Our Process

If you are in the process of embarking upon a marketing research study, the first few steps that you take will be the most critical in the entire research process, and will determine the eventual success of your study.

The first three questions that should be asked during the project-planning phase are:

  1. What is the purpose of the research?
  2. What are the central decisions the results will be used to make?
  3. What criteria will be used to make those decisions?

These questions are best addressed even before considering research design and methodology issues. If you would like more information on project planning, please download our recommendations for Planning a Successful Research Project(PDF).

While planning the forthcoming study, you may find it useful to follow our 10 Steps to Quality Research(PDF), which you may also download.

Typically, the next step in this process is the selection of a research firm that is best suited to manage the project, either in whole, or in part. Download our tips on Selecting a Research Supplier(PDF), which provides some guidelines in choosing a vendor that is suited to the requisites of your project. In most cases, The Research Spectrum can offer the right mix of resources to best suit your research requirements.