Qualitative Market Research - Attract
Quality Respondents With The Four W's
by Mark Goodin

Similar to the classic marketing mix for products and services, getting quality respondents for your qualitative market research has a mix of ingredients, too. They are who, why, what and where. WHO is being targeted, WHY should respondents care, WHAT'S in it for respondents and WHERE will the respondents come from? Here's how each of these critical elements impacts your fieldwork:

WHO is being targeted?

Knowing who your intended respondents are is the foundation on which quality fieldwork is built. But it is surprising how many researchers fail to understand what recruiters need in order to deliver what researchers want. Understanding your target establishes proper incentives, persuasive subject matter and the source from which your respondents will come.

WHY should respondents care?

Respondents are motivated to attend market research activities for many reasons. And the subject matter is one of them. Open the door with compelling subject matter, not useless statements like "we're really depending on you," "your opinions are important to us" or "you'll have a fun time."

Consider this example. A client needed respondents who had purchased a new automobile within the past 45 days. Respondents could not be told that the topic of the research was automobiles. They could only be told that the research was about sales advertising. Not very convincing. How did this affect recruiting?

Camouflaged screening increased the client's costs and slowed the recruiting. Here's why. In addition to purchase questions about automobiles, respondents were asked about televisions, household appliances and mattresses. On top of that, the crucial referral process had to be disguised in the same way, which reduced its effectiveness. A lot of time and money was spent fielding calls from unqualified respondents.

WHAT'S in it for respondents?

When respondents aren't excited about the topic, or when the topic cannot be disclosed, the only option is to offer a higher incentive. But beware. Big incentives bring big consequences.

High incentives in lieu of interesting subject matter increase your risk of attracting people who are only motivated by the money. What's more, money alone does not allow you to fully tap into the pool of quality respondents.

Remember this: first-rate respondents are attracted by compelling subject matter first, then incentives. So if your topic isn't interesting or it must remain vague, don't be surprised if you get less-than-stellar respondents.

WHERE will respondents come from?

The list is everything when it comes to recruiting respondents. Whether the list is an established respondent database, a client-supplied sample or hand-assembled, your project will not succeed if recruiters don't have an abundance of quality names to call. When deciding whether you have enough list, use the 25 to 1 rule: Recruiters should have at least 25 names to call per respondent needed.

But since so many of today's projects have reduced recruiting to finding needles in haystacks, more list is often needed. That's why it's best practice to check with recruiters you trust to determine how much list you'll need, and where it should come from. Then decide on appropriate subject matter and incentives. Doing so will help you avoid unexpected costs, slow recruiting progress, poor show rates and professional respondents.

About the Author

Mark Goodin is president of Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services, the respondent recruiting and fieldwork management specialists for qualitative market researchers. Subscribe to "Field Smarts," the monthly e-newsletter that helps you improve your qualitative fieldwork. Receive a free report when you sign up at http://www.aaronabrams.com/newsletter