERS, PLEASE That wasn’t so bad, was it? Let’s review the answers so you can see how you did. 1. False. There are different methods of research, such as using focus groups or conducting phone surveys. Results should vary depending on the information gathered, not the type of company conducting the research. 2. False. Business research can be effective, and cost effective, for businesses and companies of any size. 3. True. Business research is conducted for many purposes, but three common goals are judging the chances for success of a new product, identifying and locating competition, and identifying consumers. 4. False. Although there are instances in which door-to-door surveys are effective, it is by no means the best way to conduct business research in all cases. 5. True. With some preparation and planning (and this book), business research can be effectively conducted by non-professionals. 6. False. Preparation and organization are vital to successful business research. We’ll get into those areas a little later in this book.

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7. False. A project might last for nine to 12 months, but there is no set time requirement. A small project, with limited scope, could be done within days or weeks. 8. True. How you present your results is very important, and can influence how others view your work. An attractive and effective presentation will make your results, whatever they are, seem more impressive. 9. False. The Internet is loaded with information that can be extremely useful in business research. We’ll discuss using the Internet in detail later in the book. 10. False. This is a tricky question, but the answer is false. Your research will result in information on which people within your business can base their decisions. A research project, by itself, can’t make a decision. How did you do? If you answered eight or more questions correctly, give yourself a big pat on the back. Yet even if you did that well, keep on reading. You’re sure to pick up some additional information and insights. If you didn’t do very well, don’t worry. By the time you finish the book, you’ll be researching with the best of them. Now, let’s get ready to learn.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? Business research is the process of gathering information that can be used to answer a question or solve a problem relating to your business or company. There are different methods of conducting research, but the goal is always to come up with information on which your business can base decisions or solve problems.

DOWN TO BUSINESS All businesses, regardless of size or venture, require information about many different topics. Information is the stuff on which all decisions are based.

In our increasingly complex and fast-moving world, the value of information has reached a premium. We constantly want information, and we want it fast. Moving away from businesses and into American households for a minute, consider how things have changed in the past 25 or 30 years regarding the way we get our information.

WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?

Up until the mid-1950s, when many people began getting televisions in their homes, people got their information in several ways, including: • direct communication with others • newspapers • radio Direct communication was fine but it wasn’t always reliable. We’re all aware of the whisper down the lane tendency of news to become distorted. Newspapers were fine too, and unlike today, many towns had both morning and evening papers. That allowed breaking news to be delivered in a timely fashion (according to then-standards of timeliness). Still, the problem with newspapers is that you have to wait for them.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE As a former newspaper reporter and columnist, I believe that newspapers still play an integral role in our quest for information. No other medium can provide local news as thoroughly as a newspaper, and many people still like to get their news from something they can hold and read at their own pace. I fear for the survival of newspapers, however, because they can’t give consumers instant information the way television or the Internet can. Timeliness has always been an issue for newspapers, and it will become more and more pronounced.

Radios were considered the end-all to communication when they were first introduced into American households. Families and neighbors would crowd around a radio the way you’d crowd close to a fireplace on a freezing cold night, waiting anxiously to hear the latest news and entertainment. Radio stations were limited, however, and the radio often was filled with nothing but static. It was the most efficient way of getting information at the time, but not so at all by today’s standards.

THE TELEVISION TRANSFORMATION Once TVs became common in homes, the amount and type of information we had access to increased dramatically. Americans watched in horror as young sol-

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diers were gunned down in Vietnam, and in delight as Apollo II astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin took the first tentative steps on the moon. Still, television was much different than it is today. It was not a 24-hour venture, and it took much longer to get news reported, transmitted, and on the air than it does now. Our hunger for information increased along with the technology, and television producers scrambled to keep up with the demand for fast, exciting coverage of events. Today, hundreds of cable channels bring us information on nearly every topic imaginable, and we’re able to view events almost instantaneously. The world has come into our living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens.

AND NOW, THE INTERNET Just as it seemed that current events could move no faster, along came the information superhighway, featuring the Internet. Now, we have more information—literally at our fingertips—than we possibly can process. The sheer volume of information on virtually every topic is astounding. Events are available on the Internet as they happen, and experts predict it will change the way we get our news. The methods we use to get information have changed drastically during the past several decades, and will continue to change. The need for information, however, is as old as humankind. Drawings on caves indicate that the earliest hunters passed along information about where to find herds of animals and other things that were essential to their lives. The need for information is universal, and it’s an extremely important factor for both individuals and businesses.

COMMON RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Regardless of the type of research you’re asked to conduct, there are common objectives, and the primary objective of any type of business research is to gain information. The reasons for which you need the information will vary, as will the methods used to obtain it. However, the primary goal of all business research is to learn something that will be of value to the business conducting it. There are some other objectives that are common to all business research. They include:

WHAT EXACTLY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?

• To provide answers to specific questions, not just serve as a means of gathering general information. • To provide enough information so that people within the business will be able to draw accurate and conclusive results from the information gathered. • To enable decision-makers to make intelligent, timely choices based on the information collected during research. Regardless of the type of research you’re conducting, or the procedures you’re using to conduct it, you must meet these objectives in order for your research to be successful. There have been many instances in which businesses have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a research project, only to come up with inconclusive, and, therefore, useless, results.

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 A terrible example of business research occurred when a man who owned a small insurance company hired a consultant to find out why he was having major personnel problems within his company. Any one of the 20 employees could have told the owner/boss—let’s call him Dave—that he was the cause of nearly all the problems within the company. But Dave wouldn’t have believed them, so they cooperated with the outside consultant who’d been hired to conduct the study. The consultant quickly figured out that Dave was the primary cause for the problems within the company. Because Dave was paying him, however, he was reluctant to bite the hand that was feeding him, so he told Dave his results were inconclusive. Dave remained in the dark about his personnel problems, and the consultant was paid for his time, even though it yielded (at least for the record) no useful information.

WHY IS BUSINESS RESEARCH NECESSARY? In order for a business to grow and expand, it has to have an idea of what it’s doing right, and in what areas it should be looking to improve. If a company that makes gloves and mittens, for instance, is selling twice as many mittens as gloves, but continues to manufacture as many gloves as it does mittens, something is wrong.

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Either company officials are unaware of how the product is selling, or they don’t understand the basic concept of supply and demand. In either case, some basic research and proper management of the results could help. Businesses employ research in all sorts of situations: to determine if a product will be favorably received; to determine what their competition is doing; to find out to whom a product should be marketed; and many other reasons. Basically, business research is the means of finding the answers to questions that affect a business. Regardless of how it’s done, or who does it, it’s the most direct route to gathering information. The information, in turn, can be used to make intelligent decisions.

Research Review • Business research sounds much more complicated than it actually is. • You probably, without realizing it, have conducted research many times. • A business research quiz will give you an indication of the knowledge concerning the subject that you already have. • Our society has a voracious appetite for information, and the means in which to get it is rapidly changing. • Reliable information is the basis for nearly all decisions. • All business research shares some common objectives. • In many instances, business research is necessary to the health and survival of a business.

CHAPTER 2

MAKING SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE RESEARCHING

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ow that you have at least some idea of what your

boss was talking about when he said he’d like you to conduct some business research, you can stop worrying and relax a little bit. Don’t start thinking that you’re home free, though. There’s still a lot of work to be done before you can slip away for that well-earned cappuccino. It’s extremely important that you understand the objectives your boss has in mind, and know what he’s trying to accomplish through the use of business research. You might want to impress him by getting started immediately, but— trust me on this—it will be in your best interests in the long run not to do that. You’ll make much more of an impression (at least the kind you want to make) if you take some time right up front to make sure you understand exactly what it is you’ll be researching. After all, he is investing time and resources—both yours and his—into the research project, and you want to make sure you get your (and his) money’s worth.

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BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 I was once in charge of marketing for a small company, and my boss asked me to find out how many of our clients would pay for a snazzy newsletter that he was thinking of starting up. Extremely anxious to get on with the project, I quickly designed a questionnaire and sent it out, without taking the time to find out exactly what my boss had in mind. Needless to say, the questionnaire didn’t cover what he thought it should, and, although we got a significant response, it didn’t provide the information we were looking for. I learned the hard way that it doesn’t pay to rush business research.

WHY DO WE NEED BUSINESS RESEARCH? There are different types of business research, used to determine different things. The most common types of business research are those used for the following reasons: • To determine who is using your company’s products or services. • To determine who might be persuaded to use your company’s products or services. • To locate and/or monitor competition within the market. • To assess the chances for success of a new product or service. • To assess the feasibility of expanding a business or services. • To determine why the popularity of your company’s product or service has increased/decreased.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM HERE? Generally, as we learned in Chapter 1, business research is a tool that’s used to collect information. That information can be used as the basis for a decision. The very presence of business research often indicates that there is a question, and often a problem, for which an answer is necessary. Don’t assume, however, that business research indicates a problem. Research could be employed to find out about something that isn’t a problem at all, but quite the opposite. For example, your boss wants to discover why she’s had 98 percent more customers during the past year than in previous years. That’s hardly a problem—but finding an answer requires business research just the same.

MAKING SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE RESEARCHING

DOWN TO BUSINESS The simple fact that business research is being employed often, but not always, indicates that a problem exists, and that company officials are looking for information about why the problem is there and how it can be fixed.

Some examples of why a business might consider conducting research include: • The number of customers has been dropping steadily over the past six months at Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company, and nobody seems to have a clue as to why. Business research can determine the cause. • Bonnie’s handmade quilt business has outgrown her house, so she’s thinking of leasing a loft downtown from which to make and sell her products. But she’s not sure if she’ll be able to remain profitable while paying rent, utilities, and the other expenses that moving would involve. Bonnie needs to do some business research to find out the answers to her questions. • Everyone knows that different generations listen to different music. But, where do people of different generations buy their music? In the mall? Through catalogues? Over the Internet? At specialty shops? The Music Outfitters Company is trying to figure out the best way to market its extensive inventory of music to different age groups. Business research can determine the best places for the company to sell its CDs to teens, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers. • Cappuccinos, espressos, and lattes are big business in cities, but how will they go over in small-town America? Will farmers in the Midwest think that these concoctions are the best thing to ever hit town, or will they think it’s just another frivolous idea they don’t have time to deal with? Coffee Specialties, Inc. had better do a little business research to find out. • Maggie and her friends make beautiful pottery, and it’s always the big attraction at local craft shows. Somebody suggested recently that they put their work in area stores and galleries, and they’re all enthusiastic about the possibility. But how do they find the stores and galleries that might be interested in pottery by “Maggie and Friends”? Business research—that’s how. • Sales had increased by 50 percent during the past two years for Fred’s Guitar Shop, and the side business of giving guitar lessons was really picking up,

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too. Fred stops off at the bar one night for a beer on his way home, and his buddy tells him that he heard a guy from out of town is thinking of moving in and opening a guitar shop, just down the street from Fred’s place. To make matters even worse, it turns out that he gives lessons, too. Uh-oh. Sounds like Fred needs to get some business research going right away to find out more about what his potential competitor has to offer. As you can see, some of these scenarios are problem cases, while others simply show a need for information. The growth of Bonnie’s quilt business can’t really be considered a problem, but she definitely needs the information that business research will provide in order to make the right decision about how to proceed. Whether you’ll be conducting business research in order to solve a problem, or for any other purpose, you’ve got to establish your objectives before you begin.

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO FIND OUT? Before you can think about how you’ll conduct the research, to whom you’ll present your results, or how the results can be implemented, you’ve got to know exactly what it is you want to learn as a result of the research. Normally, you’ll have a primary objective, and at least one—usually more than one—secondary objective. The primary objective is the big question. If you could learn only one thing from your research, that would be it. The secondary objectives are other things you’ll discover as a result of the research. Secondary objectives also can be identified before research begins. Often, however, they are discovered by accident as the research unfolds. Let’s determine what the research objectives would be for each of the scenarios above. • Rich is losing customers for his tour business, that much is clear. The problem is (and that definitely is a problem), he doesn’t know why. There are no new competitors in town, and he hasn’t changed the way he runs his company. Rich’s primary objective is to find out why he’s losing business. A secondary objective would be to find out what other rafting companies are doing to keep their customers. • Bonnie is glad her quilt shop is doing so well, but she’s worried about her finances if she has to rent space. Bonnie’s primary objective is to determine the financial consequences of expanding her business by moving it to an outside location. Secondary objectives would be to determine the best area

MAKING SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE RESEARCHING

•

•

•

•

in which to rent space, whether to hire someone to help her, and other issues related to expanding. The primary objective of the Music Outfitters Company is to determine where and how they should sell their CDs. Secondary objectives would be to learn where people of different age groups buy music, what kind of music they’re likely to buy, and how much they’re willing to spend on CDs. Coffee Specialties, Inc. is looking to expand its customer base to include small towns in the Midwest. Its primary objective is to learn whether people in those towns will buy its cappuccino, espresso, and other specialty coffees. Secondary objectives would be to learn which of the products small-town Midwesterners would want, how much the company can charge for them, and so forth. Maggie and her friends already know that people like the pottery they make. Their primary objective is to learn whether area shopkeepers are willing to display and sell their pottery in their stores and galleries. Secondary objectives would be to find out if it’s smart to sell from stores and galleries (because the shopkeeper would likely take a commission from the sale price of the pottery), and whether people who buy their pottery at craft shows would go to stores and galleries to get it. Fred is enjoying a successful run at his business, but he fears that it will suffer if another guitar shop opens nearby. His primary objective is to find out for sure whether another store will be moving into town. Secondary objectives would be to learn what kind of shop it would be, what products would be sold there, how much the competitor charges for guitar lessons, and so forth.

RESEARCH RUT When you define your objective, you’re identifying what it is you want to find out through your research. You must, at all costs, resist the possible temptation to define your objective in a manner that presents a preconceived notion of the results. For example, Fred doesn’t know for sure that another store is going to open near his. If he states his objective as “learning how the new store will affect his business,” he’s assuming another store is moving in, when actually, he doesn’t know whether it is or not. Be very careful not to assume anything in business research. By doing so, you can change the focus of the research and end up not getting the information you need.

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IT’S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK Defining objectives for your business research might sound intimidating, but it’s really not. For one thing, the objective is likely to be clearly stated by whomever gives you the research assignment. After all, if your boss wants you to find out exactly who is buying the greeting cards your company produces, she’s likely to tell you that learning that information is the object of your research. If an objective is not clearly defined, however, you’ll have to do it yourself. To identify your objectives, simply make a list of everything you’d like to learn from the research you’ll be doing. Just be sure you have a clear idea of the purpose of the research before you start writing down objectives. List everything you can think of that you’d like to learn from your research project. If the purpose of your research is to find out who’s buying your greeting cards, your initial list of objectives might look something like this. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Who buys our greeting cards? In what shops are our cards sold? Where are those shops? Who shops in those stores? Are the customer bases similar for all the stores in which our cards are sold? What is the average age of the customer who shops where our cards are sold? 7. What is the average income of those customers? 8. Are our cards sold anywhere other than the stores identified? 9. Who would be the customers at those places, if they exist? Once you’ve come up with some objectives, put them into the order that you think they should be researched. Not all of the questions on your list will be worthy of an out-and-out research effort. It’s likely that some can already be answered, perhaps simply by contacting the owners of some of the shops that sell your cards. Be sure you identify the primary objective, and list the secondary objectives in order of relevance and importance.

MAKING SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE RESEARCHING

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Jennifer Takahashi is a successful artist who lives outside New York City. She spends a significant amount of time researching New York art galleries to determine which would be willing to display and sell her paintings. Her primary objective remains the same in all her research: to find galleries in which she can display her work. Her secondary objective, however, varies. She might want to learn the locations of different galleries, what commission the owners would take in the event of a sale, how long they’ll display her work, how many people visit the gallery, and so forth.

Once you’ve identified your objectives, you’ve completed a major part of your research assignment. Present the objectives to your boss (or to whomever you’re working with on the research project), in what you feel is the order of importance. Always state the primary objective first. If your supervisor doesn’t agree with the objectives you’ve stated, or the order in which you’ve placed them, explain why you chose the objectives that you did, and that you placed them according to their importance. It could be that you and she have different ideas about the research project, and simply don’t agree on what you’ll be trying to learn from it.

DOWN TO BUSINESS It’s extremely important that everyone have the same understanding and expectations concerning the research that’s to be conducted. Disagreement concerning the objectives might be an indication that others have different perceptions concerning the project than you do. If so, it’s necessary to resolve the differences before moving ahead with the project.

MOVING ON AFTER OBJECTIVES Once you (and whoever else is involved in the business research project) are satisfied with your stated objectives, you’ll have a good understanding of exactly what information you want to acquire from the research you’ll be doing. You’re still not ready, however, to dive headfirst into the project by setting up focus groups or starting phone surveys. You’ve got to establish the ground rules

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for the project, and learn exactly what you’re expected to do before you start. Remember, spending some extra time before you start the project will save you a lot of trouble down the road.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE Consider, for a moment, the methodology of a good server in a restaurant. Upon taking your order, he’ll ask you questions about how you’d like things prepared. Rare or medium-rare? Sauce on the side? The mixed greens or Caesar salad? Extra mushrooms? Wine with your dinner? Asking all those questions before serving the meal assures that the server will be able to give you what you want, presented the way you like it. If he didn’t take the time to find out exactly what you wanted, he’d be unable to do his job properly. The same applies to your business research project. Learning the parameters ahead of time will assure that you’ll be able to do an excellent job.

Some important things to find out before you begin a business research project (or before you even agree to do the project, if you have any choice about it), involve time, money, how the work is to be conducted, who will be involved, and other matters. Have a look at the list of questions below, and remember to address these issues before you get started on the research.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE STARTING BUSINESS RESEARCH: • • • • •

What is it we hope to learn from the research (objectives)? Will I conduct the research on my own, or will I be part of a research team? How long will I have to set up and conduct the research? What methods am I expected to use to conduct the necessary research? What sources of information will be available to me during the course of the research? • How much money is budgeted for the business research? • Will I be given time away from my regular duties in order to work on the research project? • How should my findings be presented?

MAKING SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE RESEARCHING

• To whom will my findings be presented? • How will my findings be utilized within the company? These are some questions that you should always ask, and you can probably think of more that apply to your situation. Don’t be afraid to ask about anything you’re unsure of.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Being prepared with a list of questions before you begin a research project serves a dual purpose. It not only will make your job easier during the course of the project, it will also impress your boss or supervisor right from the start, because she’ll see that you’re taking the project seriously and considering all the implications.

If your boss, or whoever assigned the research project, is not readily accessible, you can present your questions in a memo. Or, if your office uses e-mail, you could send your boss a list of your questions in that format. If you do have the opportunity to sit down with your boss or supervisor, ask each question, and don’t be afraid to take notes on the answers you receive. Answers to your questions won’t help much if you can’t remember them. If you have to give your supervisor a list of your questions, make sure you follow up to get the information you need. You don’t have to make a pest of yourself, but be sure your supervisor understands you need answers before you can begin the research.

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR BOSS KNOW? If your boss has never been involved with a business research project, she may have little understanding of what will be necessary for you to do to launch the project and see it through to completion. If that’s the case, there are some advantages and some disadvantages for you. Advantages include: • You’ll probably have more freedom to set up and conduct the research project the way you’d like.

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• Your boss will probably be less likely to monitor the project because she doesn’t have a good understanding of the steps involved, allowing you to work more independently. • She might let you determine what kind of money you’ll need to conduct the research and compile results, thereby eliminating constraints that might have been imposed. • She is likely to be impressed with your good work on the project, because you’ve mastered something with which she’s unfamiliar. Disadvantages include: • You’ll have to look to other sources for guidance and advice in the course of your research work. • Your boss may have unrealistic expectations concerning business research. • She might impose serious financial constraints on the project because she doesn’t understand the necessary expenditures. • She may not be able to sufficiently explain what it is she hopes to accomplish or how she wants the research conducted, which could in turn make it difficult to ensure that you and she share the same expectations. Regardless of whether or not your boss will be involved with the research project on a hands-on basis, make sure you share your concerns and difficulties. You don’t want everyone to assume things are moving along smoothly if you’re actually encountering all kinds of problems.

Research Review • Understanding from the very start exactly what you’ll be researching will make the entire project proceed more smoothly. • The need for business research often, but not always, indicates a problem within the business conducting the research. • Determining the objectives of a business research project is a very important early step. • Nearly every research project will have a primary objective, and at least one secondary objective. • There are some important questions you should ask before starting business research. • The extent to which your boss or supervisor is involved in the research probably will have an effect on how you’ll proceed.

CHAPTER 3

CHOOSING THE RIGHT METHOD OF RESEARCH

J

ust as there are various ways to write a report, present a

proposal, or get in touch with a new customer, there are different categories of research, and different methods used to set up and conduct business research. If all business research could be done exactly the same way, this book would be very easy to write and to use. We’d simply list the prescribed steps and you’d be on your way. One, two, three, and presto—you’d be conducting business research. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. The type of research you use and the methodology you choose will vary from project to project, and will depend on a variety of factors, including: • • • •

the type of information you’re looking for the amount of pertinent information that already exists how much money you have available for the project the amount of time you can spend on the project

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• how much help you’ll have with the research • the resources available to you Siobhan Flynn is a research anotationist for the FOX Network in Los Angeles. A main part of her job is to research script material for accuracy, but she gets involved in all sorts of other projects, as well. One of her favorite aspects of the job is when she’s asked to find some obscure piece of information needed for a script. These questions run the gamut of topics, including business, geography, finances, history, politics, and just about anything else you can think of. Flynn, a professional researcher, has used all of the common research methods many times, but says she never knows what method she’ll use until the project is before her and she’s considered what she wants to do with it. “I just have to use whatever works,” Flynn says. “It varies greatly according to the situation.”

WHY BUSINESS RESEARCH IS USED We listed some reasons in Chapter 2 why a company might employ business research, and gave some examples of situations in which business research would be useful. To review, a company can benefit from business research whenever it faces questions it can’t answer. Business research can help to: • • • •

identify customers and potential customers locate, identify, and monitor competition test whether a new product will be successful determine whether it’s a good idea to expand a business or open at another location • find out why a particular product or service is doing better, or not as well as previously • provide information that can be used to reach conclusions to many other questions and problems Business research is a valuable and useful tool that can reveal a lot of helpful information to companies that use it.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT METHOD OF RESEARCH

BASIC TYPES OF BUSINESS RESEARCH When first undertaking a business research project, it’s important to understand some basic categories of research. In this chapter, we’re going to talk about basic research categories, and the methods of research used within those categories. If this sounds confusing, don’t get discouraged. You’ll practically be an expert on these subjects by the end of the chapter. First, there are two basic categories of research: primary and secondary. Primary research is when you start at ground level to design and carry out a project in order to gain information and answers to questions your company is facing. Primary research will reveal new information. Secondary research is the process of gathering information that’s already available. It’s research because the information can be difficult to locate, and may have to be verified, sorted, and organized. In many ways, secondary research can be just as difficult, or even more so, than primary research.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Before starting from scratch on a business research project, always make sure you check to see what information may already be available that could be helpful. It makes no sense to spend time and money doing what someone else has already done.

A mistake that many new researchers make is not taking full advantage of work that’s already been done. In their haste and eagerness to get involved with a business research project, they overlook all kinds of readily available information, and spend time and resources doing the same work over again. We talk more about locating information in Section 2, but for now, keep in mind that some excellent information is available from sources such as U.S. Census reports, your area Chamber of Commerce, articles in trade magazines and journals, the telephone directory, and other people in the business or industry in which you’re working. The point is: Don’t overlook obvious sources. Your boss won’t be impressed if you spend two weeks researching, only to end up presenting him with information he already knew.

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BEWARE THE DOWNSIDE While existing information can be extremely useful, and result in tremendous savings in time and resources, there are some possible disadvantages to using it. If the information you discover is dated (normally more than a year or two old, depending on the subject matter), your results will also be dated and possibly inaccurate. Using those results could seriously compromise, or even invalidate, your entire research project. Even if the information you discover is still technically correct, if it’s not up-to-date, your project will be flawed.

RESEARCH RUT A friend who is an author recently wrote a book about personal finances, a field in which regulations, statistics, and trends change very rapidly. He got much of his information from the Internet, and in several instances failed to realize the information he was using was a couple of years old. Fortunately, the financial expert who coauthored the book caught the mistakes before the copy was sent to the publisher, but this points out the danger of using information that’s out-of-date.

Another possibility is that the information you discover could be less than accurate. It could even be downright wrong. The Internet is a wonderful resource for researchers, but remember that the information on it comes from thousands of different sources, some of whom are unreliable. Other sources of information also could be inaccurate, so use caution and always verify the facts when using someone else’s work.

DOWN TO BUSINESS While using existing information can save time, effort, and money, it also can be detrimental if not done carefully. If you’re conducting a business research project, you’re responsible for verifying information to make sure it’s accurate.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT METHOD OF RESEARCH

COMMONLY USED METHODS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH Once you start digging into information that’s already been collected, you might discover there’s no need for primary research. If that’s the case, fine. You will have completed your task with less effort than you had anticipated. As long as you found out what you set out to learn, and conducted your project in an orderly and conscientious manner, it doesn’t matter that you used only secondary research. You accomplished your task. If you learn, however, that there’s not enough—or not any—information available concerning your research topic, then you’ll have to get down to some primary research. If that’s the case, there are two different methods that can be used to conduct primary research: the quantitative method and the qualitative method. The quantitative method of research uses things like surveys or questionnaires to gather information that normally can be compiled and related in numbers or percentages. For instance, a newspaper company may send out surveys to its subscribers to find out which parts of the paper they read or like, and which parts they don’t. Readers would complete the survey and return it to the company, which would compile the results. This method is very structured, and the results are easier to interpret than those generated with the qualitative method of research. Qualitative research is based on techniques such as focus groups and one-on-one surveys, producing different kinds of results from those of quantitative research. In qualitative research, for instance, the newspaper company selects a small, representative group of readers, and gets them together for an in-depth discussion of which parts of the paper they like, and which parts they don’t like, and why. This sort of research allows those conducting it to go into greater depth and gather more information than a survey or questionnaire could. This is one of the strengths of qualitative research. A criticism of qualitative research, on the other hand, is that it’s more subjective than quantitative, so the results can vary depending on who conducts the research and how the results are tabulated. Researchers must work hard to control this possibility. Quantitative and qualitative are the two basic types of primary business research, but there are different methods used within each of those groups. Let’s take a look at some of the most common methods of gathering information. There are various methods commonly used in business research that have been

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proven effective when the research was conducted and tabulated properly. These are the methods we’ll look at in this chapter. You should know, however, that researchers are developing new methods all the time, and computer technology and the information superhighway are predicted to have a huge impact on the way research will be conducted in the future. For our purposes, however, we’ll concentrate primarily on some traditional research methods, including focus groups, interviews, mystery shopping, and surveys. We go into much greater detail about surveys, interviews, and focus groups in later chapters. This explanation of research methods is intended to give you an overview of what’s available and commonly used.

RESEARCH RUT Don’t be talked into using a certain research method just because it was used successfully in the past. Each research project has to be analyzed before a method can be chosen. Just because a particular method worked for one project, doesn’t mean it’s the best method for your project.

Focus Groups As we already learned, the practice of using focus groups is a qualitative method of research. Focus groups are small, representative groups of people who are asked to provide input about a particular product, idea, or concept. The proceedings are controlled by a moderator, who encourages discussion and input. Focus groups don’t provide hard facts and statistics, but allow researchers to gain in-depth information and opinions about whatever it is they’re testing. More than one focus group is normally used in the course of researching a particular product or idea. We’ll go into more detail about focus groups in Chapter 13.

Interviews Interviews are also qualitative, and can be conducted in person or over the telephone. They vary tremendously depending on the intent, the interviewer, and other factors. Personal interviews can be one-on-one, or an interviewer can meet with several people at the same time. There are advantages and disadvantages to each style. A one-on-one interview allows researchers to gather more in-depth

CHOOSING THE RIGHT METHOD OF RESEARCH

information from the interviewee; interviewing several people at once results in more varied information and normally is less expensive and time-consuming. You’ll learn how to conduct effective interviews—over the phone and in person— in Chapter 11.

Mystery shopping Mystery shopping is used primarily by service-based businesses, such as retail stores, banks, and restaurants. Typically, a researcher enters the store, bank, or restaurant, and pretends to be a customer. The researcher has been trained, and is looking for certain things, such as the quality of customer service, availability of products and services, quality control, and so forth. Researchers also frequently visit competitor’s establishments to monitor similar things. Mystery shopping is another form of qualitative research.

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Business research is conducted constantly, and is not always highly structured. Dave Callahan, the owner of a popular restaurant in eastern Pennsylvania, says he “mystery shops” on nearly every night he’s not working. He visits other restaurants in the area to see what’s on their menus, find out how their servers measure up to his own, check out the quality of their food, observe décor, and see who their customers are. It may not sound like a tough job to the average person, but Dave takes his research seriously, and he considers his findings to be very important.

Surveys Surveys are typically conducted either by mail or by telephone, although they can be done in person. Surveys require the researcher to have an effective questionnaire that will encourage participants to respond with information that will be useful. Survey questions must be pertinent and applicable to the research project, and the answers must be carefully compiled and processed. Surveys, which are quantitative research, can be very time-consuming, and require a great degree of organization. We’ll discuss surveys in depth in Chapter 10. These are traditional, popular methods of business research that are usually used; however, they are by no means the only methods. As we mentioned earlier in

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this chapter, computers and the Internet are changing the way research is conducted, and no doubt will continue to do so into the next century. Just for fun, let’s take a look at virtual shopping—a brand-new research method that’s gaining in popularity. Virtual shopping is a research method used to test products. It can be used instead of traditional test-marketing methods, which are costly and time-consuming. With virtual shopping, researchers use three-dimensional computer graphics to simulate test marketing. Briefly, the researchers create the atmosphere of an actual retail store on a computer screen. “Consumers” can view shelves stocked with various products, including those being test marketed by the researcher. Special computer equipment allows the shopper to “pick up” items from the shelves, turn them around to view from all sides, and put them in a shopping cart if they want to buy them. Researchers watch the process and record how long the “shopper” spends with each item, and other factors that indicate if a particular product will be successful.

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Researchers for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company recently were trying to figure out how Goodyear tires would sell in general distribution outlets, as compared to in Goodyear’s own retail stores. Their study involved 1,000 consumers, who had recently bought, or were planning to buy, new tires. Each participant was taken through several virtual tire stores to compare price, tread design, and warranty on various brands and models, including Goodyear. Their responses provided Goodyear with valuable information about what consumers look for when buying tires.

It will be interesting to see how popular virtual shopping becomes, and even more interesting to watch as other innovations in research make their way to the forefront.

CHOOSING THE RESEARCH METHOD THAT WILL WORK FOR YOU Now that you’ve learned a little bit about research methods and how they’re used, you’re no doubt wondering how to pick the method that will work best for the project you’ve been assigned to.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT METHOD OF RESEARCH

As we’ve already said, the optimum method will vary from project to project, and depends on various factors. You can’t assume that because your company used a telephone survey five years ago to collect information from its customers, that a telephone survey is the best way to proceed today. We listed some factors to consider when choosing a research method earlier in the chapter. You have to take into account things such as the amount of time you have available to complete your research, how much money you can spend on your study, the amount of help and other resources you’ll have available, the type of information you’re seeking, and what information you might already have. Let’s look a little more closely at these factors, and see how they affect your choice of research methods.

Time Obviously, time is an important factor in any project, including research projects. Some methods (mail surveys, for instance), take more time than others. They simply can’t be completed as quickly as others (such as telephone surveys). Some research methods, such as focus groups and mystery shopping, can be designed to meet your time frame. Focus groups can be arranged fairly quickly, although you need time to do things such as develop your topic and objectives, recruit and choose participants, and prepare a moderator. If you use a mail survey, you’re constrained not only by the time it will take to get the survey ready, but the speed at which it will reach your participants and come back to you.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE A general rule of thumb is to allow a minimum of eight weeks for a mail survey, and a minimum of four weeks for a telephone survey. A focus group normally can be organized and carried through in about four weeks, unless you get bogged down somewhere along the way. Mystery shopping can be done quickly if you have your objectives in line.

Money Research costs money, and some methods involve more expenses than others. Telephone surveys can be relatively inexpensive, unless you have to hire people to do the calling. Focus groups can get expensive if you have to rent facilities in

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which to conduct them, hire a moderator and other personnel to help with them, and pay the participants. You’ll always have some control over the cost of your research, but it’s important to consider all the possible expenses before deciding which method to use.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Even if your company has limited funds for business research, try to get enough to conduct a good-quality project. If you skimp on what you need and don’t get accurate or complete results, you won’t have the necessary information on which to base decisions, and the money you did spend will have been for nothing.

Help and Available Resources If you’ve been assigned to do a business research project all by yourself, think carefully about the method you choose. You don’t want to get involved in a 100-person telephone survey, for instance, if you’re going to have to design the questionnaire, identify the participants, make all the calls and conduct the interviews, and compile the results all by yourself. Try to get a realistic idea of the amount of work each method will entail, and consider how much help you’ll have before choosing one. Also look at what other resources you might have, such as access to lists and other sources of information.

RESEARCH RUT If you think your boss has unrealistic expectations concerning the business research project she’s assigned to you, be sure to state your concerns up front. If she’s asked you to do a mail survey of your top 200 customers, for instance, and you learn that the project is yours and yours alone, you and she need to talk. Make a list of what the job will involve, and, if it’s more than you’ll be able to handle by yourself, calmly explain the problem to your boss. It’s better to confront the problem right away than to get involved in something in which you can’t possibly succeed.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT METHOD OF RESEARCH

The Type of Information You’re Looking For If you’re trying to find out what customers think of your company’s new logo, then a telephone survey is not your best choice of research methods. If you want to find out what percentage of your business is repeat business, then a phone or mail survey might be just the way to do it.

What Information You Might Already Have If you already have lists of all your customers, a customer survey is a far less daunting project than it would be if customer lists had to be compiled. Consider what information you may already have before deciding what research method to use. You’ll have a more complete understanding of research methods by the time you’ve finished this book, and a better sense of which method to use for a particular project. The most important thing to remember for now is that there are no set rules for selecting the research method that will work the best for your project. Consider all the variables, and choose the method that makes the most sense in regard to time, money, available help, and so forth.

Research Review • No two business research projects are exactly alike, so they can’t be conducted in exactly the same manner. • The two basic categories of research are primary research and secondary research. • Two main methods of research are quantitative and qualitative. • Common methods of research include focus groups, interviews, mystery shopping, and surveys. • New technology is changing the way business research is conducted. • Various factors must be considered when choosing a research method for your project.

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CHAPTER 4

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR RESEARCH

O

nce you’ve got a good grasp of exactly what your

business research project entails, and you’ve chosen the research method you’re going to use, it’s time to get organized and begin work. As important as it is to prepare before you jump into a research project, sooner or later, you must actually begin to do the work. Your boss presumably had a good reason why he wanted the research done in the first place, and is no doubt anxious to see what you’ll discover in the course of your project. You know that it’s time to get started. Before you do that, though, there are a couple of important things to review.

AGREEING ON OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS In Chapter 2, we discussed the importance of understanding the objectives of your business research. You can’t start a project without a clear sense of

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what it is you hope to accomplish. If you don’t feel that you know exactly what it is you’re setting out to do, then go back and ask again. Difficult as it may be to admit you’re unsure about something, it’s best to do so now. No one will be happy with you if you wait until you’ve invested time and money in a business research project, with no clear idea of what it is you’ve set out to accomplish.

DOWN TO BUSINESS If you have any questions about the objectives of your business research, the time to ask is right now. Don’t proceed any further until you have a thorough understanding of the purpose of the project.

We mentioned in Chapter 3 how important it is to make sure you and your boss have the same expectations concerning the research. By this time, you should have spoken with him regarding the amount of time you’ll have to complete the research project, how much money you’ll be able to spend on it, and who will help you. If you haven’t communicated these matters to your boss, you should do so before actually get started with the research. Doing this will accomplish several things: • It ensures that everyone involved has the same expectations concerning the project. • It will help you to decide how you’re going to proceed with the project. If your boss tells you that you have only one month to complete it, then you can rule out a mail survey. And if he gives you an unlimited budget for the project (it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?), you can start planning to hire a professional moderator for your focus groups. • It makes the research project official, and gives you a starting point and time to begin. Having your boss recognize the project and how you plan to proceed with it gives you the green light to go ahead and get started.

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR RESEARCH

If the project is important to the company, your boss should be perfectly willing to take the time to sit down and go over the details of the research. If he isn’t willing to do that, maybe you have to question how important the project really is.

DOWN TO BUSINESS It’s a good idea to outline the parameters of your research project in a memo to your boss. Include the project’s time frame, an idea of how much it will cost, and so forth. Send a copy to your boss, and make sure you keep one for yourself. That way, there can be no disputes about these matters down the road, and you’ll be able to concentrate fully on the actual research.

I know a man who runs his own company, with about 25 employees. In some ways he’s a good manager, but he’s notorious for dropping the ball on projects after significant time and effort has been spent on them. He’ll insist that a big project get under way immediately, then simply lose interest in it before it’s completed. Many hours of hard work are wasted, and it’s very discouraging for the employees assigned to the projects. Be sure your boss has a good understanding of the scope of the project, and supports you before you start your research.

ESTABLISHING A TIMETABLE Once that troublesome aspect of getting your project underway is taken care of, you should get busy and set up a schedule, or timetable, for your research. A timetable is nothing more than an estimate of how long each part of your research will take. This sounds difficult—if not impossible—to do now, because you haven’t yet learned about all the steps involved with a business research project. Don’t worry. We’ll get to that in a little while, and give you a better idea of the things you’ll need to allocate time. Remember, though, that your timetable can’t be exact, because there’s no way to know exactly how long it will take to complete each step. Leave yourself a little margin for error.

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BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Patricia Morris, a supervisor with a large company based outside of Chicago, often uses focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of her company’s advertising. She says there is no set formula for predicting how long it will take to prepare for and carry out the research. “I try not to commit myself to a set schedule,” Morris says. “If I do, I tend to get very stressed out when something takes longer than I think it will. It’s best to leave yourself some extra time.” Morris says there is another benefit to keeping your timetable flexible. “If it all goes smoothly, you can finish the project early and impress your boss,” she says.

If you’ve been given some breathing room on your project, consider yourself lucky. You can make yourself a comfortable working schedule and conduct your research on your own terms. If you’ve been given a specific amount of time to complete a research project, then you’ll have to work within those parameters. That will take careful planning, and will somewhat limit your flexibility. But regardless of whether you have a set amount of time to complete the research, or you can take as long as you want to, it’s to your advantage not to drag out the project.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE It’s human nature to start a project with great enthusiasm, then grow a bit uninterested if it drags on and becomes tedious. It’s to everyone’s advantage to conduct business research in as timely a manner as possible.

Business research is best when the results are fresh, and those conducting it are interested and enthusiastic. When a project stretches out for a very long time, those conducting it often tend to lose interest and become less enthusiastic about their work.

You Want it When? Picture this: Your boss calls you into her office one day and tells you she’d like to have your business research project completed by, say, June 30. “Sure,” you say, with a big smile. “No problem. I’ll get going on it right away.”

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR RESEARCH

You’re feeling happy that you’re going to get started, and that you and your boss are on the same page about when the project will be completed. And then you look at your calendar. It doesn’t take long to figure out that June 30 is five weeks from tomorrow. Five weeks, and you’ve never done a business research project before. You feel the panic start building inside, and you consider taking an early lunch hour to have some more copies of your resume run off at the local Kinko’s. Well, we’re not going to tell you that completing a business research project in five weeks is going to be easy, but it’s not necessarily a cause for panic. If it’s a fairly simple, straightforward project, and you get yourself well organized, you’ll be able to pull it off without all that much anguish. If it’s a very technical, highly involved project, however, you might be in a bit of trouble. Some research projects simply can’t be done in five weeks. They’re far too complicated and involved. Let’s assume, though, that your boss is a reasonable person, and wouldn’t assign a project that’s impossible to do within the prescribed time period. That being the case, you’ll need to build your schedule into the fiveweek period set by your boss.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Don’t set yourself up to fail by accepting a project that’s impossible. If you’re given less time to conduct research than you know you need, diplomatically tell your boss the project can’t be completed within the given time frame. It’s better to be honest up front, than to waste resources attempting to do something that’s impossible.

Let’s walk briefly through the steps of a typical research project using the focus group method. Chapter 13 goes into great detail about focus groups, so for now, we’ll just discuss them in general terms for now, as a means of showing you the areas for which you’ll need to allocate time.

Setting a Timetable for Research Using Focus Groups Say that you work for that newspaper company that’s trying to find out what its readers like and don’t like about the paper. It’s going to be your job to conduct the research to find out. Management wants in-depth results, not just “yes” or “no” responses to ques-

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tions. It wants to know everything about what readers like and don’t like—right down to their preferences in comic strips. You’ve wisely chosen focus groups as your research method in order to get that kind of qualitative, in-depth information. We told you in Chapter 3 that research using focus groups usually takes at least four weeks to set up, conduct, and analyze the results. Of course, the time will vary, depending on factors such as the experience of the researcher, the ability to find qualified participants quickly, locating a place in which to conduct the research, and so forth. Allocating time to each of the necessary tasks will be tricky if you’ve never done focus-group research before, because you won’t be able to judge very well the difficulty of each step. Even if you have conducted this type of research previously, your timetable will vary from project to project. This is why research timetables usually can only serve as estimates. Try to predict the best you can how much time you’ll need for each task, but don’t restrict yourself too much, in case it takes much longer to do something than you had expected. The basic steps to setting up and conducting a focus group are as follows: 1. If you haven’t already done so, determine the objectives of the focus group research. Hopefully, you have discussed your objectives with your supervisors and have a thorough understanding of what they are by this point. 2. Decide how many focus groups you want to use in your research. 3. Figure out who should be included in the focus group(s), and develop a method for screening potential members (usually a brief questionnaire). 4. Recruit people to serve as members of the group(s), and screen them to make sure they’ll be suitable. 5. Decide who will serve as moderator for the group(s), and prepare a discussion guide for that person. 6. Determine where the focus-group research will be conducted, and what you’ll need (tables, chairs, refreshments, and so forth). 7. Make arrangements to have the group discussions recorded by either audiotape, videotape, or both. 8. Notify participants of the exact date and time their focus group will be conducted, and give them directions to the location where it will be held. 9. Set up the room where you’ll be conducting the research in the appropriate manner. 10. Moderate the focus group(s). 11. Analyze results.

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You’ll learn much more about focus groups in Chapter 13; however, these 11 steps cover the basic components of this type of research. Assuming that you already have your objectives in place, there are 10 steps for which you need to allocate time. Figuring out the participants’ profiles probably will be one of the more difficult tasks, and you should leave adequate time for it. Locating and contacting participants also will take up a hefty chunk of your five weeks. Obviously, the more people you have helping with the project, the faster it can be completed. One person could work on a profile for participants, while another makes arrangements for a location and to have the research taped. A third person could write the moderator’s discussion guide. To keep things organized and on track, you should make some sort of timetable chart. It doesn’t need to be elaborate—even something like the chart below, based on the hypothetical newspaper research project would work.

Timetable for Newspaper’s Focus-Group Research Project Final Date for Project Completion: June 30, 1999 Tasks Completion Dates Listed Below Define the Objectives: Determine Number of Focus Groups: Develop Participant Profile and Screening Procedure: Recruit and Screen Participants: Assign Moderator and Prepare Discussion Guide for Moderator: Determine Location and Items Needed: Arrange for Discussions to be Recorded: Notify Participants of Exact Date, Time, and Location of Focus Group: Set up Room in Which Discussions Will Be Held: Conduct Focus Groups: Analyze Results:

Immediately by May 28 by June 3 by June 12 by June 15 by June 1 by June 20 by June 15 on June 22 on June 23 June 24–30

Completing such a chart and having it in front of you will keep you organized and, hopefully, on schedule. Remember, there is no exact science to setting a timetable, but this gives you an idea of what you need to accomplish and when.

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UNDERSTANDING YOUR BUDGET As you probably realized when looking at these basic steps for setting up and conducting a focus group, there’s money involved. If you can’t host the focus group at the site of your business, you may have to rent space. Some professional marketing firms have special rooms set up for focus groups that you may be able to rent if your budget permits. If you do rent space, find out what is included with the room you’ll be using. You’ll need to make sure you have enough comfortable chairs for all participants and the moderator. Check to see if there are additional charges for chairs, a table, and anything else you might need. Participants in focus groups normally are paid a fee, and refreshments usually are served before, during, or after the discussion period. You’ll need to budget accordingly. If you don’t have a proficient staff member, you may have to hire someone to tape the focus group discussion, and your moderator will require a fee is she’s hired from outside your workplace. Get on the phone early, and determine the total of these, and any other, possible costs. Don’t forget to allow some money in your budget for costs you may have overlooked.

RECRUITING HELP Organizing your help early and assigning tasks to each person will cut down on last-minute confusion, and allow each person to figure out exactly what he or she will have to do. Make sure those who will be assisting are able to clear their schedules to help set up for the focus group, either the day before or early on the day that it’s held. Also, be sure you have enough people available to assist once the groups are actually in session. Think about everything that might possibly need to be done, and assign someone to the task. The more organized you are, the fewer things you’ll have to worry about on the day the groups are to meet. Consider such things as the following: • Should someone meet the participants downstairs and escort them to the meeting room, or will participants come up by themselves?

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR RESEARCH

• Is there a problem with parking? If so, should someone plan to meet participants at a designated spot and shuttle them to the building? • Do any of the participants need special assistance? For instance, is there someone in a wheelchair who might need some help? If so, make sure a helper is aware of the situation. • Will refreshments be delivered, or must someone pick them up? • If participants are to receive a cash stipend, who will arrange to get the cash, and how will it be presented? • Does the guard or doorman have the names of all participants? It simply wouldn’t do to have a member of the focus group refused entry to the building. • Are the moderator’s materials in place in the room? • Is there water or other beverages available for participants? No doubt, there will be many other things to be considered and designated to various helpers. If you’re using a method other than a focus group for your business research, your timetable will be different, as will the preparations you’ll need to make. For instance, if you’re conducting a phone survey, the biggest chunks of time probably will be needed to design the questionnaire you’ll use, and to determine who to include in the survey. You won’t have to worry about arranging for a meeting place, but you’ll have other concerns, such as hiring extra help to make phone calls. The best advice when preparing to start a business research project is to anticipate everything that needs to be done, or might possibly need to be done. Make sure you keep your supervisors apprised of your progress, and let them know about any major problems that occur that could put you seriously behind schedule. Keeping yourself and your work organized will help assure that your research proceeds smoothly.

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Research Review • Getting organized before starting a business research project is extremely important to its success. • Make sure that you and your supervisors have the same expectations about how the research is to proceed before you begin. • Establishing a workable timetable for your research is one of the first steps to getting organized before starting. • Your timetable will be an estimate of when you’ll complete various steps of your research, but remember that it won’t be exact. • A chart showing the dates on which various tasks should be completed is a useful tool in business research. • Make sure everyone working on the research project understands budget constraints before the project gets underway. • Try to ensure that you’ll have adequate help during your research, and make sure those helping understand exactly what they’ll be doing. • Anticipating, as much as you can, everything that will need to be done during the project will give you a realistic view of what you’re facing.

CHAPTER 5

IDENTIFYING THE KIND OF INFORMATION YOU’LL NEED

I

f you want to buy a Ford, you don’t go to the Honda dealer. If you want to have your house painted, you call a painter—not a

plumber or a bricklayer. And if it’s a new suit you need, you don’t head for the shoe store. Just as there are appropriate places to find what you want when you’re buying a service or product, there are appropriate—and inappropriate— places to look when you’re conducting business research.

WHY IS KNOWING WHERE TO LOOK SO IMPORTANT? Business research is very interesting at several levels. If you’ve been assigned to conduct business research as part of your job, then you’re most likely going to be evaluated on your research skills and the results of your research. Your success within the company can depend—at least partially— on the outcome of the research project.

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The ironic thing is, while you’ll be evaluated on the work you do, there likely will be no one within your company that will teach you how to do it. That’s because it’s very likely that no one within your company knows how to conduct business research. If someone has done a business research project before you, it’s likely that it wasn’t the same kind of research. If that’s the case, it would be difficult for that person to be able to help you. Say that two years ago, Martha was assigned to research your company’s competitors within a 50-mile radius. Martha did all the right things. She checked all the appropriate guides, directories, and Websites, and compiled every bit of information available on competing firms. You’ve been assigned to determine which of your company’s advertising efforts customers have responded to, and why. Knowing that Martha successfully conducted some business research a couple of years ago, you ask her to go to lunch to pick her brains. You figure you’ll find out what sources she used, and be on your way to the library right after lunch. What you learn from Martha, however, is not the names of sources from which she got material. You learn that your business research project is nothing like hers, and you’re going to have do it on your own. While Martha compiled statistics and numbers, you’ve got to get inside the customers’ minds, and find out why they feel a certain way, and why they respond to certain advertising. Yours is a very different project from Martha’s, even though both are business research. Because there are no set formulas for business research, you’ve got to be creative, and you’ve got to know what resources are available. Then you’ve got to know the most convenient places to find those resources.

THE CREATIVITY FACTOR Some people who study these things say that the creative-thinking ability of many people, including children, is lessening. They say that we depend on technology for answers to our questions, we base our decisions on information that’s passed to us at astounding rates, and that we entertain ourselves with TV instead of imaginative games or reading. Whether or not that’s the case, there obviously is a danger that we won’t use our creative-thinking skills to their fullest potential. It’s human nature to do things in the same manner. Think about it. It’s likely that you put your clothes on

IDENTIFYING THE KIND OF INFORMATION YOU’LL NEED

in the same order every day. Most people who drive to work take the same route every day, or walk the same way to the bus or train station. You may have a system that you follow when you clean your house or wash your car. We establish patterns, and then follow them almost without thinking. That’s fine, until you encounter a situation that has no pattern. Many people have trouble dealing with new situations, because it’s difficult for them to put their creative thinking to work and come up with a plan. This certainly applies to business research, which is constantly changing. It is nearly impossible to follow specific steps in business research, because it varies so greatly from project-to-project. Because of that, researchers must be able to assess what they need, where to get it, and what to do with it once they have it. Business research requires creative thinking to determine what must be done, and the confidence to move ahead once you’ve determined that.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE One of the schools my children attended had a program called “Can Do Kids.” This program encouraged children to tackle problems they didn’t encounter every day, and use innovative methods to solve them. Using creative thinking to solve problems not only gave my children some valuable experience in figuring things out, but increased their confidence that they’re able to get along on their own.

In the newspaper business, reporters often are assigned stories on topics they know little or nothing about. There’s a constant creative-thinking process involved, in which reporters work to come up with any possible sources of information for a story. The same idea applies to business research. If you’re presented with a problem or question, and asked to get information on which to base a decision or solution, you’ve got to be able to identify sources of information, and be creative enough to think how you’ll apply that information to your particular research. The best business researchers are not people who are gifted at making sense out of complicated statistics, or who can write the best telephone survey. The best business researchers are innovative, creative people who can think on their feet, identify and collect information, and figure out what the information means.

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WHERE SHOULD I GO FOR INFORMATION? Of course, even the most creative person will benefit from knowing what kind of information is available, and where to find it. Consider the sources listed below when you’re searching for material to support your business research.

The Library You might head for the library, either one within your company or a public library. Libraries are so essential to research that we’ll spend all of Chapter 6 telling you exactly how to get the most out of what the libraries around you have to offer. For now, we’ll just tell you that if you haven’t used your business or local library, you’re missing out on a great resource. Reference librarians are trained to help you find information on practically any topic, and most are more than willing to go out of their way to make sure you get what you need. To overlook your library is to miss out on a great source of help and information.

The Internet You might access the Internet to find what you’re looking for. The Internet has become an increasingly important tool for research purposes. The Internet is such a vast and valuable source of information that we’ll spend all of Chapter 9 telling you the best ways to use it and the best places to look.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE I know several people who have self-imposed limits on the time they spend online. They found they were spending far more time than they wanted to on the Internet, mostly because they’d get distracted by something interesting, but totally unrelated to the reason they logged on in the first place. If this sounds familiar, you might want to consider limiting your time, too.

The two major disadvantages to the Internet are its difficulty to use until you get familiar with it, and the time it can consume. Anyone who has ever used the Internet to any extent will tell you how easy it is to begin working on it at 8:00, only to suddenly realize it’s 10:30.

IDENTIFYING THE KIND OF INFORMATION YOU’LL NEED

People Resources Books, directories, and the Internet are good, but there’s another possibility. You could—are you ready for this one?—talk to a person. This might sound like a novel approach in this fast-paced, high-tech world of ours, but remember that all the information you find in the library or on the Internet has been compiled by people—real people who research, and study, and learn. If you’re lucky enough to know someone who is an expert, or at least very knowledgeable on the topic you’re researching, be sure to take advantage of it. Don’t overlook people you know, or can find out about, as valuable sources of information for your research project. If you feel as if you’re intruding, or being a pest, you shouldn’t. Most people love to talk about what they do. And they’re generally flattered if someone recognizes them as authorities in their areas of expertise. A people resource often overlooked are elderly people who have experience or knowledge about the area you’re researching. Rich Focht, a writer and researcher, was hired to research the history of a large apparel company that was founded in the late 1800’s. He worked diligently to uncover dates, business transactions, acquisitions, sales figures, financial statistics, company moves, changes in personnel, and the like. His research took on a whole new dimension, Focht says, when he discovered a group of elderly women who had all worked together at one of the company’s sewing plants 50 or 60 years prior. It was when he started to talk with these women, he says, that his research came alive. They told him about the personalities of the owners of the company. They told him how they left school to work in the sewing factory, and how they cried as they listened to the sewing machines shut down on the day the factory closed. They told him about labor problems, and bitterness, and many other things he never would have found in the company’s minutes and reports. “Talking with those women helped me to understand the personality of the company, and that was a very important aspect of my research,” Focht says. “I never would have been able to accurately portray the company without that information.”

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DOWN TO BUSINESS I once wrote short histories on 50 businesses in Berks County, Pennsylvania, that were included in a book about the history of the county. I used the library, the historical society, and all kinds of business records, but the very best sources were people who worked, or used to work, for the companies profiled. While facts are good and necessary in research, they’re not the only component. Getting information from people allows you to personalize your research, and make it something more than statistics and dates.

Certainly, these are not the only places you might go to find information. Let’s take a brief look at where else you might search, and what you might find there.

Other Possible Sources of Information Government offices Federal, state, county, and local government offices often contain information about things such as population, housing trends, planned development, traffic patterns, zoning and other laws, emergency procedures, crime statistics, and so forth. The government listings in your area telephone book should include locations and numbers for many government agencies and offices. It’s a good idea to call the office you’re interested in first, to make sure they have the information you want, and that it will be available to you. Chambers of commerce Chambers of commerce can be invaluable sources of information about businesses in a particular area, economic factors, population of an area, school enrollment, and planned development. Some chambers offer services for people wanting to start businesses, and have a good variety of information about taxes, zoning, competition, and other related matters. Colleges and universities Don’t overlook colleges and universities as important potential sources of information. Many libraries at colleges and universities contain special collections of books not available at public libraries. Different departments and colleges within a university normally will have information that applies to their areas of discipline,

IDENTIFYING THE KIND OF INFORMATION YOU’LL NEED

and don’t overlook the expertise of faculty and staff. Regulations vary concerning the use of college library materials. It’s a good idea to call first. You’re usually entitled to use the libraries of state universities if you’re a resident of the state, although restrictions may apply. Call the public relations office if you’re looking for a faculty member with a particular area of expertise. The PR staff normally will be happy to find someone to help you, because they’re usually under pressure to get publicity for faculty members.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Many colleges and universities sponsor partnership programs with area businesses. If you have a specific business research objective or problem, it might be worth your time to call colleges in your area and inquire about such programs. There may be someone who could help you, at little or no cost to your business.

Newspapers The newspapers in many towns and cities have been operating for a century or more. This should mean there are astounding amounts of information available from back issues. If you’re looking for specific information, give your local newspaper a call and see if you’d be permitted to use its library, or if it has its back issues on microfilm. Some papers will permit you to use its records. Others have researchers on staff who will find information for you—usually for a fee. Some papers will not share their back issues, but they may be available at area libraries. Don’t assume, however, that every newspaper maintains careful files of its back issues, and/or photo files. I once tried to get information about a company I was researching from a small newspaper in Alabama. Several people had assured me there was information available, so I traveled from Pennsylvania to get it. When I arrived, I discovered that the newspaper office had relocated a year or so before. All the back issues had been packed into cardboard boxes, then thrown into a storage room in the new building. The disarray was unbelievable, and I never did find any of the information I needed. Historical societies Your area historical society probably has information about local municipalities since they were formed, as well as biographies on business leaders and other prominent people. Many contain old maps of your area, family records, and old

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photographs. Depending on what it is you’re researching, historical societies can be very useful. You probably will have to join the society, or pay a fee to use its library or archives room. Most of these places have rather strict regulations about how their materials are used, and you may not be permitted to remove them from the building. Still, there may be information there that you won’t find anywhere else. Business groups and trade associations Members of groups such as the Better Business Bureau, American Women’s Business Association, Chamber of Commerce, and American Association of University Women can be valuable sources of information because of their diverse areas of expertise. Check your phone book to find out about attending a meeting or joining such organizations. Service and social clubs Don’t think your business research is confined strictly to business. If your community has organizations such as the Lions Club, Rotary Club, or Kiwanis Club, you’ll find they include people of many different business backgrounds as members. As we’ve already mentioned, knowledgeable people with specialized expertise are among the best sources of information. Places you go every day Your church or synagogue, your kids’ schools, the grocery store, gas station, barber shop, and nail salon are all excellent places to gather information. Imagine this: You’re waiting to mail a package at the local you-ship-it store. While you’re standing in line, the guy behind the counter starts talking about the new business center that’s going to be built nearby. You hadn’t heard about the center yet, so you ask what kinds of businesses will be there. In the course of the conversation, you discover another company that conducts water testing will be located in the new business center, only a mile and a half from where your business—another water testing outfit—is located. Now, you have valuable information for your boss, and another competitor to add to your list of those to check out. You never know what you’ll learn if you keep your eyes and ears open.

Which Places for Which Questions? Now that you have plenty of ideas about where to find information, the obvious question arises. How do you know which places would be the most valuable

IDENTIFYING THE KIND OF INFORMATION YOU’LL NEED

sources of information for specific topics? This gets back to the premise introduced in the very beginning of this chapter. If you want to buy a Ford, you don’t go to the Honda dealer. And if you’re trying to find out which of your advertising efforts your customers responded to, you don’t go to the library and look up statistics on your competitors. Where you go to look for information depends on what kind of information you need. • If you need geographic locations for specific businesses, the products they distribute, and their annual sales, then you should head for the library. We’ll tell you in the next chapter about some of the extensive information you can find there. • If your company is trying to locate the best area in which to build another of its child development centers, you could contact area school districts and ask to see their enrollment statistics. You’d get a good idea of where children of various ages live. Ask to see the school district’s building projections, as well. If a new elementary school is in the five-year plan, you know that district officials are expecting an increase in the number of children of that age. You also should check with the county’s planning commission or similar agency to see in what areas new housing developments are planned. • If you need to know biographical information on the principals of those businesses, again, the library probably is the place to start. Check out biographical directories, back issues of magazines, and newspapers, if they’re on file. • If you’re trying to find out why 80 percent of your new business has come from people in the same area, all of whom are having problems with the quality of their water, you might check with your local planning commission to see what new businesses have opened in the areas of your customers’ homes. Check on possible environmental factors such as landfill or chemical company opening. Perhaps your state environmental protection department, or similar agency, would have information that would be useful. You also should survey your customers to find out when they first noticed the problem, etc. • And if you’re trying to learn which of your ads your customers really liked, you’ve got to go to your customers. That type of research will require surveys, and perhaps focus groups, as well. You might start at the library, to find some information on the psychology of advertising and related topics. Or call your brother’s girlfriend, who is a vice president at an ad agency, and ask her to explain the ins and outs of advertising.

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While every research topic requires different means of gathering information, all business research requires the ability to think and reason, and to be resourceful. If the first place you look doesn’t have the information you need, you’d better figure out where you’re going to look next. Take some time to figure out who may be able to help you. A reference librarian can be an extremely valuable source of help, but sometimes the dean of business at your area university might be more useful. Perhaps a government official or aide has the information you need.

THE BUSINESS RESEARCHER’S MOTTO: BE PREPARED AND THOROUGH Regardless of who you ask for information, or where you go to look for it, be prepared to explain what it is you need, and be specific about the information you want. Say you’re trying to find out if the large cluster of Vietnamese immigrants that have recently moved into your area might be potential customers. Someone tells you that there’s a professor at your local university who is an expert on Vietnamese culture and is well acquainted with the Vietnamese people moving into the area. When you call the public relations office to find out who the professor is, and if you’d be able to speak with her, tell the PR person exactly what it is you’re doing, and why you need to speak with the expert. If you’re vague about either your goal or your reasons for wanting the information, the professor will be less likely to want to cooperate. She may think you’re being intentionally vague in order to hide something, or that you’re holding back information for an unethical reason. If you’re asking a librarian for help, providing as much information as possible about what you’re looking for will enable the librarian to assist you better and more easily. Keep in mind that professors, university staff members, librarians, public officials, municipal employees, and the guy in the local you-ship-it store are all busy people. If you’re asking for their help, you should be as considerate as possible.

IDENTIFYING THE KIND OF INFORMATION YOU’LL NEED

Research Review • There are appropriate and inappropriate places to look for information when you’re conducting business research. • Business researchers must be creative, and able to solve problems and questions for which there may not be standard answers. • There are numerous places where a researcher can go to find information. Among the primary places to look are the library, the Internet, and to people with knowledge and expertise in the area you’re researching. • Where you go to find the particular information that you need depends on the type of information you need. • Regardless of where you look for information or who you ask for help, try to know exactly what it is you’re looking for, and give as much information as you can to the person trying to assist you.

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CHAPTER 6

USING THE LIBRARY FOR YOUR RESEARCH

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f you’re lucky, you work for a company that has an up-to-

date library, filled with all kinds of useful information that will make your business research project easier than you thought possible. If you’re very, very lucky, there’s even someone in your company’s library that can help you find what you need, and show you the finer points of using directories and other research materials. The first thing to do, if you work for a very large company and don’t know all the available resources, is to find out whether or not there is a library. If so, find out if you may use it. Don’t despair, however, if the closest thing your company has to a library is a couple of magazines on an end table in the reception area. Nearly every community has a public library, which is filled with useful information and people who can help you find what you need.

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE Steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie is credited with the proliferation of public libraries across America in the late 1800’s. In an effort to give farmers, miners, railroad workers, and others access to books and reading, Carnegie agreed to build and stock public libraries, if the communities in which they were located would maintain and run them. About 1,650 communities responded to Carnegie’s challenge, and public libraries sprang up across the country. Today, there are 16,000 public libraries in the United States.

If your company has a library, by all means check it out. Take a walk down the hall and see what’s available. You could have a wealth of information only a floor or two away, just waiting to be examined and used. If you’re heading for the public library, make sure you take time to read this chapter first. We’re going to give you of lot of valuable, time-saving information, and some suggestions to make your time spent at the library more productive. Libraries have changed dramatically since the late 1960s, when the revolution began to automate them. Hand-stamped cards slipped into a pocket in the back of a book were replaced by electronic bar codes, card catalogs were computerized, and a computerized, central circulation desk connected main libraries with branches and with each other.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has pledged $2 million over five years to bring computers into the libraries in poor areas in America and Canada. Gates’ contribution is being compared to Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy a century ago.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT PUBLIC LIBRARIES If you haven’t visited a public library since your mom took you there during your grade school years, you’re definitely in the minority. The future of libraries has been brought into question recently by some who think computer access at home and in schools will replace the need to visit public

USING THE LIBRARY FOR YOUR RESEARCH

libraries. If all information can be accessed through computers, the critics say, why would anyone take the time and effort to physically go to a library? No one can tell what the future holds, but it appears that Americans are using their libraries as much, or even more, than ever. A Gallup poll conducted in June 1998 shows that 64 percent of Americans over the age of 18 hold library cards, and they had averaged seven visits to their local libraries the past year. New, high-tech libraries are springing up across the country. San Francisco spent $140 million on a new library in 1996. The facility comes with 220 computer workstations. A new $17 million library in Charleston, South Carolina has two rooftop satellite dishes to receive university courses. Voters in Oklahoma City; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Rochester, New York recently approved spending for new libraries, and new facilities have opened within the past five years in Sacramento, California; Denver; Phoenix; San Antonio; and Portland, Oregon. The Twin Cities area boasts the highest per-capita library use in the nation, and in Los Angeles, 11 million people visited libraries and borrowed 12 million books and other items in 1997–98. That’s an increase of 1 million visitors and 1 million items borrowed from the previous year.

FUN FACTS ABOUT PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN AMERICA • People between the ages of 35 and 54 hold the most library cards. Seventytwo percent of men and women in this group have cards. • More women have library cards than men. Sixty-nine percent of women have library cards, compared to 60 percent of men. • The more affluent a person, the better chance he or she will have a library card and use the public library. Statistics show that 28 percent of Americans with incomes up to $20,000 own library cards, while 78 percent of those with incomes of $60,000 or greater have cards. Sixty-one percent of people with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 are cardholders, as are 70 percent of those with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000. Those who know say that’s because affluent people tend to be better educated, and more likely to stress reading and library use for themselves and their children. • While 73 percent of public libraries in America have Internet access, only 29 percent of people who use the libraries use computers while they’re there.

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• Not surprisingly, of the 29 percent that use computers at the library, nearly half of them are between the ages of 18 and 34. Computer use drops dramatically among older library patrons, to only nine percent of those 55 years and older. • Sixty-one percent of people who walk into libraries use reference materials while they’re there. Sixty-five percent consult at least one librarian during their visit, and 81 percent check out books. • Of those library users, about half read magazines or newspapers during their visits, and 32 percent check out CDs or videos. • Patrons are connecting to their libraries from home to renew books (29 percent of the time), check out the computerized library catalog (48 percent of the time), or consult a librarian (60 percent of the time). So, while computers are being used, it appears that they’re being used in conjunction with, not instead, of libraries.

YOUR FIRST STOP AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY Your first stop at the public library should be at the reference department. There you’ll find a wealth of information, and usually some very knowledgeable librarians to help you locate what you need. The reference section of a library typically contains all sorts of directories, giving you information on everything from churches, synagogues, and temples across the country, to who’s who among Fortune 500 companies.

RESEARCH RUT Some people, for whatever reasons, find it extremely difficult to ask for help, or admit they need help. If you’re one of these people, get over it—fast. Most libraries hire professionals who have studied and been trained in how to help you. Failing to take advantage of their knowledge and expertise is more than just stubborn. It’s not smart.

While these directories can be a bit daunting, they contain all kinds of valuable information, and it’s well worth your time to get to know about them. We’ve included an extensive list of these directories and what they contain.

USING THE LIBRARY FOR YOUR RESEARCH

If you haven’t used the reference department of a library in a while, it will take some time to get acclimated and figure out where things are, and what books will be valuable to you. Don’t be discouraged, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Your time will have been well spent when you turn up useful information.

DIRECTORIES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT The number of directories in the reference department of your library might seem intimidating, but don’t be discouraged. You’ll need to allow some time to investigate which directories your library has, and get the hang of how to use them. Some good ones to check out are listed below. • The Directory on Directories. Published by the Magill Research Corp., this directory gives you a listing of every directory published in the United States. Some of the better-known, readily available directories from which you can get information on businesses and the people who run them are: • The Thomas Register of Manufacturers. Lists most U.S. manufacturers and companies, and their products and trade names. • Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory. Provides information on the nation’s largest companies, including company name, address, and phone number, members of the board of directors, principal products, sales, key personnel, the number of employees, the year founded, and stock information. • The Market Share Reporter. Tells what companies have what shares of a particular market. • The U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook. Gives an up-to-date economic forecast for a particular business or industry. • The American Wholesalers and Distributors Directory. Lists more than 18,000 companies and the products they manufacture, the number of employees, amount of sales, and principal personnel.

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• The Directory of U.S. Exporters. Lists companies names, addresses, and phone numbers; products that are exported; the principal ports used; and destinations of products. • The National Directory of Women-Owned Firms. Lists all companies in the U.S. that are owned and operated by women. • The Dun & Bradstreet Regional Directory. Gives updated lists of owners, number of employees, estimated sales, and more, of businesses within a particular geographic region. • The International Directory of Company Histories. This fascinating directory gives you thumbnail sketches of how major companies were founded. For instance, you’ll learn that the Nike Corp. was founded by Phillip Knight, a Stanford University business graduate who traveled to Japan and met a manufacturer of running shoes. One thing led to another, and Knight founded Blue Ribbon Sport, which later became Nike. It also gives you a company’s location, phone and fax numbers, sales information, and suggestions for further reading. • The Directory of Corporate Affiliations. Provides extensive information on U.S. and foreign companies relating to finances, personnel, subsidiaries, outside service funds, assets, and more. • Moody’s Industrial Manual. Gives the name and size of companies, the top executives, products, income balance sheets, subsidiaries, and more. • Polk’s World Bank Directory. Lists the largest banks and their locations, the type of banking available, officers, and so forth. Other bank directories include the Encyclopedia of Banking and Finance, the Thorndike Encyclopedia of Banking and Financial Tables, Thomson Bank directory, and International Bank Listings. • Who’s Who in Commerce and Industry. Gives personal information about people running companies, including age, job experience, family information, colleges attended, and more. • Standard and Poor’s Register of Directors and Executives. Provides names, positions within companies, fraternal affiliations, and more information for some of America’s most prominent businesspeople. • The Gale Research Trade Names Directory. Lists thousands of trade names and the names of the companies that manufacture them. • Macrae’s Blue Book. Gives the names of 80,000 U.S. manufacturing firms and companies. Includes product indexes, the name and address of the companies, locations of sales outlets, and so forth.

USING THE LIBRARY FOR YOUR RESEARCH

• Standard & Poor Stock Reports. Provides extensive financial profiles of more than 4,600 companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, and the Nasdaq Stock Market.

OTHER SOURCES YOU’LL FIND IN THE REFERENCE DEPARTMENT While you’ll probably be intrigued with all the directories and guides contained in the reference department, be certain not to overlook other useful, and more obvious, resources there. • Telephone directories. If you’re looking for companies in Cleveland, for instance, that provide services similar to those offered by your own company, check out the Cleveland yellow pages. Most libraries contain collections of phone directories from major cities across the nation, as well as those from your own area. • Chamber of commerce directories. Chamber directories are a great source of information about cities and towns across the country. If you want to know the population, demographic breakdown, number of colleges, and types of businesses and industries located in Topeka, Kansas, look no further than the Topeka Chamber of Commerce directory. Many libraries have collections of chamber directories. • City directories. If you’re trying to locate a business or individual within a particular area, the city directory is a great source of help. City directories list addresses and phone numbers for businesses and individuals. If you know the location of a business, but not the name, you can look up the address and find out the name of the business.

WHAT ABOUT ON-LINE RESOURCES? We have a whole chapter coming up on using the Internet for business research, so we won’t spend much time discussing it now. You can be sure, however, that the public library is an excellent place to explore databanks and archives on line. Nearly 75 percent of libraries across the United States provide public access to the Internet, and the librarians can direct you to all sorts of interesting Websites that may be very useful to your research.

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DOWN TO BUSINESS Just for fun, check out these Websites. The first is The Library of Congress Website, which contains a great assortment of photos, video and sound clips, and documents about everything from baseball to the Civil War. It can be found at http://www.loc.gov. The other is Library Spot, which contains all the references you’ll ever need, in one location. It has maps, encyclopedias, phone books, newspapers, magazines, stock information, and lots more. It can be accessed at http://www/libraryspot.com.

Librarians, especially reference librarians, are being extensively trained to use computers and the Internet. This will allow them to assist library patrons not familiar with computers, and to be able to use the Internet more effectively in order to better locate information for library users. As libraries focus more and more on the use of computers and the Internet, these librarians are being trained to serve as the bridges between computers, the libraries, and the people who use them.

DON’T FORGET THAT A LIBRARY HAS BOOKS, TOO Before there were on-line resources, volumes of directories, and microfilm machines that allowed library users to view collections of old newspapers and other materials, libraries had books. Libraries still have books, many of which can be extremely valuable to your business research project. To find the books that might be helpful, you’ll use the card catalog, or the library’s computerized card catalog. Most libraries have computerized card catalogs that are user-friendly and provide clear instructions. You simply enter the name of a particular book, the name of an author, or a subject area. If you type in “conducting business research,” for instance, you’ll get a list of any books the library has that apply to that topic. It probably will tell you if the book is currently available, and where in the library it’s located. It might even give you the names of other libraries that have the book, in case yours doesn’t.

USING THE LIBRARY FOR YOUR RESEARCH

DOWN TO BUSINESS This seems like an obvious suggestion, but be sure to copy down the entire call number, and make sure it’s accurate, before you try to locate a book you want. A call number, by the way, is the number on the spine of the book, used to categorize and locate it on the library shelves. As tempting as it might be to write down the first couple numbers and then head out to find the book, you’re likely to waste a lot of time searching if you don’t have the complete call number.

If another library has the book you need, and it’s listed in the card catalog, librarians in most systems will call the library that has the book, and request that it be sent to the library at which you’re working. You’ll be notified when the book arrives. If there’s a book you want that’s checked out of your library, most facilities allow you to place a hold on the book. That means you’ll be given priority for the book after it’s returned, and you’ll be notified when it comes back to the library.

DEWEY WHO? Books in libraries are shelved according to type. Fiction books are housed in one area, and arranged alphabetically. Non-fiction books are classified by subject area, and usually arranged using either the Library of Congress or the Dewey decimal system. Under the Library of Congress system, most often used in the libraries of colleges and universities, all branches of knowledge are divided into 20 main groups. The groups are General Works-Polygraphy, Philosophy-Religion, HistoryAuxiliary Sciences, History-Topography (except America), American HistoryTopography, Geography-Anthropology, Social Sciences, Political Science, Law, Education, Music, Fine Arts, Language and Literature, Science, Medicine, Agriculture, Technology, Military Science, Naval Science, and Bibliography and Library Science. Each group is designated by a letter of the alphabet, and then further divided by the addition of letters and Arabic numerals. This provides countless combinations, which can be used to identify the subject matter of books.

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The Dewey decimal system simplifies knowledge even further, dividing all branches of knowledge into 10 parts, numbered from 000 to 900. Those branches are then broken down into specific areas of knowledge. The Dewey decimal system is more commonly used in public libraries, and is fairly easy to figure out. Your librarian can help you, if necessary.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE Wouldn’t it be nice if life could be as neatly categorized as the Dewey decimal system categorizes knowledge? Ten basic parts for all existing knowledge: General Works, Philosophy, Religion, Social Sciences, Language, Pure Science, Useful Arts, Fine Arts, Literature, and History.

Once you’ve retrieved from the card catalog the call number of the book you want, and you have a basic understanding of how the books are arranged, you’ll have no trouble finding those that will be helpful to you in your research project. Just remember that whatever it is you’re researching, somebody else has done similar research before. It makes no sense to reinvent the wheel, if there’s information already available about the topics you need.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE LIBRARY Whether you use the public library, or a library within your company, you’re bound to discover a lot of information within it. Try to make yourself aware of all the resources that may be useful, and don’t forget to ask a librarian if you have trouble finding something, or aren’t sure of what’s available. Despite the claims of critics that libraries are heading the way of manual typewriters, it appears that they’re thriving. And with good reason. Libraries offer a wealth of information and services, at little or no cost to users. They’re accessible, open to everyone, and getting better all the time.

USING THE LIBRARY FOR YOUR RESEARCH

Research Review • You’re sure to find information that’s valuable to your business research project, either in your company’s library or your public library. • Library users represent a majority of people 18 years or older in the United States. • Your first stop in the public library should be the reference section. • You’ll find dozens of useful directories in the reference department, providing information on everything from exporting products, to foreign banks, to churches in Iowa. • Librarians are being trained as bridges between new technology being placed in libraries, and the people who will use it. • Don’t forget that there will be many books that will be helpful to your research, too. • Finding books in the library is easy, once you understand how they’re classified and where different classifications of books are located. • Despite the claims of library critics, 90 percent of Americans polled think libraries will be around for a long time in the future.

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CHAPTER 7

PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALING

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egardless of what it is you’re trying to find out, there

are people out there who can help you. The trick is finding out who has the information you need, and getting those people to share that information with you. In this chapter, we’ll talk about how to figure out who might have information you need for various types of business research, and how to ask for—and get—that information. We discussed the vital role of information earlier in the book. Without information, all things would grind to a halt. Learning how, and from whom, to get information are great skills that will be invaluable to you throughout your career. Let’s face it. You can be the best report-writer your boss has ever seen. If you can’t get information to put into the report, however, your writing skills will go largely unnoticed. Locating and obtaining information will require some different kinds of skills than those we’ve talked about so far. The task of business research is

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one that requires a good deal of creativity and ingenuity. You’ll have to think about what will work best for your particular project, figure out what skills you’ll need to use, and then do whatever is necessary to complete the task.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Did you ever notice that some people seem to have an easier time completing almost any task successfully than other people do? Things just seem to come easy to them, while others struggle along. Chances are the successful people are utilizing all kinds of skills that they’ve recognized as valuable and worked to improve. Personal skills, such as knowing how to approach people and ask for something in a way that makes them want to help, work handin-hand with business skills such as knowing how to use the Internet or write a report.

Two very important skills you’ll need to use often when doing business research are People skills and Networking skills. While people and networking skills will help considerably with your business research project, you’ll find them equally important in other tasks that you’re assigned. In fact, being at least reasonably proficient in these skills will help you in every part of your life. What exactly are people skills and networking skills, and how can they help you? Let’s take a look.

PEOPLE SKILLS You can be the smartest, most perceptive, most ambitious worker in your company, but if you don’t have good people skills, you’ll have an extremely difficult time reaching an optimum level of success. People skills are, simply put, the skills that enable you to effectively work with, and get along with, other people. Everybody from the company receptionist to the CEO needs to have adequate people skills in order to do the job effectively. It’s people skills that will give you the confidence and the ability to ask someone for help or information, and have that person want to help you. People skills are one of a group of skills known as “soft skills.” The importance of soft skills is becoming more widely recognized, and the skills are even being taught in some schools and workplaces. Soft skills include learning to get along with different types of people, being willing to tackle new problems, working cooperatively, sharing responsibility, negotiating effectively, and so forth.

PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALING

DOWN TO BUSINESS George Mayer, coordinator of the School to Work program at Commack High School on Long Island, New York, says soft skills have been overlooked, and are very important. “Sure, they have to know how to use a word processor,” Mayer said about students in his program. “But they also have to learn to get along with people, synthesize information, and work cooperatively. They need to learn how to converse with the boss, accept assignments out of the normal day’s work. They need to learn how to dress, smile, and explain themselves.”

Without people skills, you can know exactly who has the information you need, but not be able to get it. If you can’t get the information you need, the source is useless. As a former newspaper reporter, I know firsthand the importance of being able to convince someone to give you information. It can be discouraging to ask someone for information and be refused. I found, however, if I was persistent, but very polite and friendly, I often could get someone to open up. Conducting business research and getting a news story certainly are two different things, but the techniques for getting information are basically the same. If you need to ask someone for information to help with your business research project, try following these steps: • Explain exactly what it is you’re hoping to find out, and why you need the information. Be sure to be very courteous. Remember, you’re asking for something. • Be prepared to share some information yourself. The person you’re asking for information probably will want to know what you’re going to do with it, how you came to be asking her, and so forth. • Know exactly what it is you’re trying to find out, and be ready with followup questions. For instance, if you’re trying to find out how many companies within a 100-mile radius offer the same product as your company, offer an accurate description of your product, and clearly state what it is you want to know. Don’t waste someone’s time by not knowing what you’re talking about.

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• Have a backup plan in case she says no. If the person from whom you’re trying to get information doesn’t want to give it to you, be prepared to drop back and ask something else. If she won’t tell you who her company’s largest customers have been for the past five years, maybe you can at least find out how much total product her company sells. • Know when to quit. As important as it is to be persistent when you’re trying to get information, it’s equally important to know when to stop trying. Being a pest will only serve to alienate you. If you’ve asked several times, but to no avail, tell her you respect her decision not to reveal the information. She’s more likely to change her mind later on and tell you what you’re trying to find out if you’ve been respectful and courteous, rather than rude and overly pushy. People skills will serve you well for things other than gathering information, too. You’ll need these skills in order to work effectively with people in your company who are helping you with the business research project. If you’ll be working with focus groups or doing phone surveys, you’ll need people skills to convey what you’re doing, and to get participants to want to cooperate. When you get right down to it, people skills are necessary for all areas of business. Whether you’re conducting research, or trying to get someone to show you the fine points of a new computer program, having good people skills will enable you to complete the task faster and with better results.

Improving Your People Skills If you think your people skills could use some work, don’t despair. It might just be that you’ve just never given much thought to how you deal with others. Once you start paying attention, you’ll get a quick idea of the areas in which your people skills could use some work. Take a few minutes to answer the questions below. This will help to determine whether your people skills need some improvement. 1. Do you find it difficult to ask for help if you don’t understand something? 2. Do you get annoyed when other people ask you for help with a project or task? 3. Do you avoid friendly conversation with co-workers, preferring to “just do your job”? 4. Are you excluded from social gatherings of co-workers outside of work? 5. Do you decline to participate in holiday parties, offices lunches, and so forth?

PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALING

If you answered yes to any, or all, of the questions above, it might mean that your people skills could use some improvement. Let’s take a quick look at each question, and see how it relates to people skills. 1. If you find it difficult to ask for help, it could be that you’ve simply never learned how. Some people feel that it puts them at a disadvantage to ask for help, or see it as admitting a weakness. If those are your feelings, you’ve got to re-evaluate. You’re actually putting yourself at a disadvantage by not asking for help, when necessary. If this is a people skill in which you’re lacking, remember that most people are flattered to be asked for help, and are happy to do what they can. 2. If you get annoyed when someone at work (or anywhere) asks you for help, consider it a real indication that you need to work on your people skills. It only makes sense to ask for help when you need it, and give help when you can, in order to complete jobs and projects quickly and in the best way possible. 3. If you keep socializing to a minimum while you’re at work, you’re on the right track. But if you avoid it at all costs, it could be a people skills problem. Being friendly and cordial to other employees at your company tells people that you’re an outgoing, confident person. Acting standoffish and unfriendly definitely will not impress anyone. This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours each day at the water cooler, exchanging gossip and telling co-workers about your love life. Just be friendly and polite to everyone. 4. If co-workers get together outside of work for happy hours, dinners, or other occasions, and they don’t invite you, perhaps you’ve given a signal that you’re not interested. If you act standoffish at work, your co-workers might have interpreted your attitude as not caring. You might have to speak up the next time you hear plans for a get-together, and invite yourself along. This might sound difficult, but if you go along and are friendly to everyone, you’ll probably be included in future gatherings. 5. If you decline to participate in office holiday gatherings or other events, you’d better take a look at your people skills. Maybe you don’t take part in these types of events because you’re too shy, or simply not interested. Either of those reasons indicates possible problems with your people skills. Everyone will understand if your schedule, or your financial situation, doesn’t permit you to participate in social events. It could deter you from reaching your full potential at work, however, if you avoid gatherings because you’re too shy or uninterested.

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE If you think you could use some help with your people skills, try these books: Improving Personal Effectiveness: A Practical Guide to Nine Powerful People Skills by George W. Fotis; and People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts by Robert H. Bolton. Both are available at the Barnes and Noble Website. The Website can be reached at www.barnesandnoble.com.

You can go a long way toward improving your people skills just by paying attention. If you find yourself going out of your way to avoid somebody, for instance, first acknowledge that you’re doing it. Maybe it’s become such a habit that you no longer notice. Then force yourself to greet that person in a friendly manner. You don’t have to chat for half an hour; simply be friendly and exchange greetings. After you’ve done this a few times, you’ll find it becomes easy. After a while, it will be second nature.

NETWORKING SKILLS Once your people skills are at an optimum level, you can start thinking about your networking skills. These are the skills that will help you find the information you need, and to locate people who can help you. Let’s go back to an example we used in Chapter 5. Say you work for a company that oversees and manages child-development centers, and your company is looking for an area in which to build another center. Your boss has asked you to research different areas within your region, and come up with a recommendation as to where the new center should be built. How could you do this, and how could networking skills help? Let’s take a look at some steps you’ll need to take.

Think about What It Is That You’ve Been Asked to Do. You’ve been asked to figure out where it makes the most sense to build a new child development center. What’s the primary criterion for locating a center within a particular area? Kids, of course. You need to find an area that has a lot of children who require before and/or after-school care or day care, because their parents work outside of the home. Of course, there are other things to consider too.

PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALING

Maybe you’ll locate an area with tons of kids from two-income families, but you’ll find there already are more child-development centers than the families there can support. You’ll have to consider the ages of the children who live in the area, and find out what’s predicted for future population trends. After all, you don’t want to put a child-development center in an area where the number of preschool and early-school-age children is declining. You’ll need to get population statistics, trends, and predictions. Determine the Places from Which Your Information Is Most Likely to Come. Okay, you’ve looked at what it is you need to do, and thought about what kind of information you need. Now, where are you going to get that information? We’ve already established that there will always be someone who can tell you what you need to know. The trick is locating that person. Try to think about who might have information regarding population of preschool and school-age children. Schools would, of course. Other sources, such as a local, county, or regional planning commission, a local zoning board, a chamber of commerce, or a real estate company within the area you’re interested in may also be able to help. Make Contact with People in Those Places. Now that you’ve figured out places to start looking for information, how are you going to go about doing it? You’ve got to make contacts, that’s how. If you want information from schools within a particular area, you could call the district administration office, explain what it is you want, and hope you reach someone who has the time and inclination to help you. Or you could try to find someone who can provide better access into the district. This is where networking skills become invaluable. If you can think of somebody who can help you get access to school district information, consider yourself extremely fortunate, and give yourself a pat on the back for your good networking skills. You’ll be in much better shape than if you have to try to get information from someone with no idea of who you are, or what you’re hoping to accomplish. Maybe you know a member of the school board for the district in which you’re interested. School board members will typically have access to enrollment trends and predictions. If you don’t know a school board member, maybe you know a teacher. Or someone who works in the school office. Or a relative of someone who works in the school office.

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If you can think of any networking possibilities, go ahead and give them a try. Simply call the person you think might be able to help, and explain who you are and what you’re doing. Let’s say that you went to high school with Lila, whose brother, Robert, happens to be is the president of the school board from which you’re hoping to get some information. You Could Say Something Like This: “Hello, Robert? My name is Sharon Johnson. I don’t believe we’ve ever met, but I went to school with your sister, Lila.” (Robert acknowledges your relationship with his sister, and waits to hear why you’re calling.) “The reason I’m calling you is because I work for a company that owns and manages child-development centers, and we’re looking into the possibility of building one within your school district.” (At this point, Robert is interested in your call, because you’ve given him information about something that could affect his school district.) “In order for us to determine whether or not it’s feasible to build within your district, I need to have an idea of your enrollment outlooks and your population projections. Is there any chance you could help me with getting these numbers?” (Now, Robert will either tell you that he’ll help you, or he’ll say he’s sorry, but he can’t help. If he says he’ll help, you should be sure to find out exactly how he plans to do so. Will he give you the information himself, or refer you to somebody else? Will he call you back, or will you have to call him? Make sure you come up with a clear plan. If he says he can’t help you, don’t give up. You’ve networked and made contact with someone who has the capacity to be valuable to you. Ask if he knows of anyone who might be able to help, or where you could go for information. Don’t let him off the hook easily!) Regardless of whether you get help from Robert or not, be sure to thank him, and to end the conversation politely. “Well, thank you so much for your help, Robert. I’ll look forward to hearing from you with the name and phone number of your school board’s demographics expert. Please make sure you tell Lila I was asking about her.”

I CAN’T DO THAT! Many people are afraid to call someone they don’t know well, especially to ask for a favor. But remember two things:

PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALING

1. Most people like to help others, and are happy to do so when they can. 2. The worst that can happen is that the person you contact refuses to help. If that happens, you’re no worse off than you were before, right? If you call someone out of the blue who has never heard of you, and ask that person for help, there’s a good chance you won’t get it. The person you’re asking for help has no reason to give it to you. If you call someone to ask for help, however, and tell her that you happen to be a friend of her brother’s, she’s got a reason to want to help you. You made a connection with that person, via her brother. And now she has an idea of who you are, and a reason to want to help you. If, for some reason, she would refuse to help you, you shouldn’t be discouraged. Rejection is part of the package when you network for help and information. Savvy networkers don’t worry about being rejected—they accept it as part of the territory. Not everyone is going to want to or agree to help you all the time. Smart networkers, however, don’t take a no personally, and they don’t let it stop them from trying again.

RESEARCH RUT If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. You’ve heard that saying before, right? Often, when you have a big project ahead, you need to ask for some help. If you ask, and the first person, or the first several people you ask refuse to help you, it’s to your definite disadvantage to get discouraged and not ask again, or not ask someone else for help. If somebody doesn’t want to help you, thank him graciously, wait a day or two, and then ask again. Maybe he’ll have changed his mind. Persistence pays off. Getting discouraged or giving up, however, doesn’t.

If after several tries, you’re convinced that the person you’ve asked can’t help you, don’t be ready to let him off the hook quite yet. Assure him that you know he would help you if he could, and thank him for his concern. Then ask if he knows of anyone else who might be able to help you. Hopefully by this time he’ll feel so bad that he wasn’t able to help you, that he’ll go out of his way to find someone who can. Just remember that if someone helps you, you must be prepared to help him if asked. Networking is a two-way street.

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WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT SOMEONE? Once you’ve decided to contact someone for help or information, you’ll need to decide the best way to do it. Should you call? Leave a phone message? Send an email? Dash off a fax? We have a lot of choices for communicating these days, but in my opinion, the old-fashioned way is still the best. If you can get an appointment to meet with the person you want to see, do it. Remember, it’s a lot easier to say no to a voice on the telephone, or to an e-mail message, than it is to say no to a person who’s standing in front of you.

DOWN TO BUSINESS If the person who you plan to ask for help agrees to meet with you, make sure you’re there on time and get right to the point. The person you’re meeting will appreciate your respect for her time. Be polite, whether or not the person agrees to help you. A face-to-face meeting gives you a chance to explain exactly what it is you need, and makes the request personal. It also tells the person you’re asking that you’re serious about the request. Anyone can dial a telephone number. It takes a certain degree of initiative to schedule an appointment and show up in person to ask for help.

Research Review • No matter what information you’re looking for, there’s someone, somewhere, who has it, or knows where to get it. • Your business research project will be much easier if you have, and know how to use, people skills and networking skills. • Good people skills will help you to be effective when asking someone for help. • Good networking skills will help you to find the person or people who can help you. • If you’re lacking in either people or networking skills, you should try to figure out why, and take steps to improve those skills. • If someone is unable to or doesn’t want to help you, don’t let it discourage you from trying to find someone else who will help. • When asking someone for help, a face-to-face meeting is the best means of communication.

CHAPTER 8

TAKE A WALK DOWN THE HALLWAY

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efore you get too caught up in dashing to the library,

or activating your network to locate far-flung people who may be able to help with your business research project, stop and take a look around your own office. Help might be much closer than you thought. Are there people who have been there for years and years? Maybe even since the company started? Is there an administrative person who knows everything about the place, right down to the birthdays, names of kids, and favorite foods of most of the employees? These kinds of people are vital to any company. They often serve as the glue that provides stability and holds the place together. Useful in nearly all work-related situations, they’ll serve as valuable sources of help and information for your business research project. Be sure that you don’t overlook them.

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BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Robert Montvale is a Midwest consultant who helps companies that are experiencing trouble in one or more areas. Firms that are floundering hire him to advise them on everything from marketing to hiring, employee morale, or production. Montvale says he immediately tunes into longtime employees for insights into what’s going on within the company. “These are the people who know what’s really going on, and why,” Montvale says. They can tell me the background on different issues, and provide good insights into the real reasons why the company is having trouble in certain areas. These types of employees are very valuable to me.”

WHO MIGHT BE HELPFUL? Finding people within your company that can help you with a research project, of course, depends on the type of project you’ve been assigned. An administrative assistant might be a great source of information about matters relating to your own company, but of little help concerning matters relating to competing firms. For instance, if you ask an administrative assistant exactly when your company began its production of Mega-Mallo cookies, he’ll no doubt be able to pull out a file and come up with a date. If you’re trying to find out when your biggest competitor, the Sweet Treat Company, started making its Super-Mallo treats, however, the administrative assistant might come up empty. The business of competing firms does not directly apply to the administrative assistant’s job, and he would have no reason to keep records concerning it. Take a careful look at exactly what it is you’re trying to find out, and think about those within the company that might have applicable information.

DOWN TO BUSINESS It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to be polite and respectful when asking someone for help. If you are demanding, or act as if the person you’re asking for help owes you a big favor, that person will not be very interested in cooperating with you. If you ask with courtesy and respect, however, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how people will go out of their way to help you.

TAKE A WALK DOWN THE HALLWAY

Consider everyone within the company, from the boss to the maintenance people, as potential sources of help. But pay special attention to: • • • •

those who came to your company from competing companies those who have been with the company for a long time others who have had the job you currently have anyone who seems particularly knowledgeable about the topic you’re researching • anyone who appears particularly helpful and cooperative • your company’s historian (either an official or unofficial position) Let’s take a look at how these kinds of people might be able to help you.

Those Who Came to Your Company from Competing Companies Co-workers who came to your company from competing firms can be extremely valuable sources of information about their former places of employment. If your business research assignment includes analyzing the competition, or getting a handle on what’s going on in competing companies, someone who has worked for one of those firms may have information and knowledge that will save you hours of research time.

RESEARCH RUT You should take advantage of the knowledge of others, but be sure to verify all information before putting it to use. Judy O’Leary is an administrator at a New Jersey hospital. A major part of her job is to keep an eye on what’s going on at other area hospitals, and she sometimes consults former employees of those hospitals for information. She says she once relied on some inaccurate information about a competing hospital, which she got from a former employee of that hospital who now worked for her. She presented the erroneous information to her boss as part of a report. When it became apparent to everyone that the information was incorrect, and Judy’s report was flawed, she was extremely embarrassed. Judy says it took her a long time to overcome that mistake and regain credibility with her boss.

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Let’s say that you’ve been assigned the task of determining exactly how big a threat those Super-Mallo treats made by your biggest competitor will be to the sales of your company’s similar product, Mega-Mallos. Your boss is extremely upset about these Super-Mallos, and he wants you to get an idea of how they’ll affect the sale of his Mega-Mallos. Let’s say that your company has just hired Roger, who was a sales representative for the Sweet Treat Company, producer of Super-Mallos. Roger seems like a really good guy, and he’s happy to be working for your company, because your boss is paying him about 25 percent more than he got at Sweet Treat. Hopefully, you’ll recognize that Roger probably has a lot of information that will be useful to your research. Some of the things he should be able to tell you include: • • • • • • •

which stores, mini-markets, and other outlets are stocking Super-Mallos how many Super-Mallos these outlets are buying at one time how often these stores and other outlets are restocking Super-Mallos what kind of profit the Sweet Treat Company is making on its Super-Mallos the retail price of Super-Mallos how retailers reacted to Super-Mallos when they were first introduced how customers reacted to Super-Mallos when they were first introduced

No doubt, Roger will have all kinds of information about Super-Mallos, because he’s spent the past six months trying to sell them. While you get numbers and statistics about the sales of Super-Mallos, don’t overlook some of the less tangible areas about which Roger might also know.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Remember to consider all aspects of any information you get. Take a look at how the information is valuable from a technical aspect, and then how it might tell you other, less tangible things, such as customers’ response to a product. Carefully reviewing all your information allows you to maximize its impact.

TAKE A WALK DOWN THE HALLWAY

While Roger can be a very valuable resource for your business research, don’t rely exclusively on his information. You’ll need to get information from all possible sources.

People Who Have Been with Your Company for a Long Time Longtime employees of your company are likely to have information about many subjects. Some of it will not be pertinent, and you might have to listen to a lot of talking in order to learn something useful to your business research project.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE A thesaurus lists other words for information such as knowledge, data, facts, news, advice, tip, intelligence, lore, and wisdom. In my book, there’s a big difference between facts and lore, but they’re both listed as synonyms for “information.” Keep in mind that when you ask someone for “information,” you might get a lot of these synonyms (advice, lore, tips, etc.) along with it.

Some of their information, however, might turn out to be extremely valuable. It’s your job to identify the areas in which longtime workers might be able to help, and to be efficient in extracting information. Let’s take a look at some of the areas in which longtime employees might have some helpful, relevant facts: • anything that deals with the history of the company • past methods of doing things, and whether or not the methods were successful • former employees and their roles within the company • product history, such as the date and circumstances under which a certain product was first introduced If possible, verify any information you get from one longtime employee with another. Remember that people’s recollections about things often vary.

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RESEARCH 101 Lori M. Tarnoski recently retired from a 36-year career with VF Corporation, the parent company of Lee, Wrangler, Jansport, Healthtex, Joe Boxer, Vanity Fair, and other companies. Tarnoski started at VF in 1961 as a secretary, and retired in 1997 as the corporation’s vice president/secretary. She was interviewed extensively for a recent book about the history of VF Corporation, and her information provided a good deal of background and many facts for the book. Tarnoski was an ideal source of information, because she kept detailed records of everything and has a wonderful memory.

Longtime employees often are very proud of their accumulated knowledge about the company, and happy to share the information for a good cause (like your business research effort). Don’t be afraid to ask about something, even if you’re not sure whether the person can help you. Remember, as we said earlier, most people are happy to help, and glad to be asked. If, for instance, your company is planning to launch a new product, and you’ve been asked to explore the possibility of hiring an advertising agency to promote it, you should be sure to sit down with somebody who’s been around for a while and ask some questions, such as: • • • •

Has the company used an ad agency to promote products in the past? Which agencies were used? What kind of relationship did the company have with the different agencies? What has been the company’s alternative to ad agencies, if agencies have not been used in the past? • Who has been responsible in the past for making advertising decisions? Don’t expect that the longtime employee will have the answers to all your questions. Any background information, however, should be helpful to your project.

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Once you’ve met with employees who have been with the company for a considerable length of time, look around and think about who else might be able to help.

People Who Have Had Your Job It’s possible that someone in your company has already conducted a business research project. It likely would have been a different type of project than the one you’ve been assigned. Even a different sort of project, however, may have resulted in information that’s relevant to yours. Because you’ve been assigned the research project, check with people who have held your current job. It makes sense that people who formerly held the position you do now would also have gotten the assignment. Ask around. If you hear of somebody who’s done any kind of research project, be sure to borrow a few minutes of his or her time to ask some questions. The kind of information that someone who’s done previous research could provide includes: • names of people who have information that might be valuable to your project • particularly valuable books or references • information about competing companies that could be applicable to your project • internet sites you might be able to use • tips about what research methods to use, and how those methods are best conducted • practical information about things like setting up a focus group, arranging phone interviews, and so forth Someone who has already conducted a research project is likely to have all kinds of information that will make your project easier. There’s no point in making your job any more difficult then it’s bound to be, so be sure to take advantage of any information and help that might already be available.

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RESEARCH RUT Rich Focht, the writer and researcher we talked about in Chapter 5, who was hired to research the history of a large company, says he spent hours and hours compiling a list of all the primary officers of the company. He researched company minutes and annual reports, piecing together the chain of presidents, treasurers, secretaries, and other officers from the time the company was founded in the late 1800s. To his chagrin, when he went to show some employees what he had accomplished, they told him there was already a list of officers that an unofficial company historian had put together a decade or so ago. All Rich would have had to do, had he asked first, was complete the list for the past ten years. He could have saved himself hours of research time.

Our world is filled with information of all kinds. It will be well worth your while to try to find out what’s already available, rather than spending a lot of hours uncovering information on your own.

The Company Know-It-All Nearly every company has an employee or two who seems to know everything. Some of these folks just think they know everything, and those are people you probably want to avoid. Some people, however, just seem to have more of a handle on things than others.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE The popular perception is that most people use only about 10 percent of their potential brain power. Some researchers think the percentage is higher, and most agree that some people use more brain power than others. If you want to improve your brain power, try these books: Build Your Brain Power, by Arthur Winter, M.D. and Ruth Winter, and Brain Power: Learn to Improve Your Thinking Skills by Karl Albrecht. Both books are available at www.amazon.com.

TAKE A WALK DOWN THE HALLWAY

Look for the employees at your company who seem to use more of their brain power than the average person, and tap into them for some information. Even if they don’t have information that will be helpful to your research project, they might be able to tell you where you can get it.

The Company Do-Gooder Just as there are people in most companies that seem to know more than others, there are people who seem more willing to help than others.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Many employees are reluctant to ask someone in a higher position for help. They might feel that it puts them at a disadvantage to be asking for assistance, or that they’re bothering someone who is very busy. If superiors can provide information or help, however, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it. Just make sure that you’re concise, and know what type of help you’re looking for before you ask.

Be sure to talk to anyone in your company who appears to be particularly helpful and cooperative. If they don’t have information you need, they’re likely to be willing to help you find it.

The Company Historian Many companies, especially those that have been around for a long time, have people in them who serve—either officially or unofficially—as historians. You might find that these “historians” can be very helpful. How can your company’s history be relevant to a business research project? Let’s take a look at some of the possibilities: • It provides a record of company milestones, such as acquisitions, mergers, hirings, and so forth, that might be important to your research. • It provides information about the company that you may need to relate to others as you proceed with your research. • It gives you a better understanding of the company for which you’re conducting your research project.

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Regardless of the type of research you’re conducting for your company, it will be helpful for you to have as much information as possible about the company. If you decide to use focus groups in your research, for instance, you’ll need to identify and recruit participants. Naturally, participants will want to know something about the company conducting the research, and it will be your job to provide that information. You don’t need to have a book about the history of your company, but you should have a general understanding of the major events that have shaped the company into what it is.

OFFICE CAMARADERIE We’ve spent practically a whole chapter discussing how important it is to get together with co-workers for help with your business research project. This assumes, however, that your office is the kind of place where co-workers freely communicate and assist one another. It assumes that you and your co-workers share a sense of camaraderie. Office camaraderie, which is a feeling of working as part of a team, or of being a member of a group, can be generated by different things, and is being recognized as an important ingredient of a successful company.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Webster defines camaraderie as loyal and good-spirited comradeship, or good fellowship. Office camaraderie is simply these qualities among co-workers.

While company picnics and holiday parties are traditional methods of creating good will and camaraderie, many employers are taking other steps to build camaraderie within their companies. Many companies have done away with offices in favor of work cubicles. This is intended to improve communication among employees, and create a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. The jury is still out on whether cubicles actually accomplish these goals, but they do at least create the opportunity for communication. Other employers have created sports teams within their companies, or encourage employees to wear casual clothing on a certain day or days of the week.

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE John Sortino, founder of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, says he used all kinds of morale-boosting techniques to create camaraderie among workers at the factory where the bears are made. Sortino says that when he was managing the company, there were bocce tournaments, skits by different departments, and trips to New York City. “We had a great time,” Sortino says. “I think my employees really liked to come to work. It’s not that we never had any people problems, but we were committed to fixing them before they got too serious.”

If the morale in your office is not as good as it should be, and office camaraderie is lacking, you might find it a bit more difficult to get co-workers interested in your business research project. Try not to get discouraged, if that’s the case. If you’re enthusiastic and conscientious, co-workers just might jump on the bandwagon.

Research Review • It’s important to remember that people within your company can be great resources for your business research project. • Check out employees who: —used to work for competitors —are longtime employees —have held the same position you do —are particularly knowledgeable —are helpful and cooperative —are informed about your company’s history • Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but be respectful and polite when doing so. • Take advantage of the knowledge and experience of your coworkers. There’s no point in spending a lot of time to gather information that’s already available. • If employees at your company are lacking camaraderie and are not anxious to help you, don’t get discouraged. A little enthusiasm might go a long way in improving the situation.

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GET ON THE ‘NET

T

he library, telephone book, and co-workers all can be

valuable sources of information for your business research. But let’s face it: We’re just about to end the millennium and start a new one. Technology is increasing at an amazing rate, and the Internet is a household phrase. More and more people are finding the information they need over the Internet, and experts agree that it will become increasingly predominant and important in many areas of our lives. Students are using it as an information resource for reports and term papers. Teachers use it to enhance their classroom materials, and top executives are using it to keep tabs on changing markets, business climates, and other things that affect their companies. People in all areas and situations are using the Internet. What, exactly, is the Internet? For those of you who may not have had much experience with it, let’s take a quick look.

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SURFIN’ THE WEB Simply put, the Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks that link together all sorts of businesses, universities, government agencies, and individuals. The Internet allows us to access information from countless sources. We can shop on the ‘Net, keep in touch with friends wherever they happen to be, access materials previously printed in newspapers or magazines, chat with strangers in Japan or Egypt, track weather systems, and learn about topics we never knew existed.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE I became good friends during college with exchange students from England and Argentina. After years of sporadic and undependable correspondence, we’re now back in touch through e-mail. John, my British friend, has moved to Zimbabwe, and Ana still lives outside of Buenos Aires. It’s great to get to know about their homes and families, the political situations in their countries, their work, and other areas of their lives through these messages we frequently send back and forth.

While the Internet has been around for some time, it’s only during the past five years or so that’s it’s become widely accepted and used. Initially, many people dismissed the Internet as a complicated technological fad that would eventually go away. If you still think the Internet is a just a fad, you’d better think again. Consider these statistics, released in December 1998 by InfoWorld Magazine: • Almost one-third of American households are connected to the Internet • Nearly half of all Internet users have been connected for less than a year • The number of personal computers connected to the Internet increased 35 percent between January and August 1998, from 45 million to 60 million connections • Ninety-seven percent of large American corporations are connected to the Internet, and about a quarter of all small companies • More than one-third of all U.S. banks offer online banking, and the percentage is expected to jump to 56 percent by 2000 • On-line shopping is expected to reach $26 billion by 2002, up from about $2 billion in 1997

GET ON THE ’NET

• It’s estimated that the number of U.S. households buying groceries online will reach nearly seven million in 2002, up from 100,000 in 1997 As you can see, the number of households and businesses using the Internet regularly has increased, and will continue to increase dramatically.

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Siobhan Flynn, the research anotationist for the FOX Network we met in Chapter 3, says she would be lost without the Internet for the research work she does. “I use the Internet constantly to locate obscure information I need for projects,” Flynn says. “I can find out the locations of mountain ranges in the Pacific Ocean, or which poisons might cause genetic mutations in humans. The Internet is a wonderful invention.”

While other sources of information, such as library guides, periodicals, directories, books, and people certainly will continue to be valuable, the Internet probably offers the best variety of data, and the most convenient means of accessing information. If you don’t have Internet access at home or in your office, try your public library. Libraries are connecting to the Web at a rapid rate, and many have computers available to the public.

ACCESSING INFORMATION ON THE WEB Exactly how do you find out what you need to know on the Internet? How is it possible to sort through the vast amount of information available, and to find the pieces you want? Those are very good questions, and ones you need to have answered before you can get to be proficient on the ‘Net. To access the Internet, you need an Internet service provider. There are more and more service providers coming into the market all the time. Some service providers, which charge a fee for their services, give you access to the Internet, along with other services such as news and weather, games, shopping channels, sites for kids, access to periodicals and other on-line reading material, financial reports, and so forth. They also have mail servers, which allow you to send and receive electronic mail (e-mail).

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE InfoWorld magazine reports that a survey of 7,600 computer users revealed that e-mail was the No. one reason people went online. Other online activities reported include reading online publications, downloading software, shopping, and playing games.

You’ll need a modem to get on-line. A modem is a device that allows you to transfer information via your phone line to and from your computer. Remember when you’re buying a modem that quicker is better. The faster your modem operates, the faster you’ll be able to send and receive messages, and the quicker information will come up on your computer screen. Anyone who has ever worked with a very slow modem will tell you that the seconds seems like minutes, and the minutes like hours, when you’re waiting for information to appear on the screen. You’ll pay a little more for a faster modem, but you’ll save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Some of the large Internet service providers include Web channels that sort out the Internet into categories. This makes it easier to find what you’re looking for, although the amount of material available can be cumbersome to wade through. These channels can include topics such as: travel, sports, computing, research, lifestyles, health, families, entertainment, personal finance, shopping, news, interests, international, local, and kids. When you “click” on any of the channels, you’ll see a submenu of what’s available for your browsing pleasure. If you prefer, you can use a search mechanism, which allows you to type in some keywords to get a list of sites on the Internet that might apply to your search. For instance, you could type in “using focus groups” or “successful marketing methods.” Once you’re on-line you can access other search engines, such as Yahoo, Alta Vista, and Lycos. Like the search engines provided by some of the Internet access providers, these sites help you to narrow your search. Some of the major search sites, and where they can be accessed on the Internet, are listed below. Yahoo: recommended for researching broad, general topics. It can be accessed at www.yahoo.com.

GET ON THE ’NET

Alta Vista: recommended for precise and complete searches. It can be accessed at www.altavista.com. Lycos: recommended for advanced searches; very thorough. It can be accessed at www.lycos.com. Excite: recommended for searches on broad, general topics. It can be accessed at www.excite.com. Hotbot: the search site of Wired magazine; recommended for finding specific information. It can be accessed at www.hotbot.com. Infoseek: not as large as some other sites, but very accurate. It can be accessed at www.infoseek.com.

IT SURE SOUNDS COMPLICATED Using computers and the Internet can be intimidating, there’s no question about it. Part of the problem is the language associated with computers. Not only is a beginning user trying to learn technological aspects of computers and the Internet, he or she has to decipher a whole lot of confusing language as well. Following is a list of some of the common terms mentioned in this chapter, that might be confusing to a computer or Internet novice.

A Glossary of Common Computer and Internet Terms • The Internet: a worldwide system of computer networks that link together all sorts of businesses, universities, government agencies, and individuals. • E-Mail: short for electronic mail, e-mail is messages sent from one computer user to another through mail servers. Millions of people around the world use e-mail regularly for work and personal reasons. • Internet service provider: a company such as America Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy, that give you access to the Internet, along with other services such as news and weather, games, shopping, and so forth. These service providers, which charge a fee for their services, also have mail servers, which allow you to send and receive electronic mail. • Web channels: a means of sorting the Internet’s vast amount of information into categories. Service providers provide Web channels, which include categories such as sports, news, computers, travel, family, health, and other areas of interest.

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• Modem: a device that allows you to transfer information via your phone line to and from your computer. A modem is necessary for a connection to the Internet. • Search engine: An Internet site that helps you to find information you need, after you type in the topic in which you’re interested. Some search engines are listed earlier in this chapter. • Knowledge management: the process used by some companies to gather pertinent information, sort and edit it, and make it available to employees in a user-friendly manner. Another problem of using the Internet is the vast amount of information available on it. It’s ironic that this huge collection of information—the thing that makes the Internet so valuable—also makes it complicated, at least for beginners. Some companies, concerned about this information overload, have instituted “knowledge management” programs. Knowledge management is the process of gathering pertinent information from various sources, filtering it for quality, editing it to add value, and making it available to employees in a user-friendly manner. There’s no question about it: Using the Web can be incredibly complicated, if you allow yourself to become mired down in all the available information. The trick is knowing how to narrow your search as much as possible to find the information that you need, and not become pulled in by all the interesting but non-relevant bits of trivia that will pop up.

DOWN TO BUSINESS I compare using the Internet to looking up a word in the dictionary. I often spend much more time than is necessary when looking up a word, because I’m pulled in by all the other interesting definitions I see. I can’t help but stop and read them. The same thing easily occurs when you’re using the Internet. It’s very easy to stop to read all the interesting facts that you encounter while looking for the information you really need. It helps to remain focused on what you’re looking for, and avoid getting sidetracked.

GET ON THE ’NET

There are all kinds of books and manuals that are aimed at helping you navigate your way through the Internet. There also are courses, offered through schools, colleges, or some businesses, to help you get started in using the Internet. Some people will tell you to not even attempt to get on-line until you’ve had some instruction, while others say the only way to get to know the ‘Net is to jump on and start exploring the possibilities. Either way, you need to expect to spend some time learning your way around the web. Reading manuals or taking courses can be pretty time-consuming, as can be exploring on your own. Anyone who has ever spent time on the Internet will tell you that the half-hour you expect to spend browsing can easily turn into an hour and a half.

RESEARCH RUT If you’re just starting to use the Internet, you should be aware that there are some possible disadvantages. Surfing the Web can be extremely time-consuming, and has drawn many people away from other activities and relationships in which they formerly participated. Kerric Harvey, director of the Electronic Media program at George Washington University, warns that while the Internet is a valuable work tool, spending too much time on-line can be dangerous and dehumanizing. “We unlearn how to be human with each other if we don’t practice,” she says. “You can go through your whole day, do everything on your list, and never talk to another human being [while using the Internet],” she says.

Some Internet users, especially beginning users who are inclined to go a bit overboard, impose limits on the total amount of time they spend on-line. Other users limit the time they spend on-line for personal—not work-related— purposes. Most people can learn to use the Internet successfully and don’t experience any of the problems that are associated with its use. If you’re just starting out, go ahead and jump on, and assume that everything will turn out fine. If you need some help navigating the Web, try some of the books listed below. • The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Internet, by Peter Kent • The Internet Book: Everything You Need to Know About Computer Networking and How the Internet Works, by Douglas E. Comer

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• Search Engines for the World Wide Web (Visual QuickStart Guide), by Alfred Glossbrenner and Emily Glossbrenner • How the Internet Works, by Perston Gralla and Ron White • The Internet for Dummies (5th Edition), by John R. Levine, Carol Baroudi, and Margaret Levine Young Most of these books will be available at your local library, or can be purchased on-line at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS RESEARCH? Because the Internet is a good place to research almost any topic, it makes sense that it’s a good place to get some help with your business research project. In the rest of the chapter, we’ll list some Websites that might be useful, depending on the type of research you’re conducting and what type of information you’re looking for. Be aware, however, that the contents of Websites change, and a Website that’s available today may not be available next month. Also, there might be fees associated with some of the Websites.

A GREAT PLACE TO START A great place to access information about nearly any topic is The Research Zone’s Electric Library. The Electric Library is a database of information. A user simply types in some keywords or a question, such as “China’s political situation during the 1980s.” The touch of a button sets off a simultaneous search of the Electric Library’s 150 full-text newspapers, hundreds of full-text magazines, two international newswires, and 2,000 classic books. It also contains hundreds of maps, thousands of photographs, and major works of literature and art. The information is updated daily through satellite transmissions, and various versions of the service are available for libraries, schools, colleges and universities, home use, and businesses. The Electric Library is a quick and reliable means of information and materials accessed through the service can be printed, or copied and saved into a word processing document. There’s also an advanced searching option that makes it possible to limit searches by source type, publication, date, title, and author. There is a subscription fee for the Electric Library, either $9.95 a month or $59.95 a year. Find the Electric Library at www.elibrary.com.

GET ON THE ’NET

OTHER WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT Don’t forget about two good general information Websites that were mentioned earlier in the book. • The first is The Library of Congress Website, which contains a great assortment of photos, video and sound clips, and documents about nearly everything imaginable. Find it at http://www.loc.gov • The other is Library Spot, which contains all the references you’ll ever need in one location. It has maps, encyclopedias, phone books, newspapers, magazines, stock information, and much more. Find it at http://www/libraryspot.com If you’re looking to check out a business, try some of the sites listed below. • The American Business Register’s Business and Product Search lists 10 million businesses, searchable by business name or keywords that describe a business activity. You can narrow your search by city, state, or area code. Find it at www.americanbusiness.com • The American City Business Journal’s Book of Lists gives you weeklyupdated listings of new businesses and new homeowners for selected markets. Find it at www.amcity.com • Dun & Bradstreet’s Website gives you access to credit reports, company financial information, business lists for direct-mail marketing, collection services, industry trends, supplier evaluation, supplier-risk information, SIC codes, and small business information. Find it at www.dbisna.com • Moody’s Investors Service also provides financial and other information about companies on its FISONLINE site. Find it at www.moodys.com • AnyWho Directory Service Search is AT&T’s directory service site, which allows you to find traditional business and consumer white and yellow pages telephone listings, as well as Internet-based contact information such as e-mail addresses and Website URLs. Find it at www.anywho.com • The BigBook lets you search for 11 million companies by name, location, type of business, or combinations, and it includes a detailed map, with a zoom-in feature to the city block level. Find it at www.bigbook.com • Companies Online also allows you to search for companies by name, location, or industry. It provides phone numbers, ownership structure, ticker

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symbol, and a link to the company home page for U.S. companies. Find it at www.companiesonline.com • The CorpTech Directory of Technology Companies provides information on more than 40,000 U.S. high technology companies, including many small, privately owned computer software and hardware firms, and many biotechnology firms. It gives the companies’ Internet addresses and links to stock prices and charts, SEC files, and news headlines. Find it at www.corptech.com • International Business Resources on the WWW includes resources on countries, governments, statistics, news sources, mailing lists, company directories, and trade leads. Find it at www.ciber.bus.msu.edu/busres.htm For information on more general areas, and on the process of business research, try the sites listed below: • The U.S. Federal Government Agencies Website lists every government agency, and provides links to get there. This allows you to get all kinds of information, such as census reports, labor statistics, and so forth. Find it at www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html • Research Databases provides all kinds of information on current topics in arts, humanities, and literature. It also has links to sites such as Moody’s, Gale Research, The New York Times Library, and more. Find it at www.cpl.org/dbs.html • The Survey Research Center at Princeton University has useful information about how to research areas such as social issues, consumer research, and policy analysis. Find it at www.princeton.edu/~abelson/index.html • The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences of the University of Maryland has a great site for business researchers. It gives tips on research methods, such as telephone and mail surveys, and examples of its current projects. Find it at www.bsos.umd.edu These are just a few of the sites that may be useful in your business research project. Once you get started, you’ll no doubt find many more. While the Internet is a wonderful research tool, don’t let it become your only source of information. Other sources, especially people, shouldn’t be overlooked.

GET ON THE ’NET

Research Review • The Internet—a worldwide system of computer networks that link together all sorts of businesses, universities, government agencies, and individuals—will continue to become increasingly important as we enter the next century. • To access the Internet, you need an Internet service provider, such as America Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy, and a modem, which allows you to transfer information via your phone line to and from your computer. • The trick to using the Internet successfully is knowing how to narrow your search as much as possible to locate the information that you need, and not being overly distracted by all the non-relevant information that will pop up. • Because the Internet is a good place to research almost any topic, it probably will be a good place to get some help with your business research project. • Don’t overlook other sources of information, such as people or libraries, in order to use the Internet exclusively. All possible sources should be explored.

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CHAPTER 10

MAIL AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS

B

y now, you should have a pretty good idea of what

kinds of information you’ll need for your business research project, and where to find that information. Once you’ve identified sources of information, however, you’ll need to determine the best methods for obtaining it. If your customers, for instance, are your best sources for information, you’ll have to figure out the best way of contacting them and getting them to share their knowledge and insights. There are a number of ways to do this, and in this chapter we’ll discuss two of the most common methods: mail surveys and telephone surveys. Mail and telephone surveys are traditional and widely used tools in business research. The size and scope of the surveys can vary tremendously from project-to-project, but certain principles and rules apply across the board.

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WHAT ARE SURVEYS, AND HOW ARE THEY USED? A survey is simply a means of research in which a questionnaire is used to collect information from participants. Surveys are used frequently, and they can be simple or complex, short or long, and conducted by mail, in person, or over the telephone. Internet surveys are becoming increasingly common, and some surveys encourage participants to respond by fax.

DOWN TO BUSINESS A survey is a method of research in which information is gathered through the use of questionnaires. Information can be obtained in various manners, including through the mail, by telephone, by fax machine, or on the Internet.

You’ve probably filled out lots of surveys. Think about these examples, and try to come up with some others from your own experience. • You and your friend have lunch at the local Red Lobster restaurant. When the waiter brings your check, he leaves a short questionnaire on the table, inquiring about the service, quality of food, cleanliness of the restaurant, and other matters. That waiter, in addition to serving your lunch, is helping the restaurant to survey its customers. • You’ve just had your car repaired at the local Honda dealership. The day after you get the car back, a service representative calls from Honda, wanting to know if you were satisfied with your experience with the dealer. She asks you six or eight questions, such as “How often have you had your car to our service department?” and “Were you happy with the quality of service you received?” The service representative is conducting a telephone survey. • You’re just settling down for the evening when the telephone rings, and a representative from a ratings company starts asking you questions about your favorite television shows and viewing habits. Telephone surveys are commonly used to gather this sort of information. A survey, regardless of how it’s conducted, is a type of quantitative research that measures results in the form of numbers or percentages. No matter what type of survey you’ll be doing, there are several things to consider. You must got to determine the following:

MAIL AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS

1. 2. 3. 4.

Who should be included in the survey? How large should the survey be? How would your survey best be conducted? What’s the best type of questionnaire for your survey?

These are questions that apply to all surveys, regardless of how or why they’re being employed. Regardless of whether your survey is to determine whether or not there is a market for that second daycare center, or to figure out which of your company’s products your customers really like, you’ll need to answers these questions before you begin. Let’s take a look at each question, and try to determine what would make sense for your business research project.

WHO SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR SURVEY? Before you start your survey, you’ll need to figure out the best sources for the information you want. Once you pinpoint those sources, you can get a handle on who should be included in the survey. It makes no sense to spend time and money surveying people who can’t provide the information you need. Service representatives at the Honda dealer, for instance, wouldn’t spend the time and money to call all Honda owners to find out if they’re happy with the dealership’s service. Obviously, not all Honda owners have dealt with the dealership’s service department. Some have their own mechanic, some have cars that haven’t required service, and so forth.

RESEARCH RUT Melinda has been very successful at selling cosmetics for a well-known skin care company. She once conducted a telephone survey of acquaintances and people recommended her by her customers to find out what type of product they’d be interested in purchasing. She used a questionnaire provided by the company, and spent considerable time conducting the survey. Melinda says she was surprised at the number of people who said they wouldn’t use any of her products, simply because they didn’t use makeup. If she had been able to weed out those who had no interest in her product, she could have saved herself considerable time and effort.

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When considering who to include in your survey, keep the following things in mind: • Participants should be selected according to the type of information you’re looking for • People who use your product or service will be able to give you firsthand information concerning the quality or effectiveness of the product • Potential customers are different from actual customers, and will have different kinds of information • Who you include in your survey could depend on factors such as where potential participants live, their age, their marital status, their political affiliation, their sexual orientation, and so forth. Sometimes knowing who to include in a survey is easy. The service representative at the Honda dealer, for example, no doubt has access to records on customers who have had their cars serviced at that location. All she needs to do is get the names of customers from the records, and she has a pool of survey respondents. Often, however, it’s not that easy.

HOW LARGE SHOULD YOUR SURVEY BE? If mechanics at the Honda dealership have serviced 2,400 cars during the past year, it would do no good to survey only six customers for feedback. It couldn’t be assumed that six people were a representative sampling of all those who had their cars serviced. You need to determine a number that is representative of the total population of the overall group—in this case, all those who have had their car serviced during the past year—to ensure that the survey will be statistically correct. There’s no clear-cut number or percentage to tell you how many people to survey. It depends on many factors, including your time and budget for the project, the type of survey you’ll be conducting, the population of the overall group, and other things.

MAIL AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS

DOWN TO BUSINESS Choosing survey participants from among the total population of an overall group is one matter, while choosing participants from a subgroup is another. For instance, say that you’re trying to learn the television viewing habits of all people who are 18 years or older. Choosing survey participants from that group could be done much more simply than if you were choosing participants from the population of women between the ages of 28 and 42 who work full time and have one or more children living at home.

Be sure to get a group that’s large enough to give you a representative sampling. The Honda people, for instance, might consider surveying every fourth person who’s had his or her car serviced. If you’re conducting the research project by yourself, you’ll most likely have to settle for a smaller group of respondents than if you have a team of eight people helping you. Also, if your boss has allocated only $2,000 for the project, you’ll need to have a more limited survey than if your budget was $10,000.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CONDUCT YOUR SURVEY? Choosing a methodology for your survey is very important, and something on which you’ll need to spend considerable time. In this chapter, we’ll examine the methods of mail and telephone surveys. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method, which we’ll look at below. Your circumstances, however, such as time, budget, and the amount of help you have, also should be considered when choosing your survey method.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Mail Survey • It’s normally possible to ask more questions in a mail survey than in a telephone survey. However, getting too lengthy is risky, for it may discourage participants from responding at all. • Mail surveys are generally a little less expensive to conduct than telephone surveys, but they may take longer to institute. Remember that if you decide to go with a mail survey, you’ll need to have your surveys printed, provide

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•

•

•

•

postage-paid return envelopes, and perhaps arrange for follow-up mailings to participants. You might be able to save on mailing costs by qualifying for a bulk mailing. If you do qualify, however, you’ll have to either sort the mail yourself to meet the postal service’s regulations, or hire someone to do it for you. Getting responses to a mail survey can be a slow and frustrating process. You have no control of when your survey participants will respond, or even if they’ll respond. If you don’t get responses back by a specified date, you’ll need to send follow-up mailings, which adds expense and takes additional time and manpower. Even if participants respond promptly to your mail survey, there still is the time necessary for the survey to reach the participant, and to get back to you, by mail. Even under the best circumstances, mail surveys can take considerable time. Mail surveys often are not as accurate as telephone surveys. Participants sometimes do not follow the instructions included with a mail survey, or they answer only certain questions.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Telephone Survey • Telephone surveys can be very effective, but they often are difficult to conduct, especially for small companies that try to do them in-house. Conducting surveys by phone can be very time-consuming, and may take longer than planned if there are a limited number of people to help with them. • Telephone surveys might cost a little more to conduct than mail surveys, but they normally can be implemented more quickly because you avoid the tasks associated with mail surveys, such as printing questionnaires. • Telephone surveys provide immediate responses, and can give you insights into the attitudes of participants. For instance, if a customer was happy with the service he received on his car, but was unhappy with another matter at the car dealership, he’d be able to relate that information easier by telephone than trying to write it on a printed questionnaire with little room for additional comment. • It’s easier to control the quality of a telephone survey than a mail survey. Researchers are taught to know which questions are applicable in various situations, and should be able to obtain all answers to all the necessary questions.

MAIL AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS

• Many people consider telephone surveys to be intrusive, and may refuse to cooperate. There is a proliferation these days of telephone surveys and solicitations, and some people refuse to even consider a call that they think might be suspect. You’ll need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of mail and telephone surveys, and decide which makes more sense for your business research project. Be sure to keep in mind the factors that pertain specifically to your project, such as the number of people you’ll have to help you, the time-frame of your project, and your budget. Unless you’ve been given authority to decide on how to best proceed, it’s probably a good idea to present the pros and cons of telephone vs. mail surveys to a superior, and let him or her provide some input.

A Word About Bulk Mail Bulk mail can save your company some money, but it can be extremely cumbersome and time-consuming. To find out if you qualify for bulk mail (if you don’t already know), call the bulk mail department of your local post office. If you do qualify, weigh the benefits carefully against the disadvantages. Bulk mail must be sorted carefully according to postal regulations, bundled in a specific manner, and delivered to the bulk mail facility.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE I once worked for a company that sent out about 1,600 newsletters every other month to clients all across the country. The newsletters were sent in bulk mail. As editor of the newsletter, I also had to help prepare the bulk mailing. After completing a particularly tedious preparation, one employee delivered the mailing to the post office’s general mail facility. About an hour after she dropped it off, we got a call from bulk mail, telling us we’d have to come back to the post office to fix our mailing. It seems we’d only put one rubber band around each packet of mail, and postal regulations required two. The employee who had delivered the mail went back to the post office and put another rubber band around each packet of mail, while two postal employees stood by and watched. Talk about a waste of valuable time!

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There are companies that will prepare bulk mailings for you, but it might cost more in their fees; or in the time of employees at your office recruited to prepare the mailing, than it’s worth.

WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONNAIRE SHOULD YOU USE FOR YOUR SURVEY? Regardless of whether you decide on a mail or telephone survey, you’ll need a questionnaire. The questionnaire needn’t be terribly complicated. In fact, in many cases, the simpler the questionnaire, the better the response. There are several steps you’ll need to follow when preparing a questionnaire.

1. Determine exactly what it is you hope to learn from the survey. Without a clear idea of what you’re trying to learn, it will be impossible to know what questions to include on your questionnaire. Let’s go way back to Chapter 2, and think about Rich and his White Mountain Rafting Company. Rich provides boats and guides for rafting trips on several rivers in the White Mountain area of New Hampshire. While Rich had been doing very well with the business, the number of customers has been dropping steadily over the past six months at Rich’s business, and nobody can figure out why. Rich has decided to survey customers, past and present, to determine the problem. The first thing he needs to do is sit down and make a list of exactly what he’s trying to learn. The list would look something like this: 1. Why and when did customers come to Rich’s in the first place? 2. Why have we experienced a 25 percent decrease in customers during the past six months? 3. What can we do to get our customers back? Each of those main questions will lead to other questions, all of which will be included on the questionnaire. Try to keep the number of primary questions to a minimum, or your questionnaire will be become too lengthy and complicated.

MAIL AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS

2. Make a rough draft of your questionnaire. Once you’ve determined the main objectives of your survey, come up with a rough draft of your questionnaire. The rough draft will serve as an outline, but will give you a better idea of how the questionnaire should look. Each of your main objectives will probably result in at least two or three questions. This rough draft doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just figure out what questions need to be included under each of the main objectives. Example: 1. Why and when did customers come to Rich’s in the first place? a. How did you first learn about Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company? b. When was the first time you used Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company? Within the past 6 months. Within the past 12 months. Within the past 24 months. c. How many times have you been a customer at Rich’s? Between 1 and 3. Between 3 and 10. More than 10. d. If you’ve been a customer more than once, what prompted you to come back? 2. Why have we experienced a 25 percent decrease in business during the past six months? a. How often have you been rafting within the past year? None. Between 1 and 3 times. Between 3 and 8 times. More than 8 times. b. Have you been a customer at another rafting company within the past year? What company? c. Is there a particular reason, other than those listed below, why we haven’t seen you lately? 3. What can we do to get our customers back? Would you consider using Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company again? What could we do to encourage you to patronize Rich’s?

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3. Refine the questions and the appearance of your questionnaire. Review the questions you’ve come up with, and make sure they will accomplish your goal. Then think about what your questionnaire should look like. Experts advise keeping it fairly short, making sure it’s easy to read and that there’s enough space to answer the questions. You should clearly and simply state the purpose for the survey at the top of the questionnaire. Many companies offer an incentive for returning the survey. A sample of a user-friendly questionnaire is shown below:

MAIL AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS

Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Customer Survey Rich’s White Mountain Rafting is working hard to improve service to our valued customers. To give us a better idea of how we can do that, we’re conducting a brief survey of past and present customers. Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire, and return it to us in the enclosed, stamped envelope. When we receive your completed questionnaire, we’ll send you a coupon for 50 percent off your next rafting excursion. 1. How did you first learn about Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company? 2. When was the first time you used Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company? __ Within the past 6 months __ Within the past 12 months __ Within the past 24 months __ More than 24 months 3. How many times have you been a customer at Rich’s? __ Between 1 and 3 __ Between 3 and 10 __ More than 10 times 4. If more than one time, what prompted you to come back to Rich’s? 5. How often have you been rafting within the past year? __ None __ Between 1 and 3 times __ Between 3 and 8 times __ More than 8 times. 6. Have you patronized another rafting company within the past year? __ Yes __ No What company? 7. If you haven’t been to Rich’s White Rafting Company within the past year, would you tell us why? (Please state reason, if applicable) 8. How can we encourage you to patronize Rich’s White Mountain Rafting? Thanks for helping us to serve you better! Please return the survey in the enclosed envelope. Your coupon will be sent to you upon receipt.

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You should send the questionnaire out along with a brief cover letter on your company’s letterhead. The cover letter should state the purpose of the survey, say that all responses will be kept confidential, and thank the respondent in advance.

THINK AHEAD TO HOW YOU’LL USE THE RESULTS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE. We will discuss processing data in detail in a later chapter, but for now, think about what you’ll do when mail surveys start coming back, or when telephone surveys are completed. One obvious but very important thing to remember is to put the surveys in a place where they’re safe, and won’t be lost. If your office is filled with papers, printed surveys could easily be misplaced. Surveys can be a great help in business research, but as you have read in this chapter, they require a good deal of advance planning and preparation.

Research Review • A survey is a method of research in which information is gathered through the use of questionnaires. Surveying is a traditional and widely used business research tool. • Surveys can be simple or complex, short or long, and conducted by mail, in person, or over the telephone. • Surveys should be directed at people who have the information you need. It makes no sense to spend time and money surveying people who can’t help you. • There are advantages and disadvantages to mail and telephone surveys. To determine which is better for you, you’ll need to consider your time factor, your budget, and the amount of help you’ll have. • The questionnaire you use should be carefully thought out and well designed. It should be clear, readable, and easy to use. • Take a little time to plan ahead what you will do with questionnaires that are mailed back to you, or with the results of telephone surveys.

CHAPTER 11

CONDUCTING A GREAT INTERVIEW

T

here are various situations associated with business re-

search that may require you to conduct an interview. It might be an interview over the phone, done in conjunction with a telephone survey. It could be an interview conducted during a focus group. Or maybe you’ll meet a person who has a lot of information about something that pertains to your project, and you’ll want to interview her in order to learn what she knows. In any case, knowing how to be an effective interviewer is essential to your project. People have got to know what it is you’re trying to find out before they can give you the information you need. If the thought of conducting an interview seems frightening, relax. Just think of it as a little talk you’re having with a specific person, for a specific purpose.

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EXACTLY WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW, ANYWAY? Simply put, an interview is a method of getting information. It is an exchange of questions and answers between two or more people, during which information is passed from one to the other.

DOWN TO BUSINESS An interview is an exchange of questions and answers between two or more people, during which time one person gives information to another.

Normally, there is an interviewer and an interviewee, although the roles sometimes get muddled. Typically, we think of interviews in a couple of ways, namely job interviews and news interviews. Either of these types of interviews is enough to send most people looking for a hiding place. Rare is the job seeker who really enjoys being interviewed for a position within a company.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE One of the most traumatic experiences of my life was a job interview at an area college. I thought I was prepared, but I hadn’t expected six people to sit around a table, grilling me on topics I had never considered, and certainly hadn’t anticipated. The interview lasted for nearly three hours, and, by the end of it, I no longer had any idea what I was saying. I was merely answering questions. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job, but I’ll always remember the interview!

News interviews, especially in these days of sex scandals and impeachment frenzy, hold little appeal for most people. They picture aggressive, cutthroat reporters, out for the big story at any cost. They see microphones shoved into people’s faces, with cameras clicking and whirring. However, interviewing experience or being interviewed doesn’t need to be a traumatic experience. Just think of it as another means of gathering information.

CONDUCTING A GREAT INTERVIEW

HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT TO DO? Interviews not only don’t have to be traumatic, they also don’t have to be overly formal. You don’t need Peter Jennings’or Diane Sawyer’s interviewing skills to get the information that you want. In fact, you’ve probably conducted many interviews without even realizing what you were doing. Take a few minutes to consider the scenarios below. • It’s already Thanksgiving. You’ve decided that this year you simply will not let your Christmas shopping go until the last minute, the way you always have. This year, you’ll be organized and on top of things. You’ll have those gifts purchased, wrapped, and delivered by the middle of December. Then it occurs to you: You have six nieces and nephews, and not a clue what any of them might want. Then the perfect opportunity arrives. They’re all at Grandma’s house for dinner. You gather all the kids together in Grandma’s living room, whip out your handy notepad, and ask them to tell you, very specifically, what they’d like for Christmas. It takes a little while for you to ask each child, follow up with some questions about toys and other items you’re not familiar with, and ask for sizes, favorite colors, and that sort of thing. Still, you finish before dinner is served, and you’ve had a successful interview, because you’ve got the information you need. • You’re planning a surprise birthday party for your wife’s 30th birthday. You’re so excited, and you want everything to be perfect. The plan is that everyone will meet at an area restaurant, and then go to your home afterwards, which will have been decorated while you were at dinner. You’ve heard a lot of things about different restaurants around town, but you’re not sure how well they accommodate private parties. Wanting everything to go smoothly for the party, you decide to visit each restaurant, and have a chat with the owner or manager. You meet with representatives of six different restaurants, asking each one about private party accommodations, menu choices, and other issues. By the time you’re finished, you not only know where you’re going to have the party, you’ve chosen the menu you want as well. • You’ve been promoted at work, and your new job means you’ve got to move. So you and your husband pack up all the stuff in your house, say goodbye to your friends and neighbors, and head off to a new city, a couple of hours away. One of your first concerns upon arriving is to find a reliable babysitter for your two-year old daughter. You contact some of the area schools,

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churches, and synagogues, from which you get a list of names of respected caregivers. Now you’ve got to choose one of them. Because you have to be absolutely sure you find the best person available to watch your little girl, you contact every one of the people on your list by phone. You ask a lot of questions, and find out everything you can about their backgrounds, experience, and so forth. When you’ve narrowed your search to three possibilities, you set up appointments to meet with your “finalists.” Once you’ve had an opportunity to meet with everyone, it becomes very clear that Mrs. Applegate is by far the best person for the job. Each of these instances is an example of informal interviewing. I’ll bet you could think of a lot of other examples, if you tried.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Interviews do not have to be formal, staged events. They can occur anywhere that two or more people get together—in the park, at the grocery store, in the local bar, or in the workplace.

You can see that interviewing is not all that difficult, and shouldn’t be intimidating. It isn’t nearly as scary as asking your boss for a raise, or calling to find out whether or not you got the job you’d applied for, or asking your girlfriend to marry you. Compared to monumental tasks like those, interviewing somebody is a piece of cake.

PLANNED AND ORGANIZED INTERVIEWS Although interviews sometimes are informal, many are well planned and conducted in an organized, controlled manner. This is probably the kind of interview you’ll want to do during the course of your business research project. Of course, if you suddenly find yourself face-to-face with the sales director of your biggest competitor, and she’s in a mood to chat and tell you all sorts of good things about her company, don’t think twice about the need for a structured interview. Turn on your mental tape recorder, pay close attention, and collect every bit of information that the sales director is willing to share. Generally, however, an organized interview will be more beneficial because:

CONDUCTING A GREAT INTERVIEW

• You’ll have an opportunity to think about what you hope to learn and prepare questions that you want to ask ahead of time • You’ll have a format in mind of how the interview should be conducted, and have an idea of what to expect will happen • You’ll have more control than you would if your interview was a hurried, spur-of-the-moment one

DOWN TO BUSINESS If your interview is pre-planned, you’ll have several advantages. You’ll have had time to figure out exactly what you’re hoping to learn, and how you should go about asking for the information. You’ll feel in control of the situation.

SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW Whether the interview you’ll be conducting is formal or informal; with just one person, or a group; or done face to face, or over the telephone, there are certain guidelines that will apply. Take a look at these general tips for interviews, and try to think about how they’d apply to an interview you’d be conducting in connection with your business research project. • Remember that an interview is a two-way process; allow the person you’re interviewing to speak. Nothing is worse than an interview during which only the interviewer talks. In addition to being a waste of time for the person who’s supposed to be interviewed, these one-sided events are fruitless. The interviewer can’t get the information he’s looking for if he doesn’t allow the other person to speak. • Be sure that the person you’re interviewing understands the purpose of the interview. Carefully explain what it is you’re trying to determine, or what kind of information you’re trying to obtain, before beginning the interview. Don’t, however, make suppositions, and lead the person you’re interviewing to support your feelings. • Don’t get unnerved by pauses and silences. It’s a tendency among many people to fill silences with talk. For some reason, lots of us in this society are uncomfortable with silence. Many people keep a radio or television turned

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•

•

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on all the time, just for the noise they create. If you’re interviewing someone, and a long pause occurs before the person begins to answer your question, resist the temptation to jump in and start talking. Chances are your interviewee is thinking about how to answer your question. To interrupt will only cause her to lose her train of thought—and you to lose your answer. Be a good listener. Listening is an integral skill in interviewing. You can ask the best questions in the world, but if you don’t listen carefully to the answers, they’ll do you no good. In addition, your interviewee’s answers to the questions you ask often lead to follow-up questions that can be very important. If you’re not listening to the person’s answers, you’ll miss out on good chances for follow-up questions. Also, the person you’re interviewing will sense that you’re not really listening, and may become resentful and impatient. Don’t lead the person you’re interviewing. Ask your question, and wait for a reply. If your interviewee doesn’t understand the question, she’ll ask for clarification. Don’t overexplain a question, because that opens the door to you including snippets of your own opinion or feelings into it. Watch out for questions that are overly simple, or overly complex. If you ask somebody if he likes the new soybean burgers your company is producing, the answer you’ll get most likely will be yes, no, or it’s okay. If you ask the person to describe how he feels when he eats the soybean burger, he could launch into some explanation about his inner self and an out-of-life experience he had in his teens. Be aware of the complexity of your questions, and strive for middle-of-the-road, except in special circumstances. Try to ask open-ended questions. They encourage the person you’re interviewing to talk. Closed-ended questions, such as “Do you like living in Chicago?” will generally elicit a response of “yes” “no,” or “I don’t know.” Questions like this, and the answers they produce, won’t be very valuable to your interview. Open-ended questions, however, such as “What are your favorite, and least favorite things about living in Chicago?” will get the person you’re interviewing to open up and give you some information you can use.

That sounds like a lot of information, but much of it is just good common sense. If you find that you’re nervous and you’re talking too much, make it a point

CONDUCTING A GREAT INTERVIEW

to be quiet. If the person you’re interviewing doesn’t understand your questions, ask them in a manner that’s more clear.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE There’s a famous story about Barbara Walters, when she was a host on the Today show. Walters was to interview actress Mercedes McCambridge, who was an alcoholic. When Walters introduced McCambridge as a fine actress who had once been an alcoholic, McCambridge corrected Walters. “Not was an alcoholic, is an alcoholic,” McCambridge said. The actress then launched into a touching account of her struggles with alcohol, that filled the entire segment allotted for the interview. Walters never said a word. When McCambridge was finished and time was up, Walters simply thanked the actress for the interview, and the segment ended. Walters surely understands the value of keeping silent while your interviewee does the talking.

Telephone Interviews In some regards, telephone interviews are easier than face-to-face interviews. And in other ways, they’re more difficult. If you’re nervous about conducting an interview, you might find it easier to do over the phone. True, the person on the other end won’t be able to see that your hands are sweating, or your cheeks are flushed. On the other hand, it’s harder to get a full understanding of a person’s answer when you’re interviewing over the phone. When you’re face-to-face with someone, you get to watch facial expressions and body language as questions are answered. If she’s uncomfortable with a question, you can get a sense of that from the way she looks when she answers it. Interviews by phone make it much harder to detect those subtleties. You might think you sense something in a person’s voice, but it’s far more difficult to determine if you can’t see her face or watch her body language. If your business research project calls for telephone interviews (telephone surveys are telephone interviews), you, and anyone who will be helping, need to be well prepared before you start.

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RESEARCH RUT Don’t make the mistake of preparing yourself to conduct interviews without making sure that anyone who will be helping you is prepared, too. It’s happened too many times that a project leader neglects to properly train helpers. When the ill-prepared helpers get on the phones, they don’t know what to do, and they end up jeopardizing the outcome of the project.

Make sure that everyone who will be conducting telephone interviews fully understands the importance of the following items: • • • • •

the purpose (objective) of the interviews who will be interviewed what questions they’ll need to ask how to encourage people to expand their answers general interview rules and guidelines

Take as much time as possible to make sure that everyone helping has a thorough understanding of those points, and any other applicable guidelines that apply to your project. Make sure that you and all those who will be conducting phone interviews, get a copy of the survey you’ll be using as soon as possible. This will give everyone plenty of time to look over it, and to practice. No matter how silly it might seem, or no matter how much the people helping you might balk, insist that everyone practice reading the questions—out loud. Be on the lookout for those who read too fast, or are unintelligible. It won’t lend any credibility to your survey to have someone who is difficult to understand conducting the telephone interview. If you’re not sure how well an interviewer will be understood, have the person who will be helping call you on the phone, and run through the survey questions. A person’s voice sometimes sounds different over the telephone than it does in person.

CONDUCTING A GREAT INTERVIEW

RESEARCH 101 As a newspaper reporter, I conducted hundreds of telephone interviews, which often were more practical than face-to-face interviews. I’m not sure how I sounded on the phone to the people I interviewed, but I certainly can understand the difficulty of talking with someone who is very hard to understand. Newspaper work leads you to contact with all kinds of people, some of whom don’t speak English, and some of whom are poorly educated and don’t speak English well. It was extremely frustrating to need information quickly, but not be able to understand the person on the other end of the telephone line.

A final word of advice about telephone interviews: Be sensitive to when you make the calls. How many times has your dinner been interrupted by somebody calling from Colorado with a great offer for a credit card? We all know how annoying phone calls at inappropriate times can be. Be especially sensitive around holidays and on weekends. On the other hand, don’t give up if you don’t get an answer the first or second time you ring somebody’s phone. Persistence is a plus in every aspect of business research, telephone interviews included.

Face-to-Face Interviews Face-to-face interviews are used in business research for several reasons. You might conduct an in-depth, face-to-face interview with someone who you know has a lot of information about something in which you’re particularly interested. If the person you’re interviewing is willing, that sort of interview could be quite long. Face-to-face interviews also are frequently used during focus group meetings. We’ll talk briefly about interviews during focus groups in this section, but we’ll discuss focus groups in greater detail in the next chapter.

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RESEARCH RUT Never, never, never try to remember what an interviewee told you without taking good notes or making a recording of the interview. Interviews that produce more than simple answers that can be easily jotted down should be recorded, by either audio- or videotape. Lengthy interviews with one person are best recorded with a small tape recorder that is unobtrusive, but easily picks up what the person is saying. Interviews with a group of people, such as in a focus group situation, are best recorded with a video camera.

As you read earlier in this chapter, it’s much easier to gauge someone’s reaction to your questions when conducting a face-to-face interview than when you’re interviewing over the phone. You can easily sense discomfort, humor, anger, or any other emotions that your questions might evoke. If you’re taking notes, make sure you record any facial expressions or body language that might be telling. In a face-to-face interview, take a few minutes at the beginning to establish a rapport with the person at whom you’ll be directing your questions. Keep these tips in mind when doing so: • Be friendly, but not pushy or overly familiar. In most cases, you’ll be interviewing someone you’ve never met before. Don’t treat him like a member of your family. • Be polite and respectful. Assume that the person you’re interviewing is doing you a favor by sharing valuable information. She deserves your respect and appreciation, because she’s helping you. • Watch what you wear. As much as we’d sometimes like to think it’s not so, clothing is very important in our society. And, believe it or not, how you dress can alter the outcome of your interview. If what you’re wearing is much more dressy and expensive than the clothing of the person you’re interviewing, he may be uncomfortable, or even distrustful of you. If your clothes are sloppy, or dirty, he’ll lack respect for you and your job. Remember that a first impression is always an important one. If something happens at the very beginning of your interview, or before it even begins, that alienates you and your subject, needless to say, your interview won’t be very successful. If, on the other hand, you manage to establish a rapport by being friendly

CONDUCTING A GREAT INTERVIEW

and interested in the person, you’re likely to enjoy a successful and fruitful interview. When you’re interviewing someone in person, it’s important to appear interested in what she’s telling you. And don’t forget to make eye contact. A person quickly senses when someone is not truly interested in what she’s saying, and loses the incentive to keep offering information. Remember to just be yourself when conducting an interview. Use common sense, and be polite and respectful. As we’ve stated earlier, most people want to help, and will be pleased to share information that they know you need.

Research Review • An interview is an exchange of questions and answers between two or more people, during which information is passed from one person to another. It can be formal or informal, and done face-to-face, or over the telephone. • Most people have conducted many interviews during their lives without even realizing it. • General interviewing tips and guidelines, such as “be a good listener,” or “don’t ask questions that are overly complicated,” apply to all kinds of interviews. • Telephone interviews have some advantages and disadvantages, when compared to interviews conducted in person. • It’s extremely important that everyone involved fully understands the do’s and don’ts of telephone interviews, and practices doing the interview before starting. • When conducting a face-to-face interview, take a few minutes to try to establish a rapport with the person you’re interviewing before you begin. • Be aware that first impressions can drastically affect the outcome of your interview. • When conducting an interview, relax and try to enjoy it.

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FOCUS GROUPS

F

ocus groups, as we discussed briefly in Chapters 3 and 4,

are frequently used in business research, and can be a great way to get detailed information about an idea or product. A focus group, a small group of people brought together to offer opinions and insight about a particular topic, is a qualitative method of research. It is intended to produce in-depth conversation, and to find out what people like or dislike, or how they feel about something. Because a focus group is based on conversations with people, instead of numbers or facts acquired through a survey or other means, the results are subjective. If you need hard facts or numbers, a focus group isn’t the best method of research. But if you want to get input on something like advertising or policy, or find out how a new name for your company will go over with your customers, focus groups probably are the way to go. Focus groups are often used to gauge customer response to an existing or new product, or to get input about service or quality. They can be used

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independently, or combined for use with telephone, mail, or on-site surveys. Using focus groups in combination with surveys gives you qualitative and quantitative results that can be very useful when looking for research results.

HOW TO GET STARTED While focus groups seem relatively straightforward and easy, they entail a great deal of planning and preparation. You’ll need at least a month to prepare for a focus group. If you decide to use focus groups in your business research, the first thing you’ll need to do is determine your objectives. Exactly what information do you hope to obtain through the use of a focus group? You should have a main objective, and then a list of other goals you’d also like to accomplish. It might help to list your objectives on a simple chart. Using, again, the example of the newspaper company trying to determine what customers like and dislike about the paper, your chart might look something like the one below.

The Brownsville Bugle Focus Group Research Objectives 1. Obtain input from readers concerning the overall quality of the newspaper. 2. Find out readers’ opinions on the changes made to the paper during the past six months. 3. Learn whether readers prefer a daily tabloid section containing entertainment and lifestyle news, as opposed to having that news included in the main body of the newspaper. 4. Determine to what extent readers look at the advertising of various businesses that appears in the main body of the newspaper. 5. Learn if readers like our balance of local, regional, state, national, and world news, and what they would like to see more of, or less. 6. Determine how readers perceive our editorials and other opinion pieces.

FOCUS GROUPS

You’ll notice that these objectives are geared toward learning about readers’ opinions and feelings, not gathering statistics. It would be wrong, for instance, to put “what percentage of readers think our editorials are too liberal” as an objective. There is no way to establish that from focus group research.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Be sure your objectives are suitable for focus groups research, and do not seek statistical or numerical results. Remember that research groups are qualitative, not quantitative.

While it is fine to have a list of objectives for your focus group research, be careful not to get carried away. Focus groups normally last between one and two hours, so you must gear your objectives toward that time period. You shouldn’t expect to meet 20 objectives in a one-hour time frame, because you’ll end up with incomplete bits and pieces of information that will be of little benefit.

ONE GROUP, TWO GROUPS, THREE GROUPS, FOUR? When using focus groups as part of your business research, you’re not limited to one or two groups. If you have enough time and your budget permits, you could conduct a dozen focus groups to provide information from people of many different perspectives. Once you establish your objectives, you’ll need to figure out how many focus groups you’ll have, and who should be included in each group. The Brownsville Bugle Company, for instance, might want to hold several focus groups, which would allow them to get information from different segments of its readership. Some considerations the company should take into account when determining the number of focus groups and who should be included are: • Varying ages of readers • Length of time person has been a subscriber • Reader’s familiarity with the local area covered by the newspaper staff

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It’s important to remember that different people have different perspectives, and your focus groups must be representative of your customer base if you hope to get a reliable range of those perspectives.

FIGURING OUT WHO TO INCLUDE Once you decide who your focus groups will involve, you’ve got to figure out how you’ll screen potential candidates to see if they qualify to participate. A very necessary qualification of focus group members for our newspaper research project is—obviously—that they read the newspaper. The company has subscriber lists, which makes the job of identifying potential group members much easier. Simply being a subscriber, however, doesn’t qualify someone to be a member of the newspaper company’s focus group. Not every subscriber is a reader, for starters. Because one of your objectives involves finding out about changes that have occurred in the past six months, only people who have been getting the paper for longer than that time could participate. Participants should be those who read the entire paper, and who are aware of the different sections of the paper. In order to determine this, representatives of The Brownsville Bugle Company normally would formulate a brief questionnaire, setting criteria for participation. The survey would allow them to screen subscribers during a brief phone call. Some questions that might be on the questionnaire include: • • • •

How frequently do you read the newspaper? Do you read the entire newspaper? Have you been reading the Bugle for six months or more? Would you be interested in participating in a focus group on June 3 at 7 P.M. in the newspaper building’s conference room? We’ll compensate you $40 for your participation.

As you contact potential members of your focus group, you should record the person’s name, phone number, and his answers to the questions you ask.

FOCUS GROUPS

DOWN TO BUSINESS Remember that not everyone you find to be an appropriate candidate will be able to participate in the focus groups. You’ll need to have many more candidates than the number of actual participants.

This is the information you’ll use to help you select suitable candidates for your focus group.

FORMULATING A DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR THE FOCUS GROUP Once you’ve selected the focus group members, it’s time to appoint a moderator and prepare a discussion guide for that person.

DOWN TO BUSINESS After choosing the people you want to participate in your focus group, send them a letter or card, confirming the date, time, and so forth. Make sure you tell them it’s extremely important that you know if they’ll attend. Have a few alternates on hand—somebody is bound to cancel at the last minute (or just not show up).

Perhaps because you’re leading the business research, you’ll expected to be the moderator. If that’s the case, don’t panic. If you won’t be moderating, try to find someone to do it who is friendly, but businesslike. It will be very important to keep the discussion on track and moving ahead so that the entire agenda can be covered in the appointed amount of time. Professional moderators can be hired in some areas, and usually can be contacted through large marketing firms. If your focus group research is relatively simple, however, someone from within the company probably can handle it. Following is a general guide, outlining what topics the moderator should cover, and points he or she should make.

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Discussion Guide Outline 1. Start with an introduction to help participants get to know each other a bit and feel comfortable together. Don’t forget to introduce yourself, and say what your role is within the company. 2. Explain the purpose of focus groups, in general, and the specific goals of this group. 3. Set the ground rules that will apply, and explain about recording equipment and other things of possible concern. 4. Get into your main questions, breaking them down into simple, workable categories. 5. Take a 10-minute break about halfway through the discussion, then finish with the rest of the questions. 6. Leave 15 or 20 minutes at the end for a wrap-up discussion, final comments, and for you to thank participants. Please remember that this is only a suggested guide. It will vary from focus group to focus group, depending on the discussion topics and other factors.

WHERE SHOULD YOU HOLD YOUR FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION? Your focus group can be held anywhere that is comfortable, large enough, and not too inconvenient for participants to get to. If you have a big enough budget and live in an area where it’s available, you can rent a focus group room at a marketing firm. These rooms usually have two-way mirrors that allow observers to watch the discussions without being seen. Since many companies, especially small ones, don’t have that kind of budget, a conference room or other common room within your company building is fine. Your office, however, is not. The room where the group is held should be neat and professional looking, but not intimidating.

FOCUS GROUPS

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 I was once invited to sit in on a focus group discussion concerning a newsletter my company was thinking about producing for its customers. There would have been a charge for the newsletters, which our customers, in turn, could have distributed to their customers. The discussion group was poorly organized, with all the people from the company at one end of the table, and all our customers at the other. Customers later complained they felt they had been interrogated, and they were angry and upset.

Arrange well ahead of time for everything you might need in the room, such as tables, chairs, tablets, pens, and so forth. If the discussion will last for more than a hour or so, you might want to have refreshments for the participants.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Providing some light refreshments for focus group members is a nice gesture, but don’t go overboard. I once attended a meeting at which the variety of refreshments was so elaborate, the people were more interested in the food, and the quality of the meeting suffered badly.

Something that is easy to pick up and eat would be appropriate (cookies instead of pie à la mode, for instance). If the discussion is very short, you probably don’t need refreshments, although you might want to provide coffee, sodas, and other beverages.

LET’S SEE (OR HEAR) THAT AGAIN, PLEASE In order to get the most out of a focus group, you should videotape, or at least audiotape, the discussion. Videotaping is best, because it allows you to observe the participants’ responses, not just what they say. If videotaping is not possible, audiotaping will do. It’s a good idea to have two tape recorders operating, in case one fails to record properly.

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If you are able to have the discussion videotaped, you should still use an audiotape recorder as a backup. Tell the participants you’ll be recording their conversation, and advise the person operating the videocamera to be as inconspicuous as possible.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY As the date of the focus group approaches, you should send out confirmation notices to participants. Be sure to include the time, place, date, and directions. The notices should be mailed about a week before the group meets, and state that you’re looking forward to meeting the participant. The notice also should say that participants should not bring children along, unless you’ve made special arrangements to accommodate them. Remind your group members that they’ll be receiving a stipend, and make sure you have the money ready to distribute at the end of the meeting. Be sure to include a line asking people to contact you if they won’t be able to participate. Also include details about parking, and where within the building the group will meet.

MODERATING THE FOCUS GROUP Now that you’ve taken care of the details, it’s time to think about the actual business of conducting a focus group. It may seem that a focus group is simply a time for participants to sit down and talk, but that isn’t the case. Conversation must be directed and steered to keep it on track. You need to be sure that everyone participates, and that the conversation isn’t dominated by one or two people. Let’s assume that you’ve been nominated to serve as moderator of the focus group. Don’t worry—we’ll walk you through the steps you should take to ensure it will be a success. The discussion guide mentioned earlier in this chapter will serve as the basic framework of what will be accomplished. Let’s look at some of the things a moderator is responsible for during a focus group discussion. • Making everyone feel comfortable. This sounds simple, but it’s very important to the success of the focus group. Thank the participants for coming, and take a few minutes to chat about things like the weather and

FOCUS GROUPS

•

•

•

•

other general topics. Remember that participants probably do not know one another. Everyone should be introduced, and you’ll need to explain what your role as moderator will be. You can explain that you’re there to facilitate the discussion, and make sure that the applicable topics are covered. Also introduce any other people in the room. Explaining the focus group process. Don’t assume that the participants know the purpose or procedure of a focus group. You should explain what you hope to accomplish by having the focus group, and how the group will operate. Explain that you’ll ask some questions, and each participant will have a chance to respond to every question. Be sure to tell participants that the conversation is being recorded so that you’ll have accurate records for your analysis. Assure everyone that their names will not be used in any way, and that they should feel free to say whatever they want to. Tell them you won’t be offended if they criticize your company or product, and they should be honest and forthcoming with their comments and opinions. Keeping the conversation on course. This can be difficult, and requires your close attention. Just like in any situation, there probably will be people within the group that are much more talkative than others. A focus group, however, relies on input from all its members, not just a couple. It is the job of the moderator to get everyone involved in the discussion, and to be sure everyone gets a chance to state his or her opinions. If you find yourself continuously cutting off a person who is talking too much, apologize and explain that you must cover a lot of material in a short amount of time, and how important it is to have input from everyone. You should ask the appropriate questions, and encourage each member of the group to respond. If you feel the conversation is going on too long in response to one question, you’ll have to explain that it’s necessary to move ahead to the next question. Getting everyone involved. Just as some people are inclined to talk a bit more than you’d like them to, there may be others who don’t say much or anything. If you have someone like this in your focus group, try to draw him out. Ask him to start the discussion on a certain question so that he can’t simply repeat what someone else has already said. Provide some feedback to his comments to encourage him, saying something like, “that’s very interesting.” Making sure the questions are understandable. When you ask participants, make sure each group member fully understands what you’re asking. The questions might seem very clear to you, but don’t assume that everyone

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understands them. If a participant seems confused about one of the questions, be sure you clarify it. Ask if everyone understands each question before you start to get input from participants. • Keeping the discussion flexible. Your discussion guide is just that—a guide. Be careful to not get too rigid about staying on schedule. If the conversation starts to wander off your scheduled topic, but is revealing important and applicable information about another topic, don’t be too quick to stop the new discussion. Of course, the danger is that you won’t be able to cover all the pre-determined topics if you allow the discussion to wander too much, so you have to be able to determine when enough is enough, and steer the conversation back to the original question. If the conversation moves to another topic on the discussion guide that you had planned to cover later anyway, by all means, let participants continue to talk about it. Don’t discourage a natural flow of conversation just to remain on schedule. • Avoiding bias. This seems like an obvious task for a moderator, but if you’ve never been involved before with a focus group, you probably don’t realize how easily you can bias the participants. Under no circumstances should you express your own opinion about one of the questions, or anything else related to the group discussion. Don’t agree or disagree with any comments from any of the group members. If you make any remarks at all, such as the one suggested earlier to encourage a reluctant participant, make sure it’s a neutral remark that doesn’t express an opinion. A moderator’s job is to be a facilitator, not a participant.

FOLLOW-UP TO A FOCUS GROUP When the designated time for the focus group discussion has ended, the moderator must end the conversation. Be sure to thank participants for their help, and tell them how much you appreciate their sharing the comments and opinions. After participants have been paid and have left the site of the focus group, there are a few things you should do. • Make notes about anything that occurred during the group that you feel is especially significant. We all know how easy it is to forget details, and you may risk missing something important if you don’t write it down.

FOCUS GROUPS

• Take the tapes and store them in a safe place, where they’ll be available for use later on, when you analyze the results of the focus group discussion. • Write each member of the focus group a short note, thanking him or her for participating. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time. You can use the same note for each participant, but do personalize it, rather than making it an obvious form letter. We’ll tell you all about sorting, analyzing, and processing data in Chapter 15. Just be sure that your results are organized and in a safe place until it’s time to work with them.

Research Review • Focus groups are subjective, qualitative methods of business research. You’ll need to review your objectives to make sure a focus group is an applicable research method before you begin preparations. • A short questionnaire often is used to screen potential candidates for a focus group. The questionnaire is designed to use during the initial contact with a potential participant. • Whoever will be moderating the research group should formulate a discussion guide. The guide includes a basic schedule of what will happen, and lists the questions that will be asked. • Preparing for a focus group includes details like locating and preparing a suitable meeting place, providing refreshments, confirming pertinent information with participants, and making sure money to pay group members is available. • There are specific things a moderator should and should not do, such as steering the conversation, getting everyone involved, and avoiding bias.

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DIGGING IN: SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

S

ometimes business research isn’t pretty. Sometimes it

gets downright dirty. Wait a minute! Not dirty as in “dirty politics,” or “dirty pool.” Dirty, as in roll up your sleeves, cancel your dinner plans, and plan to work until you figure out how to get the job done. Sometimes business research even gets literally dirty, such as dust and grime. But more about that later. You’ve already read how important it is to be able to think on your feet, and be creative when conducting business research. Ingenuity is a great asset.

DOWN TO BUSINESS According to Webster’s, an ingenious person is one who is clever, resourceful, inventive, original, and skillful. To me, that says someone who can handle any situation that comes along.

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When you think about it, ingenuity and resourcefulness are important characteristics for everyone to have. We all are faced with different kinds of problems every day, and the more ingenious and resourceful we are, the better we’ll be able to deal with them.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE My father was probably the most ingenious and resourceful person I’ve ever known. Although he died recently, testimony of those traits is still very much in evidence all around his home and property. One his most ingenious plans was his hedgerows. In case you’re not familiar with hedgerows, they traditionally are large rows of shrubs or bushes that separate one property from another, or one part of a property from another part. Hedgerows usually run around an entire property; they’re widely used in the British Isles, but not too often in America. My father’s property is quite large, and nearly all of it is wooded, which meant he was constantly picking up branches and limbs that fell from trees. Since the property isn’t in an area with municipal collection for those types of things, and burning is prohibited, getting rid of all this wood was a constant problem for my father. He sat down and analyzed what he could do about it, and before long, he’d come up with the perfect solution: hedgerows. And hedgerows he made, using all the sticks, branches, limbs, and tree trunks that either fell or were cut down on his property. Many years later, nearly the entire property is surrounded by my father’s hedgerows. They serve not only to mark the boundaries of his property, but as a lasting tribute to my father’s resourcefulness and ingenuity.

Although those traits are important to everyone, they can be particularly beneficial to a business researcher. Why? Because no matter how carefully you plan, or how methodical you are in conducting your research, sometimes things don’t go exactly—or even remotely—as you’d hoped and planned.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? There’s no intention here to scare you—simply to make you aware of the possibilities for disruption, disappointment, and plans gone awry. Consider these scenarios:

DIGGING IN: SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

Scenario #1: Jack and the Focus Group Survey Gone Bad Jack had scheduled a small but intense focus group survey as part of an important business research project. It was vital to his research that the five people he’d selected get together as a group, because he was running up against his deadline for completing the project. He was really looking forward to seeing what information he’d get from this group. Jack had been working hard, and everything was set up and ready to go. Unfortunately, a snowstorm had started earlier in the day, and the roads were covered and slippery. Jack’s scheduled participants apparently decided that they’d rather be home in front of their fireplaces or TVs. Finally, one woman came in, complaining about the weather, and that her shoes were wet, and she was cold. Ten minutes later, a man entered, smelling just like that little bar down the street where Jack occasionally stops by for a beer or two after work. Jack waited around a little longer, but soon it was almost an hour after they were scheduled to start, and nobody else was anywhere in sight. Scenario #2: The Case of Mary and the Missing List Mary had spent hours at the public library, copying all the applicable information for her business research project from the many, many guides and journals she’d found. It was pretty tedious work, and Mary was really proud of those 12 pages of lists she’d compiled. Mary was anxious to update her boss on the progress she’d made on the research project, so she told him about the lists of information. The boss said he’d like to take a look at it, and Mary gladly handed it over, thinking he’d really be pleased with her work. When she knocked on his door a few days later and asked for her list back, the boss appeared to get a little grumpy, and told her he’d look for it when he got a chance. Two days later, Mary asked for her list again, only to get the same answer. The next day, when she asked again, the boss told her that he couldn’t find the list. Furthermore, he blamed the problem on Mary because she hadn’t made a copy of the list! Scenario #3: The Case of Sheila and the Faulty Phone Lines Sheila had lined up four co-workers to stay after work and help her get started on her telephone survey. The boss has agreed to pay them overtime, but instead of

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being happy, all they could do was gripe. Nobody was pleased about the late hours, especially Becky, who had to break a date. Anyway, at least they were all there. Sheila ran through all the instructions, and made everybody practice running through the survey. She told them all about speaking slowly and clearly, asking follow-up questions, and everything else she could think of. Everyone seemed at least somewhat interested in what to do except for Bob, who looked like he was thinking about something else. Everything seemed to be in place, and Sheila was feeling pretty optimistic about doing the survey, until they started making calls. For some reason, the phones weren’t working! Becky’s line went dead in the middle of her first call, and Donald and Sherri couldn’t even get a line to try calling. Bob’s call was the only one that went through, and it turned out he really hadn’t been listening when Sheila went over the instructions. He didn’t have a clue what he was supposed to say when the respondent answered the phone. Sheila completely lost her composure, and told Bob exactly what she thought about his incompetence. Highly offended, Bob stormed out of the office and went home. Everyone else, including Sheila, soon followed. What could they do without phone service? Scenario #4: The Case of Carl and his Empty Café Carl had been going crazy trying to figure out what was going on with his café. His lunch trade had been slower and slower, dropping close to 50 percent over the past three or four months. He was determined to find out why, but he couldn’t seem to get a handle on it. He’d gone to the area chamber of commerce and asked for information about any new restaurants that might have opened in his area without him noticing. There were none. He talked to the customers who still were coming in all the time, asking them what had they heard, and where was everybody going. Nobody had a clue, or at least nobody was telling him what was going on. Carl’s café was only open for breakfast and lunch, so he was taking a really big hit with this loss of lunch business. He had to find out what was going on, but as far as he was concerned, he’d exhausted every possibility for doing so. Unfortunately, the possibilities for these kinds of things happening are endless. We tend to think of business research as something that’s methodical, well-

DIGGING IN: SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

organized, and perhaps just a bit on the dry side. And sometimes it is. Yet, at other times—it’s anything but.

WHAT’S A BUSINESS RESEARCHER TO DO? You’ve heard all those clichés like, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” or “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” right? I don’t like those sayings any more than you do, but in business research, the sentiment applies. When things go wrong, the only thing you can do is this: Sit down, think things through, and figure out how you’re going to make them better. Somewhere, somehow, there is a solution to your problem, and it’s up to you to figure out what it is.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Newspaper reporters run into what seem like dead ends all the time. The best thing that can happen to a young reporter is to have an editor who refuses to accept “I can’t find anyone who will talk” as an explanation for an incomplete story. My former editor’s mantra was this: “Talk to enough people, and eventually, someone will tell you what you need to know.” I’ve applied that theory to many things in my life since leaving the newspaper business. Look hard enough, talk to enough people, or check out enough directories or Internet sites, and you’ll find out what you need to know.

Let’s run through the scenarios presented above, and try to figure out how each of those people could have solved, or at least lessened the severity of, their business research dilemmas. Scenario #1: Jack and the Focus Group Survey Gone Bad Jack was a diligent worker, accustomed to having things go smoothly. When his plans for the focus group self-destructed in front of his eyes, he was completely at a loss. Jack’s biggest problem, of course, was that he hadn’t planned for all possibilities. Unless this was a freak, offseason snowstorm, Jack should have considered the possibility of bad weather. Perhaps he could have given an alternate meeting date in the event of snow or ice.

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Frankly, there really wasn’t any way Jack could have anticipated that guy spending the afternoon at the bar—that was just bad luck. All “should haves”aside, Jack is stuck with a big hole in his business research, and his deadline is staring him in the face. What can he do? If Jack were truly a resourceful person, he would have managed to get the rest of the participants to the focus group meeting. He would have picked them up in his sport utility vehicle or, if he didn’t have an SUV, he would have borrowed one from a friend. If the participants balked, saying they didn’t want to come because of the bad weather, he would have increased their co-op fees or offered another kind of additional incentive. Maybe he could have started the meeting earlier, arranged for sandwiches and salads to be delivered from the deli, and had everyone home by 8:30. The minute Jack saw snow start falling, he should have been on the phone, calling participants and asking if transportation would be a problem. He would have been proactive, anticipated problems, and found ways to fix them. As far as the man who’d been at the bar, that was beyond Jack’s control. Still, it’s common practice to have an alternate lined up. Had Jack been truly resourceful, he would have been on the phone to the alternate immediately, and arranged for her to get to the meeting. Scenario #2: The Case of Mary and the Missing List I hate to take the boss’ side after Mary did all that work and he lost her lists, but . . . he was right. There’s absolutely no way Mary should have given him the only copy of her work. She should have made several copies of that labor-intensive list. But she didn’t. So what can Mary do? Well, there’s bad news and there’s good news. The bad news: There’s not much choice but for poor Mary to head back to the library and start over with her research. The good news: It won’t take nearly as long the second time around. She’ll remember where she found most of the information, and it shouldn’t be nearly as difficult to compile the lists. If Mary is resourceful and clever, she’ll cancel any plans she has for that night, head straight to the library after work, and present her boss with a copy of her new list the following morning. Scenario #3: The Case of Sheila and the Faulty Phone Lines If Sheila had been resourceful and ingenious, she would have found a way to get those calls made.

DIGGING IN: SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

First of all, she would have made sure that everyone—including Bob—knew what he was doing before anyone even got near a telephone. There’s no room for unprofessionalism during a survey. Second, notice that Sheila didn’t even try to remedy the phone situation. A clever, resourceful person would have: • Checked to make sure there was nothing wrong in the office, such as wires that had come unplugged, or any other reason that could have been affecting the phones. • Contacted the phone company (she certainly could have found a phone elsewhere in the building, or someone with a personal cellular phone) and demanded that the lines be checked immediately. • Insisted that work to restore the phone service begin immediately. Phone companies do have service people on call. Yet perhaps Sheila tried everything and she couldn’t convince the people at the phone company to show up that night to repair the lines. If she had been truly a resourceful person, she still wouldn’t have given up and gone home. If, after every effort, it turned out that there was no way phone service could be restored that evening, she would have: • Found a friendly office still open down the hallway, and utilized five of their phones for two hours. Sheila would have convinced them to let her do this, assuring people in the other office that she and her co-workers would keep a careful log of all the calls they made, and reimburse the other company for charges. • Checked out the availability of cellular phones, and used them, if necessary, to get the survey done. Sure, it would have cost more, but at least the work would be finished, and the information gathered. • Convinced each of her co-workers to go home, and make the calls from their personal phones. She would have thought of an incentive to get them to do this. Maybe she would have invited everyone out for dinner when the calls were finished, then asked finance for reimbursement. Or she would have invited her co-workers over to her house for pizza and beer when they finished making their calls.

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Sheila was incredibly unresourceful—this was a business research project that could have been saved. Scenario #4: The Case of Carl and his Empty Café Poor Carl. He’s been sitting around, watching his business die right before his eyes. He thinks he’s done everything possible to find out what’s going on, but obviously, he hasn’t done nearly enough. It was smart of Carl to contact the chamber of commerce to find out if any new restaurants had opened in the area where his café is located. If they had, Carl would have had an obvious reason for his loss of business. It also was resourceful for him to interview customers who were still coming into the café. It was a good attempt to get some information. Unfortunately, no one was able to tell him anything. Obviously, Carl can’t just do nothing. He’s got to be proactive, and he’s got to find out what’s happening to his lunch crowd. Carl is fairly resourceful, and sooner or later, he would have thought of these ideas on his own. But let’s help him out. • Carl needs to track down some of the people who used to eat lunch in his café but don’t anymore. He could actually make a list of those he can think of who fit into that category. Surely he knows some of their names from seeing them so often, or from his reservation book. • Once he’s identified these people, he has to track them down. He can use a phone book to get home numbers, or he can find out where they work and call them there. • Once he has names and phone numbers, Carl needs to get an informal telephone survey going. He actually should compile a short questionnaire. If he doesn’t have time, a few questions on the back of a place mat will do. When Carl has taken these steps, he’s going to find out something very interesting: A new catering service has opened up on the other side of town. The service, which is serving all kinds of great food not made anywhere else in town, delivers to offices that have orders of 15 or more. What this means to Carl is that his customers who work in the larger offices are staying in to eat. There are enough people in the larger offices to assure that 15 or more will want to order from the new

DIGGING IN: SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

catering service every day. Smaller offices don’t have a big enough pool of workers to get 15 or more orders every day, so those people are still coming to Carl’s Café. The mystery was solved, and Carl could start taking the necessary steps to get his business back on track.

IT’S QUIZ TIME! It’s been quite a few chapters since we’ve done a quiz, so sharpen up your pencils and get ready to go. This quiz will help you determine how ingenious and resourceful you are. 1. You work for a small company that has no human resources department. You boss wants to hire a customer service representative, right now, but there are no immediate prospects. He puts you in charge of finding someone—fast! What to do? a. Start drafting an ad to run in the classified section b. Call the woman you met a few weeks ago at your son’s school, who happens to be a customer service representative. She told you her entire department is looking for jobs because the company is relocating c. Call a temporary employment agency d. Tell your boss you’ll try to think of someone who might be interested 2. You own a service station along a busy road in a beach resort town. It’s summer—naturally your busiest season—and you’re having trouble keeping up with the amount of business coming in. Flat tires, engine work, everything you can think of—in addition to people wanting gas. It’s just about time for a shift change, but two of the kids who pump gas have called to say they’re not coming in, and a third hasn’t shown up, even though he’s due for work. What to do? a. Close the station because you can’t handle the work b. Tell the employees who are finishing their shift if they don’t stay, they’re fired c. Offer good incentives to the employees already there if they’ll stay for another shift d. Take a walk downtown and see if you can find somebody who wants to work for a few hours 3. You’ve heard rumors that the huge, new fabric shop that opened on the other side of town is going to start offering sewing and craft lessons. This

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would be in direct competition with your small craft business. You’re worried sick, and want to know what’s going on so you can be proactive. What to do? a. Call the new store and demand to know their plans b. Go “shopping “at the new store and see if there’s any indication of lessons c. Tell all your customers that the new store is no good, and if they go there they’ll be wasting their money d. Close down your business because you figure you’re doomed to lose all your customers 4. A new restaurant opened not too far from yours, and everybody’s raving about it. The real problem is that this place has hired your best chef and three service people away from you. What to do? a. Start calling your former employees at their homes and try to bribe them into coming back to your restaurant b. Tell everyone that the new place was cited by the health department c. Create an attractive employment package and get some names on file in case you have to hire more people d. Talk to the owners of the new restaurant to see if you can reach an agreement about taking each other’s employees 5. Your top competitor recently had a new brochure done, and it’s supposed to be something really special. It will be debuted at the big trade show. You’re concerned because you know your company’s brochure is outdated and not very attractive. You’re dying to find out what the competitor’s brochure looks like. What to do? a. Call your competitor and ask if you can see the proofs b. Call your competitor’s ad agency, set up an appointment to meet about a new brochure, and ask to see some samples of others they’ve done c. Get in contact with some of the competitor’s employees to find out more about the brochure d. Wait until the trade show to see it, then design one that’s similar for your company All right, let’s see how you did. 1. (b) You could call a temp agency, but you’re likely to end up looking again in a couple of weeks. By all means, call the woman you met at school, and tell her to spread the word that your company is looking. The employees at

DIGGING IN: SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

2.

3.

4.

5.

her company are likely to be in a big hurry find another job before their company relocates. (c) The only thing you can do is make it worthwhile for the employees you have to stay for another shift. Be creative. In addition to the extra money they’ll be getting (and that should be more than their regular wage), offer them dinner, and an afternoon off next week. (b) By all means, take a trip to the new store, and see what’s going on. There’s no need to identify yourself. Just go in and look around. If the new store is going to start classes, there probably are signs posted. And keep an eye on the local newspaper for ads concerning classes. Both (c) and (d) would be good answers for this problem. It couldn’t hurt to talk to the people at the new restaurant and try to agree to some sort of policy about stealing each other’s employees. At the same time, you should be building a pool of potential employees. (b) Call the ad agency with whom your competitor works, and tell them you’re interested in a new brochure. You are, right? Ask to see some samples of their recent work. If your competitor’s brochure is as great as you’ve heard, the agency will be dying to show it off.

How did you do? Hopefully, this chapter has given you some good ideas of how to be resourceful and ingenious. Just remember that nearly every problem can be solved, if you’re willing to be creative and work hard.

Research Review • Resourcefulness and ingenuity are important traits for everyone, but can be particularly beneficial to a business researcher. • It’s highly likely that problems will occur when you’re conducting research. The important thing is to be able to think creatively and come up with solutions for solving them. • If your ingenuity level could use some improvement, make it a habit to start thinking creatively. Try to come up with solutions to problems, even if the problems belong to someone else.

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CHAPTER 14

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER OUTSIDE HELP?

Y

ou’ve been working diligently on your business research project for weeks. You’ve investigated different methods of research, and you’ve tried to organize the project to ensure its

success. You’ve been to the library—three times. You’ve talked to all kinds of people about what you’re trying to accomplish, asked for help from those who are knowledgeable about the subject, and checked out dozens of Internet sites. You’ve organized a team of people to help you, made some plans for a telephone survey, and explored the possibility of conducting a focus group survey. You’ve kept your boss up to date on your efforts, and tried to keep up with your other work as well. Somehow, though, you just don’t feel like things are going as well as they should be. Maybe you haven’t been able to get the financial commitment you need from your boss to go ahead with the surveys. Or perhaps

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your co-workers don’t seem anxious to help out with things you really need them to do. There could be dozens of reasons why you’re feeling discouraged with the project. What should you do about it? Let’s take a look.

FAILING IS NOT A CRIME, AND IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU A FAILURE Let’s not assume at this point that your project is going to fail (or has already). There are, however, some things about failure that we need to discuss. Americans, in general, love to win, and hate to fail. Check out a kid’s Little League game sometime. Take a good look at some of the parents on the sidelines, screaming at their kids to run faster, hit harder, maybe even cheat just a little bit. Anything to beat that other team of eight-year-olds. Kids quickly get the picture. They learn that it’s good to win, and bad to lose. Winning is a big deal in our society, and it doesn’t stop with sports—we want to win at love, at business, and at life itself.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE There was a 24-year period at Stanford University when no “F” grades were given. Everybody passed every subject. The policy was changed in 1994, and failing grades are again permitted to be issued. Some faculty members argued against reinstating failing grades, saying that students should be able to experiment with classes, without fear of pulling down their grade point averages. But Stanford President Gerhard Casper disagreed. “Unless you dare something and admit that you may fail, you are living in an illusionary world,” Casper said.

There’s a lot of pressure on all of us to succeed at whatever we do. This extends from our personal lives to our professional lives, and everything in between. In some ways, this drive to succeed at everything we do is beneficial. It makes us work harder than we might, and drives us to go the extra mile to make something work. It makes us get up and try again when something doesn’t work. In other ways, though, the pressure our society imposes on us to succeed is detrimental. It makes the stakes too high. It makes us terrified of failing, and that’s not good.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER OUTSIDE HELP?

Some people are so afraid of failing that they refuse to try whatever it is they want to do. Yet by not even trying, people assure their failure. Sometimes we can be so afraid of failing at a certain task that we set ourselves up to do just that—a self-fullfilling prophecy.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE I had a friend while I was growing up whose lifelong dream was to be a doctor. He worked very hard all through junior high, high school, and college, and got good grades, but not great grades. He got increasingly nervous and upset, worrying that his grades wouldn’t be good enough to get him into that elusive medical school he had targeted. Finally, he became so afraid during his last semester at college that he would be rejected, that he decided not to apply. He refused to give it a shot and went home to work at his father’s car dealership instead. Another person I know wanted to be a veterinarian. She applied to the Veterinary Science program at Penn State University and was rejected. Not easily daunted, however, she applied for the Animal Science program and was accepted. She worked hard, and did well in the Animal Science major—well enough to be accepted into the graduate program for Veterinary Science. It took more years than she had planned, and she had a lot of debt when she came out. But, today, she’s a veterinarian. She didn’t let one failure—not being admitted to the Veterinary Science program—keep her from trying for her dream, and eventually she succeeded.

ASKING FOR HELP IS NOT FAILING In addition to being afraid of failing, many people are reluctant to ask for help. They struggle along on their own until they really do fail, rather admitting they need help. This is another peculiar aspect of our society. Many people have the notion that if they can’t do it by themselves, they’ve somehow failed. We all know, intellectually, that that’s a faulty notion. But, there’s still something in many of us that makes us reluctant to ask for help.

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RESEARCH RUT I was once assigned a research project for a company I was working for. Another woman and I were to work together, gathering financial information about the company’s clients. It was tedious work, and it was very easy to get confused and get the information mixed up. I was moving along on my end, but Wendy was having a great deal of trouble. Whenever I offered my assistance, she’d get very defensive and refuse help in no uncertain terms. After a while, my part of the project was finished, but Wendy was still struggling, having barely made a dent in hers. Eventually she did end up accepting help. She could have saved herself a lot of time and effort by admitting she needed assistance in the first place.

When we refuse to admit we need some help, we sabotage ourselves and our work. It is better to ask for help than to do something alone that you’re not prepared or qualified to do. Consider the following stories of two workers. Which one do you think maintained credibility with her co-workers and superiors?

Kathy and the Telephone Survey Kathy had been assigned to find out if her company’s customers would patronize a second store in a location across town. Her boss was hoping there was enough business to support two stores, and that a second store would bring in more customers from the other side of town. Kathy considered how to go about doing the research, and decided on a telephone survey of current customers. She drew up a survey, made all the other necessary preparations, and was ready to begin. She proudly reported to her boss that she’d have the survey completed and the results tabulated by June 20, just two and a half weeks away. When her boss asked how much help she’d need, Kathy said she’d do it herself. Having committed herself, Kathy began working furiously. She did nothing but make phone calls, tabulate results, and fill in data on her results sheets. She worked full time at her phone survey, but it became clear after a while that she wasn’t going to be able to finish it on time.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER OUTSIDE HELP?

Unable to go back and admit she needed help, Kathy got creative and started making up survey results. This saved her the trouble of making phone calls, and she could put the “results” in the categories where she thought they worked best. As you might have guessed, Kathy’s boss found out she had manufactured some of the results. The whole study was declared invalid.

Kimberly and the Telephone Survey Kimberly was assigned the same project as Kathy. She also thought a telephone survey was the way to go. She drew up a survey, made all the other necessary preparations, and was ready to begin. When Kimberly’s boss told her he wanted the survey results compiled and presented by June 20, just two and a half weeks away, she nodded, but didn’t say anything. Kimberly left her boss’ office, and spent an hour figuring out the most efficient and fastest way to complete the telephone survey, still leaving time to get the results tabulated and presented. She realized there was no way she could do it by herself. She went back to her boss and told him she’d need some help, or more time to complete the project. She outlined what she planned to do, and how long she figured each step would take. Her boss agreed that there was too much work for one person to do within the required time frame, and he assigned two people to work with Kimberly to finish the project.

And, the Credibility Goes to . . . Clearly, the way Kimberly handled the project was far more credible than Kathy’s results. No one thought less of Kimberly for saying she needed help. Everyone, however, questioned Kathy’s ethics and professionalism when she falsified her results. Asking for help is not a bad thing, and does not indicate weakness. To the contrary, asking for help when it really is needed indicates that you’ve responsibly assessed the problem and reached a conclusion. There’s no shame in that.

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DOWN TO BUSINESS If your business research project seems overwhelming, take a few minutes before you go running off to ask for some help. Remember our last chapter about resourcefulness and ingenuity? Make sure you think through the problem, and make certain that you’ve been as creative as possible when considering ways to get it done.

TALK TO A TRUSTED PEER OR SUPERVISOR Sometimes it helps to talk things through. Putting thoughts and problems into words sometimes clarifies them and makes the answers easier to find. If you’ve run into trouble with a project, seek out a co-worker you respect; one who understands what you’re trying to accomplish. Explain the problems you’re having, and ask for suggestions. Even if the person can’t help, you’ll feel better. And your conversation may lead you to some answers—either from the other person, or from yourself.

EXPLORE POSSIBILITIES FOR GETTING HELP If you’re at the end of your rope, and you’ve decided for sure that you can’t complete the project by yourself, go ahead and start exploring the possibility of getting some help. Perhaps the only help you’ll need is that of a co-worker. If your problem is a matter of time or manpower, then you may only need to get a couple of people from the office to assist you. If it’s more complicated than that, however, and you feel you’re completely in over your head, then you might have to consider finding outside help. There are many companies that specialize in helping with various aspects of research projects. • There are companies that will work with you from the very start and actually set up, conduct, and compile the results of your business research project. • There are companies that will handle just one aspect of your research project, such as sorting and compiling results of a telephone survey.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER OUTSIDE HELP?

• Some companies specialize in direct mail, and have access to lists of people you’ll want to contact for your research. • Other companies will take care of a bulk mailing for your mail survey, saving you the time and hassle. • There are companies that will organize and conduct a focus group survey, providing all the necessary equipment and techniques. • Some companies will train employees at your company how to conduct an interview or telephone survey. Remember, if there is a business need, somewhere there’s a company to fill it. How should you go about finding a company that could help you? First, you need to identify what it is you need someone to do. Be specific when you start looking for help. If you want someone who can take over the project from start to finish, be prepared to explain exactly what the project is. If you need help with just one part of the project, be prepared to explain what the project is, what you’ve done so far, and in which area or areas you need help.

HOW TO FIND THE HELP YOU NEED If you’ve determined that you do need help, and you’ve identified exactly what it is you need someone to do, how should you go about finding a person or agency that can provide the services you need? Start with the obvious—the yellow pages of the telephone book. If you live in a fairly metropolitan area, there probably are some firms listed under research. If you live in a smaller community, there may not be actual research firms in your area. Don’t get discouraged, if that’s the case. Look under marketing. You’ll probably find categories such as marketing research and analysis, marketing consultants, and marketing programs and services. Although your needs may not fall directly under marketing, there’s likely to be an overlap in the help you need and the services offered by some of these firms. Another listing to check might be communications. Some communications firms deal with areas such as direct marketing, bulk mail, consumer research, and so forth.

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE There’s a company located outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, called West Lawn Communications. It started as a printing company, but has diversified into many different areas, including direct mail service, video presentations, research services, and so forth. The point is, don’t think because a company doesn’t have the word “research” in its name, that it has no research-related capabilities.

If you don’t find what you need in the yellow pages, get creative. Call your area chamber of commerce, explain what you’re doing and what kind of help you’re looking for, and ask if the chamber has any members that do that sort of work. Ask if the chamber could recommend any other agencies that may be able to help. For instance, in Pennsylvania, the following resources, sponsored by state government agencies such as the Department of Community and Economic Development, are among those available for businesses: • • • • • • •

The Small Business Resource Team Entrepreneurial Assistance Office Small Business Advocate Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority Pennsylvania Economic Development The Women’s Business Development Center The Minority Business Development Center

Try contacting colleges and universities within your area. Many times, a university’s College of Business will have programs that assist area businesses. Often the services are free, or provided at a low cost. Wouldn’t your boss be impressed if you told her you had found help for your research project that wouldn’t cost her a cent! Some colleges, like the University of Maryland, have full-fledged survey centers that offer a variety of services to clients. Maryland’s Survey Research Center offers questionnaire development, sampling, telephone surveys, mail surveys, project management, data analysis, computerized surveys, and so forth.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER OUTSIDE HELP?

Don’t overlook the Internet as a place to find a company or agency to help with your business research project. Start with keywords like “research assistance” or “market research”to begin your search.

FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE Once you’ve located some possibilities for help, do a little more research on your own. Ask to meet with, or at least to spend some time on the phone with, representatives from the companies in which you’re interested. Find out what those representatives think their firms could do to help you. Some questions to ask might include: • • • • • • • • •

Would your firm consider handling a such a project? What methodology would you use? Why would you choose that type of methodology? What quality controls do you use when conducting research? Do you have references from other companies for which you’ve done similar projects? What degree of involvment would our company have concerning the project? What kind of time frame would we be looking at if your firm was to take over the project? What costs would we incur if we were to hire your firm to complete the project? What kind of contract would we have?

There’s a very specific reason for you to gather as much information as possible when you talk with representatives of firms that could help you. You’ve got to present it to your boss when you make your pitch to get some help.

THAT DOES IT, I’M ASKING FOR HELP! If you can’t do the project yourself, you should ask for some help. However, doing this the right way will impress your boss, and may even earn you a promotion. Before you set foot inside the boss’ office, you’ve got to prepare your presentation. The last thing you want to do is ask for some help without knowing what you’re talking about.

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Some people don’t like to use notes, but I’d recommend putting everything down on paper before you enter the boss’ office. That way, if she starts asking questions, you’ll have all the answers. You might not need them, but, if you do, they’re available. Your notes or presentation should include the following. • Clear statements of the scope of your project, status of the project, and why you feel you need help • The possibilities for help that you’ve explored, including costs, time frames, services offered by different firms, and so forth • Your recommendation for what should be done to provide the help you need If you take a clear-cut, reasonable, well-thought-out plan to your boss, she’ll listen. She’ll be impressed with your organization and the incentive you’ve shown. And most likely, you’ll get the help that you need. Remember, there’s no shame in admitting you need some help. It’s not a weakness, and you’re not a failure if can’t do something alone. Turning out a topnotch research project with which you’ve had help is far better than turning out a second-rate, unusable project that you’ve completed alone.

Research Review • Our society is one that loves to succeed, as much as it hates to fail. • Failing at something doesn’t mean you’re a failure. • Needing help is not a weakness. • Take time to think through your business research project, using all your resourcefulness and ingenuity. • Talk over the problems you’re having with a trusted co-worker. Solutions sometimes present themselves when you talk with someone else about the problems. • If you decide you need help with the project, explore the various options available in your area. • Organize your notes and present them to your boss in a calm, orderly manner. • Be prepared to get the help you need and succeed with your research project.

CHAPTER 15

WHAT DOES ALL THIS DATA MEAN?

B

y now you’re well into your business research project. You’ve done all the right things: located information, chosen a methodology, followed through with the process, and gathered the

results. Now what? What are you supposed to do with all this information? What’s the proper way to collect it and get it in some kind of order? What does it all mean? What relevance does it have to your project? In this chapter, we’ll explore these and other questions that the beginning researcher is sure to have. So get ready to make some sense out of all that information you’ve gathered. You’ve done a lot of work; now, you’ll learn how to analyze what it all means.

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DOES IT MATTER HOW THE INFORMATION IS COLLECTED? The way in which the information is collected is extremely important. It might seem like it wouldn’t matter, as long as the information gets to the right people at the right time. However, that’s simply not the case. This information, or data, is what you’ve put all your energies into gathering. To handle it improperly would be akin to working for years to make $100,000 and then heading out to Las Vegas to gamble it away in one night.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Data is the observed facts or collected information you’ve accumulated during your business research project. The data is all the material that must be managed and processed in order to give you answers to your original research question.

Therefore, handle your data carefully, and make sure it’s collected and processed correctly. You could void a lot of hard work and time if you don’t.

BRING IN THE DATA! If you’ve hired an outside firm to help with the project, or to do the project for you, it probably will either help with or complete data collection. The degree depends on your agreement with the company. If an outside company is involved with data collection and processing, make sure that you remain involved with the process. After all, ultimately you’re responsible for the project, and it’s important that you understand what’s going on. If you’re in charge of collection and processing, get ready for some fun. You’re about to start seeing the results of your hard work.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE When you cook, you first must gather all the ingredients you’ll need for the recipe you’re preparing. The information you’ve gathered is the “ingredients” you need for your project. Collecting and processing that information is the fun part—the actual “cooking” part of the process.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS DATA MEAN?

Think of all the sources of information that you, or people assisting you with the project, have gathered. Include all that you have, such as: • • • • •

information you discovered in books, directories, and guides information from people you’ve talked with data from various sources concerning competitors information concerning products or services data collected during surveys, whether they were conducted by mail, telephone, focus groups, or through interviews

WOW! THAT’S A LOT OF INFORMATION! You’ll probably be very surprised at the large amount of information you’ve accumulated. Much of it, such as mail surveys that have been returned or telephone survey results, may be on loose sheets of paper that you’ve placed into a file somewhere. The first thing you’ll need to do is gather every piece of information you have into one central area. Put all the loose papers into files or notebooks, grouping them into categories. Put all telephone survey results together, for instance, in a file of their own. If you have stored information in your computer, print it out so you can include it with the rest of your printed information. It will be important to have everything in front of you when you begin analyzing results. Let’s take a few minutes to think about survey results. If you’ve done any type of survey, your results must be tabulated and organized. If there’s money for it, you might recommend to your boss that this task be delegated to an outside firm. It’s not difficult, but it’s time-consuming and somewhat tedious. If you have to do it yourself, don’t worry. Work carefully, and allow yourself enough time. You’ll do fine.

RESEARCH RUT A common mistake of beginning researchers is not allowing themselves enough time to do their jobs correctly. If you see that the process of gathering and sorting information is taking longer than anticipated, tell whoever needs to know as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the last minute, letting others assume that everything is proceeding on schedule, if it’s not.

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In our fast-paced, high-tech world, this process of tabulating survey results seems extremely simplified. There is no point, however, in making the process more difficult or complicated than it has to be. Don’t be tricked into believing that because the mechanics of the project are simple, that the actual project is. It’s very easy to make mistakes when tabulating and recording results. If you do make mistakes and don’t discover them, your results will be incorrect, and you won’t have the real answers to the questions you’d asked. If you’re more comfortable working on a computer than with hard copies, go ahead and log on. To tabulate the results of a survey, use a simple grid. The grid can be done on paper or on your computer screen.

USING GRIDS TO RECORD SURVEY RESULTS Basically, all you need to do is set up these grids, using the questions from your survey. The question goes at the top of the paper, and all the possible responses are listed down the left side. You keep track of participants’ answers by recording from each survey. Let’s use a question that Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company had included in its mail survey to customers and former customers to show you how to set up your tabulation. We’ll use question #5 from Rich’s survey, which appeared in Chapter 10. The question asks people how many times they’ve gone rafting within the past year. We’ll make up some results for our example. Question #5 How often have you been rafting within the past year? Possible Responses Number of Responses None |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| ||| Between 1 and 3 |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| | Between 3 and 8 |||| |||| |||| || More than 8 times |||| |||| |||

WHAT DOES ALL THIS DATA MEAN?

This process should be done for every question that appeared on the survey. It’s very important to double check all your results to ensure the results will be accurate. If possible, get someone to help you with tabulating results. If different characteristics about survey respondents, such as sex or age, are important to your results, you’ll have to break down your tabulations a bit further. Let’s use the same question, and see what your results would look like if Rich’s survey had asked people to disclose their gender.

Question #5 How often have you been rafting within the past year? Number of Responses Possible Responses Male Female None |||| |||| |||| ||| |||| |||| |||| || Between 1 and 3 |||| |||| |||| |||| || |||| |||| ||| Between 3 and 8 |||| |||| |||| |||| ||| |||| |||| || More than 8 times |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| ||||

RECORDING ANSWERS TO OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS If your survey contained one or more open-ended questions, that is, questions that could not be answered with a yes or no, you’ll have to record your results a little differently. Say that you’re tabulating responses to question #8 of Rich’s survey. That question was: How can we encourage you to patronize Rich’s White Mountain Rafting? Obviously, that’s not a question that can be answered with a yes or a no. To organize the results to these open-ended questions, you’ll use a procedure called coding. Coding is when you read all the responses to open-ended questions, and put them into categories of similar answers. For instance, if 15 survey participants answered that they would consider using Rich’s White Mountain Rafting if the price were lower, those 15 answers would be grouped, or coded, into one category.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Coding is the process of organizing the results of open-ended questions into categories. Similar answers are grouped together into their own category.

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Coding is a practical means of organizing answers, but it can be a little tricky. It’s sometimes difficult to find general categories for various answers. Or there’s sometimes a tendency to oversimplify the categories in order to make the answers fit. Let’s think about some possible answers to question #8: How can we encourage you to patronize Rich’s White Mountain Rafting? In addition to “lower cost,” some other possible answers could be: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Open a location closer to where I live Extend your hours Hire more experienced guides to lead the tours You don’t have to change anything—your company’s great Get better rafts for customers to use Offer special family deals at discounted prices Medical conditions make it impossible for me to go rafting anymore Provide lunch at the end of the ride Make it easier to get back to cars at the end of the ride Offer better services, like snacks during the trip or lunch when we finish There’s no way I’d ever use your company again Provide a more comfortable atmosphere, including coffee and maybe a snack, for customers who are waiting to begin a rafting trip or to return to their cars

Remember that there would be many more answers, but these will get us started. Let’s consider the kinds of categories you could use for coding. If it’s too confusing to sort them into specific categories right away, you could begin with general categories: • cost • service • miscellaneous Consider which answers would fall under cost if you were coding them. The original “lower your prices,” answer, and the “offer special family deals at discounted prices” are the only ones that fit into the cost category. Look at all the answers, however, that can be included in the service category: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS DATA MEAN?

Answers not included in either the cost or service categories, such as the one about the person’s medical condition, or the one that said he’d never be a customer at Rich’s, can be grouped into miscellaneous for the time being. Once you look more closely at the various categories, you’ll see that numbers 8,10, and 12, all included in the service category, have a similar theme: food. These would be placed into their own category, which could be called something like provide food for customers. You might create other categories called upgrade equipment or hire more experienced help. The trick with coding is to reach a middle ground. You can’t shove answers into an inappropriate category just to get them out of the way. On the other hand, you can’t assign a separate category to each answer, or there’s no point to coding at all. So think carefully about the answers you receive, and try to come up with reasonable, inclusive categories. If you have answers that don’t seem to fit into any of the categories, don’t try to force them. Put them into a miscellaneous category for now, and see if you find a spot for them later. Obviously, yes or no answers are much easier to tabulate and analyze than open-ended questions. Open-ended questions, however, offer the advantage of supplying additional information. If you had asked only whether someone would consider using Rich’s rafting company, you’d learn whether or not you can expect customers. But by asking what would encourage people to use Rich’s rafting company, you’re learning what you can do to improve the company and attract customers.

ANALYZING RESULTS OF QUANTITATIVE SURVEYS Once you’ve got your results tabulated and coded, you’ll be able to begin analyzing them. Results of quantitative studies are much simpler to analyze than those of qualitative studies (more on that a little later).

DOWN TO BUSINESS Just in case you’ve forgotten, the quantitative method of research uses things like surveys or questionnaires to gather information that normally can be compiled and related in numbers or percentages. Qualitative research is based on techniques like focus groups and one-on-one surveys, and produces different kinds of results than quantitative research.

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Let’s have a look at the types of things you might conclude from the results of the survey conducted by Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company. If the survey results show that 30 percent of participants haven’t been rafting within the past 12 months, Rich could conclude that his drop in business is a result of an overall decrease in the popularity of rafting. If 25 percent of survey participants say they think Rich should make food available before, during, or after the rafting trip, Rich might want to think about opening a snack bar, or providing a bag lunch along with a life jacket and rubber raft. Results to a quantitative survey can be carefully tabulated, and percentages figured out. From those percentages, conclusions can be reached. But what about qualitative studies? Let’s take a look at how those results should be treated.

ANALYZING RESULTS OF QUALITATIVE SURVEYS The results of qualitative studies, such as focus groups, are analyzed differently than those of quantitative studies, such as surveys. Do you remember back in Chapter 12, when we discussed a hypothetical focus group, conducted by The Brownsville Bugle? Let’s take a look at how the Bugle would go about analyzing the results of that research. The first thing to do when analyzing results of a focus group study is to carefully review your notes, and the audio- or videotapes you recorded during the focus group interviews. It’s important to listen very carefully to the content of the tapes, because they’ll provide information that could be very important to your company. The Brownsville Bugle had established certain objectives before conducting its focus group. Those objectives were: • to obtain input from readers concerning the overall quality of the newspaper • to find out readers’ opinions on the changes made to the paper during the past six months • to learn whether readers prefer a daily tabloid section containing entertainment and lifestyle news, as opposed to having that news included in the main body of the newspaper • to determine to what extent readers look at the advertising of various businesses that appears in the main body of the newspaper

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• to learn if readers like the balance of local, regional, state, national, and world news, and what they would like to see more of, or less • to determine how readers perceive the paper’s editorials and other opinion pieces When researchers review the results of the focus group discussions, it is extremely important to keep the objectives of the survey at hand, and to listen carefully for answers that directly relate to the objectives. Researchers should make notes about topics on which participants were in agreement or in disagreement. They should listen carefully to what participants say and make notes of any particularly interesting quotes or ideas.

RESEARCH RUT Don’t think you’ll be able to listen or watch a tape of a focus group one time, and have all the information contained on the tape. Be prepared to watch or listen carefully to the tape several times. You’ll be surprised at how many new things you notice each time you do.

If you have videotapes, watch the participants as they answer questions. You can learn a lot about how someone feels by observing body language and facial expressions. Don’t try to analyze the results of qualitative research by putting your participants’ answers into neat categories. Qualitative research is not supposed to be measured by numbers and percentages. Look for trends among the answers, and determine what they could mean. Focus groups and other qualitative methods of research can be very enlightening and provide a lot of important information. Consider all the information carefully. Make sure all the people who observed the focus group have access to the tapes, and are included in the analysis of the results.

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Research Review • The manner in which data is collected and handled is extremely important, and can make a significant difference in your results. • If an outside firm has been hired to tabulate and analyze your research results, make sure you remain involved with and informed about what is happening. • The first step in gathering and analyzing results is to gather all your information into one place. • Information from surveys can be tabulated easily, using grids to record answers. • Coding can be used to separate and categorize the answers to open-ended questions. • The results of quantitative studies are tabulated and analyzed differently from the results of qualitative studies. • The results of qualitative studies are more subjective, and can be more difficult to read than those of quantitative studies. • Careful attention must be given to the results of any type of study in order to assure that proper conclusions are drawn from those results.

CHAPTER 16

FIGURING OUT WHERE AND HOW TO STORE INFORMATION

D

o you ever feel as if you’re surrounded by papers and

paperwork, and you’ll never get out from under it all? If so, you’re not alone. You may be feeling a little overwhelmed about now, having confronted the results of your business research project. More likely than not, you’ve gathered large quantities of information, which is what you set out to do. What you may not have bargained for, however, is the hoard of paper on which the information might be contained. If you’ve been gathering information, and especially if you’ve conducted surveys, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of paper. Dealing with so much paper, or even dealing with extensive quantities of information on a computer, can be tedious and confusing. It’s really important, though, that you stay organized and come up with a good method of storing all your information. You’ve invested a lot of time and effort in your project, and you don’t want anything to happen to the information you’ve gathered.

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If you’re overwhelmed by the number of papers you’ve collected during the course of your research project, don’t despair. In this chapter, we’ll discuss how you can keep all your information organized—and safe.

WHERE DOES ALL THIS PAPER COME FROM? Do you remember when computers first became commonplace in the offices of America? If you’ve grown up with computers, it’s hard to imagine what it was like when most of us didn’t have them, or didn’t even have a clue about them. It really wasn’t that long ago, though, that computers weren’t commonplace. Entire corporations managed without them. Workers toiled with paper and pen. Modern offices had electric typewriters with correction ribbons that ran out at the most inopportune times. Then, all of a sudden, computers popped up everywhere. Offices were inundated by them. Employees were taken from their regular jobs and designated as computer trainers. They were sent away for a few weeks to learn all about using the computer. When they came back, they were the office “experts,” and charged with teaching everyone else how to use it. What employees got with their computers was the promise of a “paperless workplace.” Computer manufacturers used this claim as a selling point for their products. They claimed that computers would put an end to clutter and excessive paper files.

SO WHY DO WE STILL HAVE SO MUCH PAPER? It’s very ironic that shipments of office paper increased by more than 50 percent between 1983 and 1993, during the very decade when many companies and firms brought in and started using their first computers. Here are a few startling statistics about excess paper in the American workplace: • A study performed in 1994 estimated there were 318 billion pages of paper documents on file. The same study showed that 92 billion new pages were added each year. • Roughly 775 billion pages of paper are printed out of computers each year. Many of them end up cluttering workspaces, overloading trash cans, and piling up on counters and tables within the office.

FIGURING OUT WHERE AND HOW TO STORE INFORMATION

RESEARCH RUT I used to have an employer who saved everything. His desk was always a mess, with papers falling onto the floor and stacked in high piles. He never could find what he needed. Periodically, he would declare war on all this paper, and instruct everyone to clear all the extra papers off their desks and surrounding work areas. It seemed like a good idea, because the office was pretty cluttered with papers. Inevitably, though, important documents would get lost and somebody was left in a real predicament. If you’re going to clean out papers, just be sure that you don’t get rid of something you need.

• The printed manuals that accompany an F-18 fighter plane weigh 13 tons— about the same weight as the plane. • Experts say more than half of our communication continues to be done via paper. That seems hard to believe, given the quantity of e-mail that is sent each day. Consider, however, all the paper that comes into your house each day in the form of mail from your children’s schools, your church or synagogue, newspapers, magazines, and so forth. • U.S. companies spend upward of $120 billion per year to distribute, store, and process paper forms. Now, that’s a lot of paper! Clearly, computers have failed to give us the paperless workplaces we were encouraged to envision when computers first came on the scene. Our visions of gleaming desks, empty of everything except a computer, potted plant, and maybe a few photographs certainly never came to pass.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE There are those who say we are becoming inundated not only with paper, but with information itself. This is due to the increase of devices from which we can easily receive and retrieve information, such as fax machines, the Internet, and cell phones. Some are calling this mass of information the infobog.

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If your paper problem has become worse as a result of your business research, you’ll need to be careful about managing the problem. You’ve worked too hard to ruin your project by mishandling or losing results and information.

THE EASIEST WAY: HIRE SOMEONE TO HANDLE IT FOR YOU If handling and processing the results of your business research has become too much for you, you could try to convince your boss to let you hire a company to do it for you. Many companies hire data processing or data entry professionals when they need help. There probably are at least several of these types of companies in your area whose employees would be happy to take all that information you’ve gathered off your hands, and make some sense out of it. If you don’t feel that you have enough information to warrant that type of service, or your boss is unwilling to pay for it, don’t fret. Managing important papers and information is mostly a matter of using common sense and being careful.

HOW COMPANIES ARE LEARNING TO HANDLE INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY Many companies these days are turning to document management systems. These are computer programs that allow paper documents to be transferred over to electronic versions, where they are stored and managed. It makes more sense, experts say, to have all relevant information contained in such programs, where it is accessible to, and can be shared by, all employees. Electronically-stored information can be processed in ways that paper documents can’t, and the information can easily be transferred to other useful areas. Consider this scenario, for example. Maria gets 10 application forms for the new line of insurance your company is offering. The paper forms sit on her desk until she gets a chance to look at them. All the important information contained on those applications remains on her desk—seen by no one—for the better part of a week, until she takes the time to process it.

FIGURING OUT WHERE AND HOW TO STORE INFORMATION

RESEARCH RUT A peculiar thing happens with paper, researchers have found. Workers who have important paper documents tend to be very possessive of them, and not very willing to share them with coworkers. As you can imagine, this can really impede the flow of information within a workplace. When information is stored in an office computer, however, it becomes more of a public entity, and is more valuable to the organization. Of course, some information stored in computers remains private, but electronic information doesn’t seem to spark possessiveness the way paper does.

If those applications had been immediately scanned into a computer, a document management program could have extracted all the pertinent information (the applicant’s name, address, phone number, and so forth), and moved it automatically to a customer database. The information would have been available to other people and departments, and shared by everyone who may have found it to be helpful to their work. Companies that must process large amounts of information regularly especially benefit from these document management programs. Think about the pharmaceutical industry, which is a prime example of an industry that needs these types of programs. When a pharmaceutical company seeks regulatory approval of a new drug before it can be released on the market, it must provide a myriad of information supporting approval of the drug. These reports, which include test information, research results, all kinds of forms, and so forth, can be thousands of pages long. Handling this amount of information electronically, rather than manually, can save a lot of time, and therefore make a lot of money for the company.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE Have you ever bought a prescription drug, or seen an advertisement for one in a magazine or newspaper? Remember the amount of information that you get with your antibiotic? Or think about the extra page the drug company has to buy in the magazine to explain, in small print, all the benefits, warnings, possible side effects, and so forth. If you consider that it takes that much paper to sell one dose of the product, or to run one advertisement, it’s easy to imagine the quantity of documents that must be necessary in order to get the drug approved.

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It is estimated that each week a pharmaceutical company can shave off from the amount of time it takes to get a new drug onto the market, can result in up to $1 million in drug sale revenue. Clearly, drug companies want these products in pharmacies, not sitting in their warehouses somewhere or waiting to be produced. Some pharmaceutical companies have said that using good document management systems has generated millions of dollars of income for the company, because it has trimmed between six and 12 months off the approval process. Of course, your company probably doesn’t have nearly that great a need for document management, but it might be something to consider. A few PC-based document management systems, which include features like centralized file management, access control, and indexed retrieval, include Keyfile, PCDocs, and SoftSolutions.

SECRETS TO HANDLING INFORMATION SUCCESSFULLY In smaller firms, there generally is one person in charge of managing information electronically. In large firms, there could be an entire department dedicated to information management. Regardless of who is in charge, Computerworld magazine recommends that five important steps be followed. If your company has someone in charge of information management, it’s a good idea to make sure that person is working effectively before you hand over the hard-earned results of your business research project. These steps also can be applied to any sort of information management—not just that which is done electronically. Whether you’re thinking about electronic information management, or simply how to handle the crush of papers and information you’ve generated during your business research project, these steps are practical and valuable. The recommended steps to follow are listed below: 1. Set goals. Use your company’s business strategy to determine what information is the most important to manage. For instance, if the primary focus of your company is sales, then you want to make any information concerning sales a top priority. Like any other work, information management requires time, especially when it’s newly established. Process first the information that can be most beneficial to the greatest number of people.

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2. Define the processes of information management, and identify the steps necessary for managing information. This lets everyone know that information management is simply another procedure, not something intimidating that they’ll never be able to understand. 3. Build an infrastructure. This step could require some money. Computer and communications technology is expensive, but necessary for electronic information management. An infrastructure of some sort, however, is needed, even if you’re managing information without electronic aid. Documents, human networks, and other non-electronic elements are as essential to information management as software programs and hard drives. Jane Linder, director of business development at Polaroid, says that “. . . [electronic] information management is an unrealistic challenge unless it’s supported explicitly by an infrastructure composed of people, process, and technology.” 4. Motivate and reward people to participate in the information management program. As we talked about earlier, it’s extremely important for employees to be willing to share information with one another, instead of feeling possessive about information they have. At the giant accounting firm Ernst & Young, a part of each consultant’s compensation is contingent on “knowledge sharing” activities. 5. Measure results. This isn’t an easy task, but it’s important to get a sense of how your information management program is working. Start small. Track just one project, and see how it’s been supported by your information management system. Hopefully, you’ll find out the system is working the way it should. If you think there’s a problem, you’ll need to re-evaluate. Remember that these steps can apply to any kind of information management, not just an electronic system. This topic can be intimidating, but experts say that information management will continue to become increasingly important to all types of businesses as the amount of information we process increases. Once sound information management becomes a way of doing business, it won’t seem nearly so complicated or daunting. Remember, 20 years ago few people knew anything about using computers. Today, they’re as common a business tool as telephones. You might think all this discussion about information management doesn’t really apply to you and your business research project. However, the information you gathered—whether from directories and manuals, or through telephone or

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DOWN TO BUSINESS It only stands to reason that we need to improve the way we manage information, because we have access to so much more of it than we used to. We can download information on virtually any subject from the Internet. We make ourselves accessible to additional information by carrying celluar phones and beepers, and by installing fax machines and other information conduits in our homes and offices. The situation is comparable to finances. If you don’t have very much money, you don’t need anyone to tell you how to take care of it. Once you save a considerable amount, however, it’s beneficial to have some help managing it.

mail surveys, focus groups, or any other means—is what your company will use to make important decisions. Therefore, it makes sense to consider how to best handle that information in the smartest and most efficient way possible.

TAKING CHARGE OF THE SITUATION Because you have been handling the business research project, you should also take charge of handling and safeguarding the results. You have more invested in the project than anyone else, so it’s natural for you to make sure that everything proceeds as it should, without complications that could impede the success of the project. While you don’t want to be overly stern, you’ll need to make certain that everyone involved with paper flow in your office understands that all documents relating to the business research project go to you. Especially if you’ve sent out a mail survey, it will be extremely important for the person who handles your office mail to know that all survey responses should go directly to you when they come back to the office. If it’s a very large survey, you might consider renting a separate post office box to accommodate responses. If the box is dedicated solely to your survey results, there will be little chance of the results getting mixed up with other mail and lost. Some researchers copy the results of each survey as it’s completed or returned to the office, and keep the copies in a different place than the originals. I’ve known people who took copies to their homes, thinking they have more control of them there than at the office. You also could set up a survey form in your computer, and have someone type in a copy of the answers as surveys are completed or returned

FIGURING OUT WHERE AND HOW TO STORE INFORMATION

DOWN TO BUSINESS If you’ve ever lost an important paper or document at work, you know the awful feeling you get when you discover it’s missing. As careful as you try to be, it’s very hard to keep track of every paper that crosses your desk. It’s important to set up a system that works for you, that will help you organize and control paper.

to you. If your computer is equipped with a scanner, it would be an easy task to copy each survey as it is returned. If someone else is helping you to tabulate survey results, or handling the research information in any way, be sure you coordinate with that person where the documents should be kept, and how they should be handled. Many offices, with their abundance of papers, are breeding grounds for misplaced and lost documents. Taking care of the information generated by your business research project is primarily a matter of common sense. If your office is overwhelmed by papers and poorly handled information, then recommend to the person in charge that you look into an information management system. It’s the way of the future, and can be a huge help. If your office has a problem that’s simply a matter of carelessness or poor organization, figure out a better way to do it. After all, we base important decisions upon the information we gather. The better we can manage it, the more efficient and effective we can be.

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Research Review • Computers have given us many things, but the paperless office promised by computer manufacturers has not yet been one of them. • American workplaces are using more and more paper each year. • If information overload is a problem at your office, you could consider hiring a data processing firm to sort it out for you. • An increasing number of businesses are installing information management systems, which transfer all non-confidential information onto a software program that can be accessed by employees and programmed to perform various functions. • Certain goals relate to all information management, that which is done both electronically and non-electronically. • Take charge of handling the information collected during your business research project yourself, and makes sure everyone in your office knows that all information relating to it should go directly to you.

CHAPTER 17

SHOW ME THE INFORMATION

O

nce you’ve got all the information you gathered

during your business research project compiled and put into some kind of order, you’ll probably be very anxious to share it. And who could blame you? You worked hard on the project. You’re pleased about how well it turned out, and how much information you were able to come up with. You’re looking forward to sharing the information with the company’s top people, and to seeing what they have to say about your work. Well, if your tendency is to put copies of your research results into many envelopes, and distribute one to each member of the company, don’t! You’ve done a lot of work, and you want to get the most benefit from it as possible. There are several factors you’ll have to think about before you start passing out those results.

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WHO SHOULD GET THE RESULTS? To whom you should give the research results requires some thought. Obviously, your boss, the person who commissioned the business research in the first place. Yet, how should you go about handing them over to her? Which of the following courses of action would you pick: • Put the results in a file and leave them with your boss’ administrative assistant to give to her. • March into your boss’ office and announce that you’ve finally finished that research project she gave you, and you’re ready to review the results with her. Tell her you did such a good job that you think a pay raise is in order. • Talk to your immediate supervisor and get her recommendation about what you should do with the research results. • Post the results on the office bulletin board and let people discover on their own that they’re up. If you thought the third answer, “talk to your immediate supervisor to get her recommendation about what you should do with the research results,” was the best of those suggested above, you’re on the right track. It’s not that you don’t want your boss to see the results of your hard work, but you need to do it in the way that will be most effective. You don’t want to brag about how hard you worked, but you do want the boss to know, right? Leaving a file with her administrative assistant isn’t a very impressive or creative approach. Marching into her office with the file and asking for a raise while you’re there would get the boss’ attention, all right, but probably not the kind of attention you want. Posting the results on the bulletin board for all to see is a definite mistake. There probably are people within the office who don’t need to, or maybe even shouldn’t, see the results.

WHO ELSE SHOULD GET THE RESULTS? People who helped with the project most likely will be interested in seeing how it all turned out. Unless there’s a specific reason why they shouldn’t see them, go ahead and give each person a copy. Your immediate supervisor, and any other supervisors, also probably should get copies of the report. Remember that these are just preliminary reports of the

SHOW ME THE INFORMATION

results. Hopefully, you’ll really get a chance to shine a bit later on with a fullfledged presentation about your research and its results. You’ll learn all about that in Chapter 18.

WHO SHOULDN’T GET THE RESULTS? All companies differ in their hierarchies and politics. It might be acceptable to distribute the results of your research to every member of the company, but it might not be. You might not know possible reasons why certain people in the office shouldn’t see the report, but they could exist. Don’t make your results public without checking with a supervisor first.

DON’T SHOOT ME—I’M JUST THE MESSENGER! You might not realize this, but by conducting a business research project, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions, you could be getting yourself into a bit of trouble. Let’s say you work for Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company, and you were the person assigned to find out why business had dropped so dramatically during the past six months. You developed a questionnaire for the mail survey that we learned about in Chapter 10, and mailed it out to 500 current and previous customers. Let’s refresh your memory about the questions included on that mail survey: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

How did you first learn about Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company? When was the first time you used Rich’s White Mountain Rafting Company? How many times have you been a customer at Rich’s? If more than one time, what prompted you to come back to Rich’s? How often have you been rafting within the past year? Have you patronized another rafting company within the past year? If you haven’t been to Rich’s White Rafting Company within the past year, would you tell us why? (Please state reason, if applicable) 8. How can we encourage you to patronize Rich’s White Mountain Rafting? For this example, let’s say that you sent out 500 surveys, and you got 200 back. That, by the way, would be an excellent response rate, even with the incentive you offered of a coupon for 50 percent off the next rafting trip to those who returned their surveys.

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE A typical response rate for a mail survey is about 15 percent. That means, typically, if you’d mail out 1,000 surveys, you’d get about 150 back. If you mailed out 2,000 surveys, you’d get about 300 back, and so forth.

Of the 200 surveys sent back to Rich’s White Mountain Rafting company, more than half of them were very vocal in their criticisms of the company. They basically told you that they started using another rafting company because they strongly disliked Rich. They said: • • • • • • • • •

He treated them badly. He was rude to them. He was disrespectful. He charged too much. His equipment wasn’t well cared for. He spit in front of them. He was late coming back to pick them up after they finished rafting. He had a peculiar odor about him. etc., etc., etc., etc.

Now you know why Rich’s business is going down the tubes: because of Rich. Unfortunately, Rich happens to be your boss, and he’s the one who signs your paycheck. You really like your job with the rafting company, because it allows you to be outside in the summer, and you meet a lot of interesting people. You’d really like to keep your job, and that’s why you’re dreading giving Rich the results of your research project. What’s a researcher to do? When Rich asked you to research the cause for the drop in his business, you can be quite sure he wasn’t counting on the reason being him. He had no idea that you’d come back in three or four months and report that he’s the reason his customers are disappearing. This is going to be a big problem for Rich. And unless you relish the idea of passing along bad news to your boss about your boss, it’s a big problem for you, too. Maybe you’ll be lucky. Maybe Rich really is a nice guy who was just misunderstood by his customers. Maybe he’s actually a modest, caring man who will be

SHOW ME THE INFORMATION

humbled by his customers’ dissatisfaction, thank you profusely for pointing him to the truth, and immediately mend his ways. He’ll probably be grateful to you for putting the business on the road to recovery. Not very likely. If Rich were such a terrific person, then his business would be flourishing, and people would be clamoring to rent his rafts. And, his customers wouldn’t have complained about him on the surveys. So what are you going to do? Tell him the truth, or lie about your results?

THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? You’re certainly in a tough spot. If you handle this the wrong way, it could make the rest of your tenure at Rich’s White Mountain Tours very uncomfortable. If you handle it well, and in the right manner, however, you could end up just fine. Obviously, Rich won’t welcome the news you have for him. No one likes to hear that they’re disliked, scoffed at, and generally thought poorly of. What you’re going to have to do now is to use every bit of finesse and maturity that you can muster. Consider the fact that if you don’t tell Rich the real reason that his customers are going somewhere else, you’ve negated all your months of hard work. The hours and hours you spent at the library, all the time creating the questionnaire, preparing the mailing, tracking responses, and compiling results will have been for nothing if you don’t use the results. It will have been a huge waste of your time, and because you were being paid to conduct the research, a waste of the company’s money. There is no question about it—you must tell Rich about the survey results. If there’s a supervisor between you and Rich, carefully explain the situation to her. Tell her exactly what the survey results revealed, and don’t be afraid to express your concerns about being the bearer of bad tidings. There’s a movement afoot in the business world to improve the emotional intelligence of workers, supervisors, and bosses in corporate America. And this is exactly the type of situation in which it’s needed.

HOW EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE WORKS FOR EVERYONE Exactly what is “emotional intelligence?” Emotional intelligence is the new buzzword for what used to be called maturity. An emotionally intelligent person is expected to be able to do the following things:

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• • • •

accept responsibility work well without constant supervision take criticism without becoming angry or distraught keep oneself motivated, and be able to motivate others with whom one is working • display empathy when appropriate, and not take pleasure in other people’s misfortunes In other words, someone with emotional intelligence is expected to act like a mature, reasonable human being, who cares about other people and understands how to work effectively with people in order to get a job done in the best manner possible. This might not seem like a difficult thing to expect in the workplace. Still, emotional intelligence is harder to find than you might think, according to Daniel P. Goleman, a Harvard-educated Ph.D. and former science writer for The New York Times. Goleman has written three books about emotional intelligence.

DOWN TO BUSINESS Daniel Goleman has written the following books dealing with emtional intelligence: Emotional Intelligence; Working With Emotional Intelligence; and Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ for Character, Health and Lifelong Achievement. All three books are available over the Internet at either www.amazon.com or at www.barnesandnoble.com.

Goleman makes the argument that although emotional intelligence may account for more than 80 percent of a person’s success in business, it’s extraordinarily difficult to find. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is a more important characteristic for people in business than intelligence measured by I.Q., and it’s more important than experience. He says it’s starting to and will continue to matter even more. Without emotional intelligence, the writer asserts, many otherwise intelligent people won’t be able to succeed. “We’re being judged more and more not just by how smart we are, but how well we handle ourselves and each other,” Goleman says.

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An employee who had to break bad news to an emotionally intelligent boss wouldn’t have to worry about the boss reacting badly. Unfortunately, you have to break the bad news to Rich, who happens to sorely lack emotional intelligence.

KEEPING YOUR CREDIBILITY When you tell someone something they don’t want to hear, or want to believe, they’ll often react by questioning your credibility. To maintain your credibility while being the bearer of bad news, make sure that you follow these steps: • Remain calm and objective while stating the facts. • Don’t apologize, unless you want to say something at the beginning of the discussion like, “I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this.” The results of the survey aren’t your fault, and you’re not responsible for them. • Don’t let your boss pull you into the middle of things. If he asks you if you think the survey results are true, just say something along the lines of, “I’m only reporting the results. I don’t have an opinion on them.” • Be discreet. Don’t go whispering to other employees behind Rich’s back, telling everyone about the survey results. • Come up with an idea or two of how to improve the situation. That would take some creative thinking in this case, but maybe you could suggest something like a half-off sale for all first-time customers. Rich, displaying newly found emotional intelligence, would be on hand to warmly greet all customers and tell them how glad he is they’ve chosen his company. • Don’t become emotional. Remember that you’re simply relating information. You had nothing to do with creating the situation.

DON’T TAKE YOUR BOSS’ REACTION PERSONALLY If Rich lashes out in anger and starts screaming at you, don’t take it personally. Remember that he’s fending off what he perceives to be a personal attack, and he doesn’t know how to handle it. React calmly, and tell him you’re sure there are ways in which the situation can be improved. Goleman offers hope to people lacking in emotional intelligence. Unlike IQ, Goleman says, emotional intelligence can be improved. “You can improve your skills throughout life,” Goleman says.

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FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE According to Goleman every profession requires different emotional skills. Doctors, he says, must be able to listen effectively to patients, in addition to having good medical skills. Doctors who don’t listen properly are more likely to be sued than those who do.

Speaking to your boss about his lack of emotional intelligence just after he’s learned the bad news about his business not only wouldn’t be a good idea, but also wouldn’t be your place. Consult with a trusted supervisor who may be in a better position to suggest emotional-intelligence training to the boss.

LET’S LOOK FOR SMOOTHER SAILING Hopefully, you won’t face any of the problems we’ve encountered in this White Mountain Rafting Company scenario. Probably, you’ll give your boss some basic, predictable results of your business research project, and she’ll make some predictable decisions based on those results. Even if you’re relating results that aren’t bad news, keep in mind the tips listed on the previous pages. Although you’ve been involved with the business research project for a long time, remember that you didn’t manufacture the results. You’re simply relating information.

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT Once you start sharing research results, people will start asking questions. Be sure that you understand exactly what is contained in the report, and how it relates to your research. If you hire an outside firm for data processing or other services, make sure you carefully review the information they provide before you show it to anyone. Don’t jump the gun and be so anxious to let everyone know what a good job you’ve done that you’re not prepared to present the report. If you have questions about the report, be sure to clarify the information before you pass it along to anyone else. Even if you have to take an extra day to review everything and get it all clear in your mind, it’s better than not knowing what you’re talking about when you hand over the results.

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RESEARCH RUT It’s difficult, but don’t let pressure from a boss or supervisor to get results on the table make you present them before you’re prepared to do so. You’ll be better remembered for your complete and astute understanding and presentation of the results than you’ll be for having them in a day early.

Make it clear when first presenting that you’re only sharing the basic results of your research at this time, and that you’ll make a complete presentation, if requested. If for some reason you’re not asked to do a formal presentation of your results, take the initiative to enhance the preliminary results and put them away someplace for safekeeping. Inquire as to whether a more permanent version of the results, either electronically or in document form, is required. You’re nearing the end of your business research project. All that’s left to do now is a formal presentation, and a final evaluation. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the process so far, and have learned a lot from doing it. Preparing a presentation, which we’ll discuss in detail in the next chapter, can be great fun. However, if you have no experience with making reports or presentations, and you’re short on time, you might want to try to find someone to help you.

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Research Review • Think carefully about who should get the results of your research project before you start distributing them around the office. • Be aware that there may be people in the office who should not be made aware of the information. • Know that you could find yourself in a tricky situation if the report contains news that your boss won’t be happy to hear. • Display as much emotional intelligence as possible when presenting the results of your research, regardless of what the results might be. • Don’t let someone who is unhappy with your research results undermine your credibility by making it seem as if you don’t know what you’re talking about. • Be sure you fully understand the results before presenting them to anyone, especially if an outside firm was involved with compiling the results or data processing.

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EVEN IF YOUR RESULTS ARE BORING, YOUR PRESENTATION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

H

opefully, your business research will have turned up

fascinating and vitally important information. With luck, company officials will be so impressed with the results of your research that they’ll immediately put it into action. They’ll use the results of your hard work to base important decisions that will send the company’s profits skyrocketing. You’ll get a big promotion, with a bigger raise. You’ll be on the career track you’ve dreamed about. Well . . . that could happen. Or you could come up with important, but not-all-that impressive results from your business research project. You know, the kind of results that will be appreciated, but won’t have everybody talking about it. Your boss will politely thank you for your help and hard work, then dole out another assignment for you to get started on. If you find that the results of your business research project fall more into the second scenario than the first, don’t be discouraged. Remember in

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the last chapter, when we talked about putting your results into an attention-getting report or presentation that will turn heads and get people talking? In this chapter, we’ll walk you through how to do that. You’ll get hints and tips on everything from software to using cartoons. So even if the results of your business research are less than thrilling, don’t think your presentation of those results has to be.

LET’S GET STARTED You’re sitting at your desk with a pile of research results. You have percentages, you have numbers, you have information taken from interviews, and a lot of miscellaneous materials. What do you do with all of it? You organize it into a user-friendly, easy-toread report, complete with graphics that will illustrate the important points, and let people know at a glance exactly what the results of your research were. You may be able to do this on your home or office computer, using the software you already have. The word processing program on your computer probably has the capacity to create tables, graphs, boxes, graphics, and whatever else you need. If for some reason your software program doesn’t have the options that you need, you can buy a program especially designed for making reports and presentations. You can design and write your report on the computer, then print it out on high quality paper for presentation. Or if you enjoy working on the computer and have the time and resources to do so, you can design a computer presentation that you’ll actually run on a computer while it is viewed on a screen. Computer presentations, however, should be supported by printed information.

RESEARCH RUT If you’re going to do a computer presentation, make sure your computer is up to the task. Computer presentations generally move quickly, and unless your computer has sufficient memory and storing capacity, it won’t be able to keep up.

EVEN IF YOUR RESULTS ARE BORING, YOUR PRESENTATION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

A well-done computer presentation can be extremely impressive. They’re known for great use of colors and pictures, and for lively, quick-moving material. Unless you have experience with computer presentations, however, be content with designing a good report with graphics on your computer, and presenting it on paper. You always can use an overhead projector and screen for viewing.

PRESENTATION GRAPHICS SOFTWARE If you’re going to do a computer presentation, or you want to create a really fancy report design, you might think about getting a software program designed especially for those purposes. The software programs that are listed below are some of the better-known ones for graphics. The descriptions of the programs were obtained from a Website called “Business Presenters,” which is owned by Busicom Productions Co., Ltd. You can access the Business Presenters site, which contains all kinds of useful information about reports and presentations, at www.busicom.com. • ASAP From Software Publishing. Simple to use, and fast. • Charisma From Micrografx. A high-end charting and business graphics package. • DeltaGraph Pro 3.5 From DeltaPoint, Inc. A business charting software with powerful chart and graph capabilities. • Lotus Freelance for Windows From Lotus. A fully featured charting and business graphics package as part of Lotus SmartSuite. • Harvard Graphics 4.0 for Windows For Windows 95. Many new features, such as the Quick Advisor, which checks your design. • Origin From MicroCal. A technical graphics and data analysis software; suitable for scientific graphics. • Adobe Persuasion From Adobe. Capable of output to 35mm slides and other transparencies with speaker notes.

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• Powerpoint 4.0 for Mac From Microsoft. Has a built-in interactive Wizard to help you. • Stanford Graphics for Windows 3-D Visions. A presentation software package with many technical features; contains extensive 3-D graphics and other powerful features. If you’ve never done a report or presentation on the computer, don’t be intimidated. Just keep it simple. A neatly organized, interesting, well-written report is more impressive than one filled with fancy graphics and effects but little substance. Just say what you have to say, and make sure it looks attractive and neat.

FIRST THINGS FIRST Your report, which will include charts, graphs, tables, etc., will contain three main parts: an introduction, a body, and a summary. The introduction will tell readers about your research project. It will bring them up-to-date on the reason the research was initiated, and how it was carried out. The body of the report will go into more detail about information from the introduction, and contain the actual results of the research. The summary will give an overall view of what the research accomplished, and how the results can be applied. The introduction should be brief, to the point, and informative. Make sure it includes all the necessary background material. For instance, if your research was done to determine the level of satisfaction among customers, state that in your introduction. Also state the method of research you used (mail survey, telephone survey, interviews, focus groups, etc.), how the research was conducted, and what topics you’re going to cover in your report. A sample introduction is shown here.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of the research conducted was to determine the level of satisfaction among customers who have had their automobiles serviced within the past two years. To accomplish this, my research team (made up of four people, including myself) conducted a mail survey. All work was done inhouse.

EVEN IF YOUR RESULTS ARE BORING, YOUR PRESENTATION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

We designed and prepared a questionnaire, which, along with a cover letter explaining the purpose of the survey, was mailed to 4,000 customers. All of these customers have brought their cars to our company for service within the past two years. Each survey packet included a return envelope, with the required postage. Of the 4,000 questionnaires we mailed to customers, 620 were returned. This is slightly above the average response rate for mail surveys, which is 15 percent. The returned questionnaires were carefully tabulated and analyzed. You’ll see the results in this report.

THE MAIN PART OF THE REPORT When you’ve finished the introduction, you’ll move into the body, or main part of your report. Here, you’ll get into more detail about the items you mentioned in your introduction. When readers get to the end of your report, they should know everything (well, almost everything) that occurred during the course of your business research project.

Tips for Writing Your Report • Avoid making long, unbroken blocks of copy. There’s nothing wrong with having only a couple of sentences to a paragraph. • Break up your text with bullets or graphics. • Try to use short, readable sentences. Avoid the temptation to use long, complex sentences that are difficult to understand. • Have someone else proofread your report before it’s printed. It’s very difficult to proofread your own copy. Let somebody else check it for spelling, typos, and other mistakes. • Take advantage of the capabilities of your computer. Use some color in an appropriate spot. • Make sure your text is uniform. Don’t mix up fonts or graphic presentation. Your report should be uniform in order to appear consistent. • Don’t use graphics just to use them. For example, it makes no sense to use that cute snowflake graphic when you’re writing about car repairs. Only use graphics to enhance your point.

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• Don’t make charts and tables too complicated for readers. Charts, tables, and graphs are meant to present information in a readable, simple manner. Don’t make reading and understanding them a chore for your readers. Your report should contain the following information: • Exactly why the research was initiated. You could say something like, “Research was initiated because we realized that it’s vitally important for our company to know what our customers think about our level of service and our service department.” This section doesn’t need to be long, but should be clearly stated and easy-to-read. • The reasons you decided to use a mail survey to gather information. You’ll want to include how you considered cost, time, the degree of labor required, and other factors before making your decision. If you want to, you can tell what other methods you considered (telephone survey, focus group, or whichever), and why you decided a mail survey was best. • A copy of the questionnaire you used, and a brief explanation of the process you used to develop it. Include an actual copy of the questionnaire that was sent to customers, along with a copy of the cover letter and a return envelope. You don’t need to go into great detail about designing the questionnaire, but be sure you include things like your basic objectives for the questionnaire (what you wanted to find out from it), and information about the outline you used to prepare the questionnaire. Tell how you developed the wording, and how you came up with the questionnaire format. • A review of how you prepared the questionnaire. For instance, were copies made on your office copier, or did you send the project out to a printer? Also tell how the questionnaire was prepared for mailing, and whether it was bulk mailed, or sent out in your regular office mail. Include the names of people who helped prepare the mailing. • The procedure used to collect and process the results. Tell how you tabulated the results, and what methods you used to record them. If you sent the results out to be processed, give the name of the company you used, and a brief description of the arrangement you had with the company.

EVEN IF YOUR RESULTS ARE BORING, YOUR PRESENTATION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

• Your timetable. Don’t forget to include in your report the dates of all events. People will want to know when the project started, how long each step took to complete, and when the project ended. • The results of the survey. This, of course, is the essence of your report. This is why people are reading it. And this is where you’ll have the most fun with graphics, charts, tables, and so forth. Let’s take a look below at some options you have when presenting results.

MAKING YOUR RESULTS LOOK INTERESTING Many people are intimidated by having to prepare charts and graphs—you shouldn’t feel that way. Once you let yourself get creative, you will have a lot of fun preparing them. Some things, especially the results of qualitative research like focus groups, can’t be related in charts or tables. That kind of information will have to be related in text. Other things like percentages and numbers, however, usually are best conveyed by charts, graphs, and tables. If you’re not familiar with your computer’s capacity to create graphs and the like, take a few minutes to look at the help program or read the user’s guide that came with the computer. If you have a software program designed for reports and presentations, it probably will contain a lot of built-in information. If not, check the booklet that came with it.

CHARTS, GRAPHS, TABLES ANYONE? Basically, tables are used to show simple data, and charts and graphs are used to show more complicated information. A table would best be used to illustrate overall customer response to a question. If you need to break down responses into categories such as gender, age, location, income group, or so forth, you probably will do better with a chart or graph. An example of a table is shown below. This table was easily made from software included with Microsoft Word.

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TABLE 1 How satisfied are you with the service you received?

Extremely Satisfied Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Extremely Dissatisfied Unsure/No Response TOTAL

Count 117 154 91 80 71 45 62 620

Percent 20% 25% 14% 13% 11% 7% 10% 100%

A table like the one above can be done quickly using readily available software. You would need a separate table for each question. Of course, tables can be far more complex than the one illustrated. Avoid getting too complicated with a table. A chart or graph generally works better for complicated results. If you want to use graphs, be aware that there are different kinds, and some work better than others for various subjects. You could relate the same information presented in the table by using a simple bar graph. When you have more information to convey, such as the age or gender of a customer in addition to his response, you might do better with another kind of chart or graph.

CHOOSING CHARTS AND GRAPHS How do you know what’s the best kind of chart or graph to use? There is a formula, of sorts, according to Strategic Communications, a Connecticut-based consulting firm. Strategic Communications which has a great Website (access it at www.strategiccomm.com), says that specific charts or graphs work best to show different things. Its recommendations are as follows:

EVEN IF YOUR RESULTS ARE BORING, YOUR PRESENTATION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

To show change over time Look for a keyword such as “grow,” “decline,” or “trends.” If, for example, you want to show how college entrance test scores have changed over 30 years, use a line chart. Line charts are best when a variable has more than four or five data points, and you want to emphasize continuity over several months or years. The slope of the line tells viewers in a glance the direction of the trends. However, if you have fewer than five data points and you want to emphasize quantity at various times—for example, how administrative costs have risen faster than manufacturing costs over three years—use a column chart (vertical bars). Since the audience naturally associates left-to-right with the movement of time, vertical bars work better than horizontal bars for time series data.

To compare items at one point in time Look for a keyword such as “ranks” or “compares.” If, for example, you want to show the highest profit, the lowest interest rate, or the most products sold, or you want to rank variables from largest to smallest, use a horizontal bar chart. Bar charts are often the best way to compare a set of individual items or several sets of related items. The bar’s length corresponds to its ranking; the bar’s label identifies the item.

To compare parts of a whole Look for keywords such as “percentage,” “portion,” or “share.” If, for example, you want to show the proportion of state government budget spent on education, use a pie chart. However, the number of pie slices should not be more than five, and each slice should be easy to see and interpret. A pie chart is best when you want to highlight one part of the whole. Place this component in the 12 o’clock position and “explode” it out of the pie for emphasis. When you want to show relative proportions of two, three, or four wholes, a segmented bar chart may work equally well or better. In this chart form, each bar represents 100 percent, and each segment a percentage. A series of vertical segmented bars shows how percentages change over time.

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Tips for Using Charts and Graphs Strategic Communications also offers some tips to get the best use out of charts and graphs. • Convey one message per chart. Make the message the heading. • Make the chart easy to read. Label the lines, bars, or pie wedges. Make the most important text largest, the most important data lines or sections darkest. • Be accurate. Always start a numerical axis at zero. Compare only like variables. • Eliminate all unnecessary details. Avoid grid lines, data points, boxes, and other devices unless they relate to the message. • Use no more than four colors per visual. • Avoid vibrating fill patterns, such as contrasting lines, wave patterns, and crisscrosses. • To focus attention, use color, shading, or images such as arrows to highlight key words or concepts. • Write in upper- and lower-case. Words written in all capitals letters are hard to read. • Make bars and columns wider than the spaces between them. • Use presentation software sensibly. When necessary, adjust the default mode to simplify a visual. You can, and should, use color in your charts and graphs. Color makes them easier to read, as well as more interesting and attractive. Charts, graphs, and tables give you excellent opportunity to show your results in a clear and readable manner. If you simply can’t make them, find the computer whiz in your office and ask for some help.

THE SUMMARY At the end of your presentation, you should include a short summary of the project, and what it accomplished. You could say something like this: This research project, conducted over a 10-month period, indicated that we enjoy a high level of satisfaction among our customers. It also indicated the areas of our greatest strengths and weaknesses.

EVEN IF YOUR RESULTS ARE BORING, YOUR PRESENTATION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

You should briefly recap the results of the research, and recommend how it can be applied to the business.

HOW YOUR REPORT SHOULD LOOK Your report represents weeks or months of work, and you want it to look as nice as possible. Buy good-quality binders in which to place the reports, and use goodquality paper. You have a lot invested in your business research project, and you want the presentation of your report to be attractive and convey the quality of the contents.

Research Review • You probably can make a report with the software included on your word processing program. If not, you can buy software designed especially for making reports and presentations. • If you want to do a computer presentation, make sure your computer has enough memory and storage capacity to support it. • Your report should include an introduction, a main body, and a summary. • The actual results of your research will be contained within the main body of your report. Tables, charts, and graphs can be used to display the results and make the report more interesting. • Tables generally are used to convey simple data, while charts and graphs are better for more complicated data. • Certain charts and graphs work better than others for conveying certain types of information. • Make sure your report is attractively presented, so it conveys the amount of work you’ve done and the quality of the contents.

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TYING IT TOGETHER: MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS RESEARCH PROJECT

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ou’ve finally finished your business research project.

Everything is done, from starting the initial information gathering to putting the binder on the report. You’ve started going home again at a reasonable hour, and you’re not spending Saturday morning at the library anymore. It suddenly seems as if you have a lot of free time. Think back for a moment, to the day your boss called you into his office and told you he wanted you to do this project. You barely even knew what business research was, and you had no idea how or where to start. You should be feeling pretty proud of yourself. You tackled something you’d never done before, and you completed it. It was a lot of hard work and learning as you went along, but you accomplished what you set out to do. When you think back over your project, though, how can you be sure whether or not it was successful? Yes, you finished it, and came up with some results, but how can you tell if will be useful to the company? You need some feedback, and you need it fast. 201

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Okay. Let’s take a look at how to evaluate your project, and the job you did on it. We’ll use a few steps in our informal evaluation, and you’ll do most of the evaluation of your project yourself.

GETTING A SENSE OF HOW IT WENT You might not realize it, but you’re the most important and most qualified judge of the work you’ve completed. Of course, you really want your supervisor and your boss to like what you’ve done. When it’s all said and done, however, it’s what you think that counts the most. If you think you did a good job, you’re likely to be motivated to tackle another big task. You’ll have more confidence in yourself and your abilities than you had before you started the project, and you’ll be happy about having done a good job. These things will all reflect on your work in general, and could be a real boost to your attitude. If you’re disappointed with your work, you can do any of several things. • You can get discouraged and take on a “what’s-the-point-of-trying-to-dosomething, nothing-ever-goes-right-for-me” kind of attitude. You can feel sorry for yourself and hope that you never get assigned anything remotely like a business research project again. • You can chalk it up to a learning experience and look ahead to the next project, on which you’re sure you’ll do much better. • You can get defensive and reason that you could have done a better job if you only: a. had more help b. had more time c. had better information resources d. had a bigger budget e. had blonde hair instead of brown f. etc., etc., etc. Hopefully, you’ll follow the second course of action. You’ll figure that, although things didn’t go as well as you had hoped, they could have been much worse. You’ll look at what you’ve learned. You’ll think about people you might have met during the course of the project, and places you might have not otherwise seen, and you’ll get on with your work.

TYING IT TOGETHER: MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS

DOWN TO BUSINESS How you handle either the success or disappointment of your business research will be a direct measure of your emotional intelligence. Just in case you’ve forgotten, emotional intelligence is a level of maturity that enables a person to do things like accept responsibility, work well without constant supervision, take criticism without becoming angry or distraught, remain motivated, and be able to motivate others. It allows one to display empathy when appropriate, and not take pleasure in other people’s misfortunes. Emotional intelligence is gaining recognition as a very important quality among workers.

Whether or not you’re satisfied with how the project worked out, it’s important that you get a sense of how it all went, and just what kind of job you really did. To do that, you use certain measures. You’ll need to ask yourself some questions, and take some time to think about the answers. Above all, you’ll need to be honest with yourself. Consider these questions:

Did I learn anything while doing this project? I’m not referring to learning how your company can offer better service to its customers, or whether you should relocate your child care business to the other side of town. I’m referring to what you learned. Hopefully, you’ve learned to be more resourceful and innovative during the course of your research. You’ve learned to find information in places you never knew existed, and you’ve learned something about leading an effort in order to achieve a goal. With luck, you’ve learned that successful people are nearly always innovative and able to think on their feet. You’ve learned that it’s best to keep trying when you encounter problems, and that there will always be answers to problems, if you’re willing to look hard and long enough. If you learned those things during the course of your business research project, the project was successful—even if your results were less impressive than you had hoped or your presentation didn’t wow your boss.

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Did I accomplish anything by doing this project? Even if you can’t see them right away, you’ve probably had many accomplishments over the course of your research project. You most likely learned all kinds of things about your company that you hadn’t known before. You can’t help but become better acquainted with a company for which you’re doing business research. You probably learned something about other businesses, too. There’s a tendency to come across all sorts of interesting information when you’re looking through guides and directories. If you researched something like changing the location of your business, you should have become acquainted with some local officials as you checked out zoning issues, school enrollment trends, and building plans. Perhaps you got to know how your area chamber of commerce works, or who the people who operate it are. Another accomplishment could have been getting to know your way around the public library. Maybe you learned how to process a bulk mailing, conduct interviews, or make people feel comfortable in a focus group situation. Conducting research provides opportunity for all sorts of accomplishments. Hopefully, you’ve realized many of them, and will benefit from them in the future.

Did I have fun while doing this project? We often are reluctant to admit that working can be fun. We tend to separate the two things: work is work, and fun is fun. Clever people, however, learn to make work fun. If you haven’t learned to do that yet, you really should. Consider how much of your life is spent working. If you work 40 hours a week—and many people work much more—you’re putting in 160 hours a month, or 1,920 hours a year. That’s nearly 2,000 hours a year spent working! Think about the happiest people you know. Chances are they find fun in work and leisure. They probably know how to make their jobs challenging, and enjoy meeting the challenge. If you think you can’t have fun while you’re working, you’ll spend your work time wishing you were somewhere else, and that will only lead to feelings of resentment. Hopefully, you did experience some enjoyment during the course of your research project. Maybe you discovered that it was fun to track down information, like a detective. Or to meet the chairperson of the township planning commission. Or to develop a questionnaire for your telephone survey. Maybe you had fun making the charts and tables for your report, or chatting with the boss a little bit while you presented it. Regardless of what it was, I hope there was fun involved with your project.

TYING IT TOGETHER: MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS

If you learned while conducting your research, or achieved some accomplishments, or had some fun, then you should be getting a sense that your project was successful. If you’re fortunate, you will have answered “yes” to each of these three questions. If you didn’t answer “yes” to any of them, then your project was not completely successful, even if you came up with useful results and information. You’re the best judge of whether or not you’ve succeeded with your project. Think about it carefully, and be honest with yourself. If you were successful, make up your mind that the next time will be even better. If you weren’t, figure out why you weren’t, and make up your mind to do things differently the next time around.

GETTING FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS There’s bound to be feedback—maybe a lot of it—about your project and you’ve got to be ready for it, and prepared to deal with it. We all like to hear that we did a great job with something; it’s human nature to want to be praised. On the other hand, nobody likes to be criticized. It’s easy to interpret criticism as an accusation of failure, and we’ve already discussed how much our society hates to fail. Many people become defensive when they’re criticized for any reason. Positive or negative, you’re bound to get feedback about your research project. You’ll probably get a little of each. One very important thing you should remember about the way you accept feedback is long after people have forgotten what the research you conducted was about, they’ll remember how you responded to the feedback.

DEALING WITH POSITIVE FEEDBACK If most of the feedback you get is positive, be glad, but be sure to accept it gracefully. Nobody appreciates an employee who is smug, or acts like compliments and praise are expected and deserved. If you had people working with you on the project, be sure to give credit where credit is due. Don’t talk about it as your project, but as a project conducted by a team. Point out any special things that other people might have done during the course of the research, and praise the members of your team—in front of others—for the good work they’ve done.

DEALING WITH NEGATIVE FEEDBACK Negative feedback concerning your project will be a little harder to take. If it happens, however, think of it as a chance to display your emotional intelligence, or maturity.

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A tendency in many people is not to listen to criticism. If you do that at work, however, you risk two things. The person who’s offering the negative feedback will know, or at least sense, that you’re not listening. If that person happens to be your boss or supervisor, it could be detrimental to your future within the company. The second risk is that you’re going to miss hearing something important. It might be tempting, after all the time and effort you invested in your research, to think that you’re the office research expert. You might think—and it might be true—that you know more about it than your boss. Your boss, however, is still the boss. And, if she offers negative feedback about some aspect of the project, it might be because she’s looking at it from a perspective that you haven’t considered. Feel free to explain exactly why you did something the way you did, if you’re being criticized. But don’t assume that what you did is right, and anyone who criticizes it is wrong. You’ll only portray yourself as an immature person who hasn’t learned to accept negative feedback.

BUSINESS RESEARCH 101 Jeffrey works for a big sporting goods company, and his research goal was to find out how customers think his company’s own brand of sporting equipment compares with national brands. Jeffrey did the appropriate research, and came back with data indicating that older customers bought store brand equipment, but younger people wanted the national brands. Although Jeffrey’s boss was pleased with the data collected, he criticized him for not getting more information about other places their customers shop for sporting equipment. Jeffrey was put off by the criticism, since scoping out the competition hadn’t been spelled out as a research goal at the beginning of the project. He realized, though, that his boss had a different perspective on the business than he did, due to many more years of business experience. Jeffrey was open to the boss’ criticism, and even suggested doing another project to determine and examine his company’s competition. One hard lesson that you may or may not have already learned about business is that some people will never be happy for you, regardless of what you do, or how well you do it. The workplace can be extremely competitive, and your co-workers don’t all want to see you do well. Another person’s success can be extremely threatening to someone who is unsure of her- or himself.

TYING IT TOGETHER: MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS

If co-workers aren’t supportive, or are downright critical of your work, be polite but don’t take it too seriously. After all, you were the one chosen to conduct a business research project that involved considerable amounts of the company’s time and resources. Other people in your department could be dealing with some serious jealousy.

WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE? Having finished your business research project, you might find work to be a bit dull for a while. It could be difficult to go back to the predictable, everyday tasks after having spent time doing something that was completely new to you. If you’ve enjoyed doing research, why not see if there’s a need in your company for more of it? At the very least, asking your boss or supervisor for another research project will let everyone know that you’re an enthusiastic employee who doesn’t try to hide from work. If you really enjoyed the research process, maybe you’ll want to think about research as a career. Research is a skill that will always be needed. Not every company has someone on board who can pick up a research project and run with it. Many companies hire research firms to conduct their projects, and pay them good money for their expertise.

FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS FILE The Yellow Page Directory for the Reading, Pennsylvania area contains half a page of research and analysis firms, with exciting names such as International Communications Research, Strategic Analysis, Creative Concepts, Global Consulting Services, and Strategic Direction. The point is, there are many firms doing research, especially in metropolitan areas. If a mid-sized city such as Reading has half a page of listings, imagine how many firms are listed for New York or Los Angeles.

If you are really interested in research, consider sending out a few query letters to research firms in your area. At the very least, you may get a chance to talk to research professionals, and find out exactly what they do. You might pick up some great tips for your next project, too.

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DON’T HIDE YOUR LIGHT If you enjoyed the research project, but prefer to stay in the job you have, be sure to use what you’ve learned to improve your job performance and your chances for advancement. Whether you realize it or not, you now have skills that you didn’t have when you started your research project. The question is, how can you use these skills to advance your career? Remember the old adage about hiding your light under a bushel? The light does no good to you, or anyone else, if no one can see it. Well, your newly acquired skills are your “light.” And it’s up to you to let your light be seen. You might start by talking to your immediate supervisor. Ask to be considered for any special projects that come up; tell her how much you enjoyed and learned from your research experience. Be positive and enthusiastic and willing to learn from your mistakes, as well as from your successes. This kind of attitude will be noticed, and you’ll be remembered. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed learning the basics of business research. While having read this book doesn’t make you an expert researcher, it does give you a head start, should you be assigned a project. As important as it is to read and follow advice, however, it’s still more important to use common sense, enthusiasm, determination, and ingenuity. Good luck, and happy researching!

Research Review • You’re the person most qualified to determine the degree of success you experienced with the research project. • Consider the following criteria when trying to determine whether your project was successful: if you learned from it, if you accomplished something by doing it, and if you had fun doing it. • Be prepared to accept positive and negative feedback concerning your business research project. • Listen carefully to suggestions and criticisms, but don’t take feedback too seriously from those who might be envious of you. • If you really enjoyed conducting research, be aware that there are career opportunities in that field. • Let others know what you learned and accomplished during the course of your research project by volunteering for other projects and by being enthusiastic and innovative.

CHAPTER 20

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

Y

ou’ve taken in a lot of information in the previous

chapters of this book. There have been many examples throughout this book of research problems and projects. The “Business Research 101” sidebars also have been examples of actual projects. Hopefully, the examples used throughout the chapters helped you understand the practical applications of business research. To give you a better idea, however, of the type of research that’s going on in the “Real World,” and the kinds of people who are doing it, this final chapter will give you more examples of actual projects, either ongoing or completed. Nearly all people learn best when the information is applied to a practical experience with which they can relate. Let’s think back to the beginning of this book, when we talked about how important information is to every part of our lives. The first thing many of us do when we get up in the morning is to turn on a radio or television. Why? We want information. We’ve got to find out what events happened overnight.

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There’s no shortage of information out there, and it’s constantly changing. In order to make informed choices and decisions, we’ve got to keep up with the information that’s available. Sometimes, the information we need isn’t readily available. We understand what it is we need to know, but we don’t know how to find out. Then we need to use research to find the information we’re looking for. Let’s take a look now at how people and companies use business research to discover the information they need and want. This is how it really works.

JANET TYNER Janet Tyner holds a middle management position in a large company that contracts out therapy and rehabilitation services for rehabilitation facilities, including nursing homes, hospitals, and other specialized care facilities. There are many companies that work to fulfill customer contracts in business today, most of which have employees located all over the country. Tyner says her company uses business research constantly—for a variety of reasons. Much of the research is initiated in the sales and human resources departments, which are charged with various tasks concerning pricing, hiring, and contracting services. Other departments throughout the company, however, employ research as well. Let’s look at a couple of current situations for which Tyner’s company, and others like it, need to conduct business research. Much of the reimbursement for services that Tyner’s company receives comes from Medicare, which pays the fees that are charged to the hospitals and nursing homes. Because of all the changes during the past few years in the way Medicare reimbursement is made, there is an increased competition for customers among businesses like Tyner’s. The companies are being forced to rewrite their contracts and pricing plans, in order to try to attract more business. Their customers, especially the nursing homes, are receiving less reimbursement from Medicare for therapy services, so they are looking to do business with the bidder that offers the lowest price. To increase its chances of landing contracts, companies like Tyner’s spend a lot of time and resources conducting market research through their sales departments. Basically, researchers are trying to learn two things: what services their competitors are offering; and how much their competitors are charging for those services.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

“We do all kinds of extensive research to try to determine those things,” Tyner says. “If we can know what our competitors are offering, it helps us tremendously when it’s time to bid for our customers’ business.” She says that various research methods are used, including surveys and focus groups. Normally, Tyner’s company hires an outside firm to conduct focus group interviews, without telling participants the name of the firm that’s sponsoring the research. “We tend to get more objective information that way,” Tyner said. The research to check out the competition is necessary, according to Tyner, and is not unlike that used by many other kinds of companies. “It’s sort of the same thing supermarkets might do,” she says. “I imagine that Acme sends undercover shoppers over to the A&P to check out their competitor’s prices, so that Acme knows what items to put on sale that week. We need to check out what our competition is doing so that we can try to offer our services for a better price.”

SCOPING OUT SALARIES Many health care and managed care companies have had to scale down operations during the past year. Workers have been laid off, and salaries have been reduced for employees across the country. Extensive research is conducted through the human resource department to determine the average salary scales of comparable jobs in various regions of the country. This information also can be researched through the professional associations of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and others. As you know, some areas pay higher salaries for the same jobs than other areas do. In order to be fair to its workers in all parts of the country, human resources staff must have an accurate idea of how salaries range from region to region. Tyner says that research will continue to be increasingly important to her company, as it struggles to meet the challenges of providing health care services in America. “I can’t imagine that the need for research will decrease as we move into the Twenty-first Century,” she says. “Our industry has a great need for information, just as other industries do. Our research efforts provide the information we need in order to be able to run the company as effectively and efficiently as possible in these changing times.”

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SIOBHAN FLYNN Siobhan Flynn, whom we met in Chapter 3, is a research anotationist for the FOX Network. As professional researcher, she’s called upon to find out a wide variety of information. A primary aspect of her job with FOX is to research script material for accuracy, but she gets involved in numerous other projects as well. Flynn enjoys her job immensely, especially when she’s challenged to find out some obscure piece of information needed for a script. She’s been asked to come up with answers to questions such as these: • What are the names of some poisons that could cause specific genetic mutations? • How many people can fit into a Chinook helicopter? • What does the seal of the United States Marine Corps look like? • Where are the mountain ranges beneath the Pacific Ocean located? It’s all in a day’s work, says Flynn. She’s used all of the common research methods many times, but says she never knows what method she’ll use until the project is before her and she’s considered what she wants to do with it. Recently, Flynn was told to compare the ratings of network TV movies shown between 1991 and 1998. FOX management was looking for trends in the ratings, and wanted to see what types of movies had done best over those years. This was a huge task, but Flynn is used to such projects, and set about figuring out how to do it. “I used basically a statistical approach,” Flynn said. “I looked at numbers, and worked with all the numbers to come up with a narrative.” To begin, she collected the raw data she needed on the 2,586 movies that ran on network TV between 1991 and 1998. The data included the following: • • • •

names of each movie the network on which it was shown the year in which it was shown the rating share it received

From the data, she derived information about the ratings of each show, and was able to identify trends and other kinds of information.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

DOWN TO BUSINESS The ratings share of a television show is a measure used by the A.C. Nielsen Company to determine who’s watching what. If E.R. gets a 35 share, for instance, that means that 35 percent of all sets in use at that time were tuned to E.R.

Flynn divided all the movies shown on network television between 1991 and 1998 into nine categories: • • • • • • • • •

Dramas Comedies Thrillers Action/Adventure Disaster Dramas Romance Westerns Detective Dramedy (a hybrid with features of drama and comedy)

Using those categories and the ratings numbers she had collected, she was able to identify and summarize what types of movies did best overall, and which type ran best in each year. Here’s what she found. Note: the following are excerpts from Flynn’s narrative that she presented to officials at FOX.

THE OVERALL PICTURE 1991–1998 Of the 2,586 movies that appeared on network television from 1991 through halfway through 1998, 1,851 of them achieved a share of 14 or better. That is an average of 72%, and, given the failure rate of network shows, an amazing success story. Those ratings have been slipping in recent years, but I will cover that aspect more fully later in this report. At this point I will give an overview of the various genres that the movies fix into and their relative ratings. Out of the 2,586 movies that appeared, 1,271 of them were Dramas. Out of that 1,271, 1,021 got a 14 or better share, giving this category an 80% success rate. Comedies were the second largest

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genre—334 were shown, but the success share was much lower. Only 47% posted ratings of 14 or higher. However, one comedy, “Home Alone,” has been a consistent high scorer, appearing yearly on NBC at Thanksgiving, and averaging a 26 share. Thrillers were next in the numbers. 204 were aired and 63% received a 14 or above rating with the MOW (Movie of the Week) “The Langoliers” receiving a 31 share. The Action/Adventure genre also posted respectable numbers—91 out of the 153 aired, hit 14 or above, a percentage of 63%. It should be noted, however, that the majority of movies in this category were theatricals for which the overall numbers have declined in recent years for reasons I will go into in further detail later in this report. Disaster Dramas like “Tornado!” (on Fox) posted respectable numbers (67%), as did Romance (65%) and Westerns (69%). In the smaller categories, however, the Detective genre, which featured franchise players (Rockford, Columbo, Perry Mason) did amazingly well—93% scored 14 or above. Another small but successful category was the hybrid Dramedy. Of the 9 films (all MOWs) in this category, every single one did a 14 or better, and the highest scored 28. Overall (and this is obviously a broad generalization), movies that focus on people—whether in dramatic or comic situations—consistently achieve the best ratings. And despite slipping ratings, movies still consistently deliver the most share points year after year. Movies have declined, yes, but the audience will still tune in to see stories that enthrall them, rather than knock them out of their seats. Hightech, hardware movies make up the summer blockbuster, but it is on television that the human drama shines. Notice how Flynn used the numbers to support her narrative, but still made the report interesting to read and easy to understand. She also could have used charts or graphs to illustrate the popularity of the various genres for different years. She was able to draw tentative conclusions from the information she gathered, and she didn’t hesitate to do so at the end of the excerpt, above. Flynn does the same thing in the following excerpt, which deals strictly with movies that appeared on the FOX network. She uses numbers to support her text, and then draws conclusions at the end. Notice the conversational tone of her report, which makes it interesting to read, despite all the number she includes.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

MOVIES ON FOX Three hundred ten movies have appeared on Fox since 1991. In contrast to the other networks, Comedy is king at Fox. Of the 33 movies that did 14 or above, Comedy leads the pack at 11. This genre also delivered the highest ratings with “Home Alone 2” at 21 shares. Also delivering respectable ratings were the Action/Adventure genre (though mostly due to repeated showings of “True Lies”) and Children’s films, led by “Rookie of the Year” with a 17 share. Only 4 straight Dramas (not including subcategories of Crime Drama and Disaster Dramas) received a 14 or above rating. Fox skews to a younger audience than the other networks, and, in contrast to same, delivers to more men. This may account for the skew toward Action and Comedy, as opposed to Drama. It is also important to note that the majority of films that have appeared on Fox are theatricals which, as I will explore below, appears to be a form that is shrinking in ratings. Fox also relies heavily on repeats, which, while economical, creates the non-event impression in the mind of the audience. See it now, see it later, it doesn’t really matter. While repeats create ratings in the short run, they do not create an image of what kind of films Fox is known for. In contrast, CBS is known for quality dramas—the Hallmark series, which scores consistent ratings and also garners nominations. NBC, formerly known for the “I Want My Baby, etc. etc.” has created the three event mini-series of the last three years: “Gulliver,” “Odyssey,” and “Merlin.” ABC, meanwhile, has delivered with Stephen King horror vehicles “The Tommyknockers” and “The Stand,” as well as “Cinderella” in the children’s category. As the youngest network, Fox has the most ground to make up, but it also has the opportunity to shape its image, unencumbered by too much history. From there, Flynn’s report goes on to give a year-by-year recap of which genres of movies did best, and notes the loss or gain in share points for the leading movies. What her research results showed was that, overall, television movies are declining in popularity. She wraps up her report with the following narrative, which nicely summarizes the crux of her research findings.

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The days of heavily watched movies on network television may be a thing of the past. Theatricals, with the few stand-out exceptions of special films like “Schindler’s List” and “Jurassic Park,” do not provide the numbers they once did. The emergence of cable allows a growing segment of the audience to see these films uncut and uninterrupted. Only event pictures like “The Wizard of Oz” and NBC’s successful attempt to turn “Home Alone” into the picture to watch on Thanksgiving have maintained steady ratings over the years. The one kind of movie that has managed to remain on top of the ratings heap is the well-produced, well-received, and heavily promoted MOW and/or mini-series. The three standouts are “Gulliver’s Travels,” “The Odyssey,” and “Merlin.” The common thread is that these movies are engaging stories with well-developed characters at their centers. While they contain action elements, none of them could even remotely be described as hardware movies. They are, however, expensive, as all three utilized name actors, location shooting and, obviously, high production values. However, they do get the ratings, are promotable overseas (due to their highly recognizable and international cast lists) and are marketable as videocassettes. What these kind of movies require, however, is a commitment to go down a path that has not, so far, been heavily traveled. Notice that Flynn’s reports are authoritative and to the point. She has done the research, she has the numbers to support her narrative, and she tells it like it is in her report. She also uses her data to draw conclusions and make recommendations.

JOHN SORTINO John Sortino, the founder of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, decided in 1979 to make a teddy bear. Just one—or so he thought. He wanted to make a bear for his newborn son, Graham. Sortino became intrigued with teddy bears, and stuffed animals in general, as he played with Graham in his nursery. There were dozens of stuffed animals there, and Sortino began noticing that hardly any of them were made in the United States. Further research revealed to Sortino that the big stuffed animal companies like Gund weren’t even making their own bears. They were simply selling stuffed animals that other companies manufactured. Suddenly, Sortino was driven to learn all he could about teddy bears. He wanted to know how they were made, how and where they had originated, and how he could make the best bears that had ever been manufactured.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

He began finding out everything he could about teddy bears, and the mechanics of making them. In 1980, he made his first teddy bear, “Bearcho,” for Graham. Other people saw Bearcho and wanted one for their own kids, or for themselves. Sortino was on to something, and he knew it. He also knew that he still had a lot to learn. His research had just begun. “I quickly found out that very few people knew how to sew, and even fewer knew how to design,” Sortino said. “I frequently found myself hanging out in fabric shops. Early in 1980, as I’m sure of today, very few men hang out in fabric shops.” Once he had the mechanics of making a teddy bear pretty well mastered, Sortino realized he still had a lot of research to do. He wanted to find out what people liked about teddy bears—and what they didn’t like. He could have conducted surveys by mail or telephone, but Sortino decided to take his research directly to the people. He made an 8-foot by 4-foot large pushcart, complete with teddy bear legs, a striped yellow awning, and a sign made from a large, wooden quilting tool. The cart was on bicycle wheels. Sortino stocked his cart with all kinds of teddy bears, including his own, and took it to the Church Street Marketplace, a wide pedestrian walkway with stores on either side, in Burlington, Vermont. “The cart was definitely unique,” Sortino says. “All the kids said it was ‘way’ cool. They all started calling me the Teddy Bear Man.” In addition to being cool, the cart served as Sortino’s research center. “The cart years were very much like Teddy Bear University years,” he says. “I learned everything I could about my competition, the bear business, and the retail market. I felt I knew enough to move forward in an intelligent way.” And move forward, he did. Sortino’s company’s sales grew steadily, reaching 20-and-a-half million dollars by 1994. Sortino employed different types of research than the traditional methods. But the methods he used worked for the situation he was in, and he learned all that he needed to in order to launch his company. Sortino, who is no longer involved with the day-to-day operations of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, has gone on to assist with the start-ups and operations of several other companies. Methods of research vary from company to company, and from situation to situation. It’s important to know about different research methods and how they work, so that you can choose the one that will work best to fill your particular needs.

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Research Review • Research is the primary tool used to discover information that we need for any reason. • Companies use research for many reasons. It might be used to find out about competitor’s services and prices, or to learn the average salaries in different regions for the purposes of adjusting salaries. • Research will become increasingly important as the amount of information available to us continues to grow. • A narrative review, when done properly, can be an effective method of relating research results to others. • Research methods vary widely from company to company, and from project to project. • You shouldn’t feel obligated to use any one particular method of research. Just use the one that works best for your particular need.

APPENDIX

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Brain Power Albrecht, Karl. Brain Power: Learn to Improve Your Thinking Skills. (Prentice Hall, 1992.) Winter, Arthur, M.D., and Ruth Winter. Build Your Brain Power: The Latest Techniques to Preserve, Restore, and Improve Your Brain’s Potential. (St. Martin’s Press, 1987.)

Emotional Intelligence Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. (Bantam, 1997.) ———. Working with Emotional Intelligence. (Bantam, 1998.) ———. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ for Character, Health and Lifelong Achievement. (Bantam, 1995.)

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People Skills Bolton, Robert H. People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts. (Simon & Schuster, 1986.) Fotis, George W. Improving Personal Effectiveness: A Practical Guide to Nine Powerful People Skills. (Career/Scope, 1996.)

Using the Internet Comer, Douglas E. The Internet Book : Everything You Need to Know About Computer Networking and How the Internet Works. (Prentice Hall, 1997.) Glossbrenner, Alfred, and Emily Glossbrenner. Search Engines for the World Wide Web. (Addison-Wesley, 1998.) Gralla, Perston, and Ron White. How the Internet Works. (Que, 1998.) Kent, Peter. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Internet. (Que, 1997.) Levine, John R., Carol Baroudi, and Margaret Levine Young. The Internet for Dummies. (IDG Books, 1999.)

Workplace Skills Chesla, Elizabeth. Improve Your Writing for Work: Write it Right and Get Your Point Across. (LearningExpress, 1997.) Chesla, Erik. Working with Others: How to Become a Team Player and Get Results at Work. (LearningExpress, 1999.) Shelly, Susan. Networking for Novices: Making and Using the Connections that Count. (LearningExpress, 1998.) Sova, Dawn B., Ph.D. Getting Organized at Work: Eliminate the Clutter and Whip Your Office Into Shape. (LearningExpress, 1998.)