Market research is less like a puzzle, and more like a system. That’s because with a puzzle, it’s possible to have a few missing pieces here and there, and still have a sense of what is being depicted. A system, on the other hand, isn’t as forgiving. If any component is missing, it ceases to function.
That brings us back to market research: if any aspect is improperly developed or executed, then the end result (i.e. the insights and intelligence a business wants to generate to make smarter and faster decisions) won’t be valuable or reliable. Or at least, not at the level it could or should be.
What does this have to do with qualitative recruiters? It’s simple: if your next market research project requires qualitative recruiters, then ensuring that you address this requirement is essential to your success. Frankly, it doesn’t matter how good your other aspects might be, such as defining the business problem, developing questions, and so on. If your recruitment isn’t done correctly, then the insights will be inherently flawed.
Of course, this begs the question: when it is sufficient to handle things in-house and own your own, and when do you need external qualitative recruiters? Here are some points to help you make this determination, and put your market research effort and investment on-track for success or failure:
When You Do Not Need Qualitative Recruiters
- When you are doing 5 or fewer interviews - This is typically done to get a “feel” for a topic, and do some preliminary exploration and discovery in order to define a proper research question (sometimes, this can be done in conjunction with other methods, such as consulting secondary research sources).
- When you have a list of about 10 people in your target audience and they’ve all agreed to do interviews - As long as consenting participants are sourced correctly, a small list can typically be handled in-house if you do not have the resources to go elsewhere.
- When the people on your interview list are people with whom you are directly connected with — If participants have a relationship with you personally, and not just your business, you can already have informal conversations with these individuals and ensure they are aware of their role in the process.
When You Need Qualitative Recruiters
- When you have 50 or more people that you wish to interview - Getting the study and the participants organized only seems simple until you start the process — and then you realize that contacting each participant, keeping up with the outcomes of every call and email, and getting everyone screened, qualified and schedule is an enormous logistical and administrative burden.
- When you do not have a personal relationship with the people on your list - Without a personal relationship and connection, you’ll need an expert who knows how to engage potential participants, and have all-important initial conversations with them to explain a research opportunity, the process, and so on. An experienced recruiter knows who to contact and how to ensure that they participate in a study.
- When you are at all concerned about violating any regulations - Regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), can be tricky to navigate in market research. Because running afoul of this (and other) regulations can result in serious consequences, including fines, lawsuits and reputation damage, having a qualitative recruiter can help you avoid problems.
Learn More
To learn more about whether you need qualitative recruiters for your next market research project, contact the Communications For Research team today. Our co-CEO Colson Steber is always happy to discuss market research opportunities and he can provide you a quote based on your timeline and budget. If you have already developed your plan, we will gladly review it and provide you with targeted, practical feedback.
For more information on the value of market research and how to communicate it to your clients, download our FREE eBook:
