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JWPM Consulting

Customer Research

Find out what your customers and prospects think, feel, know and the problems they need solve

JWPM Consulting

Customer research can provide valuable insights to drive improvements giving you a competitive edge

JWPM delivers specific expertise undertaking customer research in b2b and industrial markets.

Existing customers

Existing customers fall into two important categories:

Current customers these are the firms or people who are currently buying from you (generally "have purchased" in the last 12 months). Finding out what they think and feel about your company, products and services, and how you compare to competitors, can provide important information. What are you doing right, what are you doing wrong and suggestions for improvement.

Further, understanding the obvious and less obvious motivations that drive your customers' purchasing decisions provides the basis for developing powerful strategy and creative communications.

Typically when selling in B2B and technical markets, the prevailing opinion is that purchase decisions are based on logic, and yet selling decisions are made by people who more often are driven by something deeper. Customer research is a tool for delving into what truly motivates them.

Lapsed customers (haven't bought from you in the last 12 months), asking these people "where have you gone and why?" can be very illuminating. You thought it was price driven; however, there can be many reasons - not knowing why means that you are destined to keep making the same errors.

Potential customers

Understanding why the rest of the market isn't buying from you can provide important information (particularly if the answer is "we've never heard of you.") This exercise can be expanded to developing a sales target prospect list.

JWPM routinely undertakes customer research either as part of a larger strategy development project or as a standalone exercise.

Customer research in b2b markets is a great tool for discovering...

  • Brand strength and image: How well is your brand cemented into the minds of your existing and potential customers (if at all)? What values do they attribute to your brand? Who do they consider to be the market leader and why?
  • Customer attitudes toward your firm: How do your customers think you perform? How can you improve?
  • Potential interest in products and services: Do they have a potential interest in your products and services?
  • Industry trends: Customers have a diverse insight into what is happening in their industry. Asking their point of view may unearth new opportunities.
  • Buying criteria: What drives their decision making?
  • Profiling questions: These can be straight forward demographic questions (age, sex, geographic location, company seniority) but can also extend to identifying decision makers, buying process and also their industry focus/product application.
  • Identifying their problems: Selling is much easier when your product or service can solve a customer's problem. Or, solve the way they need to buy a product or service.
  • Comparison questions or bench-marking: How do we compare on price, service, quality, delivery speed, understanding - are we easy to do business with? These questions can be very insightful.
  • Net Promotor Score: NPS is the latest thing in measuring customer satisfaction. There is still time to apply it to your business (before everyone wears it out).

There are many questions and each project we undertake is tailored to your needs.

Importantly, it is far more effective if we ask the questions; customers are more likely to be honest with a third party.

Contact JWPM today to discuss your customer research requirements.

Read more about our Market Research Capabilities

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