Given the importance of the questions you are asking, you need researchers that will take the time to internalize your goals, understand your broader strategy, and act as a true partner. The best, most insightful answers to your questions do not live in isolation, they require understanding the full story. The best insights will be placed in the full context of your brand, your larger ecosystem of products, competitors, and existing strategies. Prior research, both first and third-party, data you already have, and executive guidance should all be carefully considered throughout the process. Accounting for this larger context requires an investment of time and resources by your research partner — an investment that will pay huge dividends in terms of actionable insights.

Making decisions is easier when you trust the data and the resulting insights derived from it. Working with a research partner you trust will provide peace of mind throughout the process that someone with the depth of experience and understanding of your goals is attentively and proactively monitoring all the minutia required to make your project a success. Whether it is the survey design, weighting scheme to ensure it is appropriately balanced, or the in-depth analysis & reporting, you will rest easier knowing you can rely on the underlying data and can present your insights and recommendations with confidence.

High quality deliverables are not just window dressing. They are key to communicating your recommendations and the reasoning behind them. A 200-slide deck chock-full of crosstab slides and audience cuts may be comforting. It may even make you feel like you got good value for your time and money. But they are not going to be effective in landing your recommendations to your leadership team. For that, you need slides that get to the heart of the matter, communicate your recommendations, and back them up with rich supporting data. With the right research partners, you will have a team that will work alongside you to develop the story and the slideware to effectively communicate it.

Your research partner should be responsive, flexible, and available as new questions arise. Research is an iterative process that takes place over time, and a true partnership does not dissolve once you have the “final” deliverables in hand. It endures as your business continues to evolve. Inevitably, when new questions emerge, a partner will continue to work with you to find the answers, whether it’s teasing out an additional insight from prior work or providing guidance on how to leverage new methodologies for another study.