The
$1,000 Research Project
Attributed to Marketing Strategists Al Reis &
Jack Trout
(notes taken by Greg Coughenour from a presentation by James
P. Cecil)
Take your top 10 customers to
a private lunch one at a time. Plan to spend $100 on each lunch
(less if you go to McDonalds). Tell them that you need their help to
answer some serious questions. Then while they eat, ask the
following questions...and write down EXACTLY what they say--do
NOT paraphrase their answer, do NOT prompt them, and do NOT
argue with their answer at this time. It is immaterial what I value
--it is what my customers & prospects value that
counts..."I am not my own market"
1. Why have you stayed loyal to us? ...(What is it we do to
keep you coming back.)
2. What are we doing intelligent for you that we ought to do a
lot more of? ...(Then let them think---do not prompt their
response)
3. What are we doing stupid that we ought to stop doing now?
4. Where do you see your company being in 2 years? ....(what
is it that you are going to become that I got to start learning
about now so that I will be there appropriate when you are there.)
5. In a perfect world, what would someone in my capacity do that
would help you accelerate the journey?
6. I have a small ad budget. If I could only run one ad and I had
to reach you with that ad, what publication is most likely to be
read by you? ...(What is a must read for you? What publication
do you throw into your briefcase & take home for the weekend to
read? What other publications do you read? ----THEN get these
publications and read them yourself. Look at competitor ads in these
publications for ideas on how they are positioning themselves to
your market. Also get the philosophy & tone from these
publications for use in your marketing.
Now add another 3 or 4 questions of your own and you have your
research questionaire to use. After each interview, fold your notes
up, place them into an envelope, and seal it. (otherwise you might
be tempted to make some decisions on only 1 powerful response....1
response is an opinion, 10 responses is research)
Once all 10 interviews are completed, open up all the sealed
envelopes and begin to stack rate the responses to each question.
You will begin to see some common responses that you can now use to
enhance your marketing program.
Next time you sit down to write ad copy, you may have found whole
streams of words they (customers & prospects) use to describe
what they want -- in their terms. That is why you must write down
their responses exactly. If they said, "I don't like that GD#@!
voice mail system" then write that down exactly and don't argue
the point right then.
"To sell John Smith what John Smith buys, you must first see
through John Smith's eyes"
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