WHAT MAKES A GOOD MARKET RESEARCHER?

At Market Research Agency, Critical, we have a diverse, highly experienced team of researchers, who are extremely passionate about the work we do, and their priority is to always exceed our clients’ expectations. 

What makes us different, is that we work in partnership with our clients to fully understand their needs, aims, and objectives, advising on the best approach to gain genuine insights, that add real value to their business.

Let’s delve deeper and ask, what makes us good market researchers?

Technology is continually evolving, and there is a vast amount of market research tools and solutions available, but these alone cannot be relied on to deliver impact to market research projects.  Even if you are highly skilled in using these, that doesn’t mean you are a good market researcher.

So, what does it actually take to be a good market researcher, and what skills and qualities are essential in delivering the type of insights that will add real value to our client’s business? 

1. Client Engagement

To be able to deliver strategic market research, we as good market researchers must adapt based on our client’s requirements.  Every client is different, and every project is different.  We need to fully understand their individual needs, what are the issues, where is the gap, what are their marketing strategies, and what do they need to know to make better business decisions? 

When we have this information we can then determine what is the best approach, and the tools we need for this particular project.  A good market researcher pulls on all of the tools available, and often this can be using multiple methods to obtain meaningful results.

“What I enjoy about working at Critical Research, is working in partnership with our clients. Helping our clients make better and more informed decisions that are backed by data.” Ben Farr

2. A Suite Of Research Methods To Hand

There are multiple research methods that make up the world of market research. Each of these methods has its pros and cons, so a good market researcher needs to utilise the method (or methods) which will provide the most insight for the client’s brief.  For example, online research communities include a bigger set of respondents which allows for comparative analysis, whilst focus group discussions provide a detailed opinion from selected people in a social environment.

3. No Preconceptions

Clients come in all sorts of guises, so it is important that we toss aside any preconceived notions we might have about them, to reduce any possible risks of being biased. As good market researchers, we avoid asking questions that could directly affect the answers we get or subtly lead participants to give us the answers we want. Clients benefit the most from research that is accurate, insightful, and honest. 

“I think what makes me a good researcher is my ability to adapt to any situation. Whether that’s relating to the topic matter, research methodology, or client needs, all of which I have experienced quite a variety in my 20 years in the industry. Jon Wood

4. Empathetic and Sympathetic

As market researchers, we come across a huge variety of personalities and traits when it comes to speaking to respondents, we are meeting people on a day-to-day basis.  Whether that be in a qualitative situation such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, or in large-scale nationally representative projects.  So whether it is online or face-to-face we need to be able to build a rapport with respondents in order for them to comfortably share their thoughts and insights with us.  

We need to be a people person, making sure respondents feel comfortable when they are speaking with us is paramount.  We do not dismiss someone because of their opinions, as they are all equally valid, and actually, they can have something valuable to share.

5. Exceptional Communication Skills

As good market researchers, we have exceptional communication skills, whether that be written or verbal.  Clients and participants need to be communicated to in a clear and engaging manner to truly understand the purpose and findings of the research.   The communication style needs to be agile and adapted to suit the industry and audience.  The final outcome would be that our clients have been provided with understandable insights that will aid them with their decision-making going forward. 

6. Meticulous Analytical Skills

It is one thing to gather substantial data, but knowing how to interpret and make sense of that data, and convert it into valuable insights is much more important. As a good market researcher, we need to be able to analyse and decipher raw data into actionable insights and trends for your client’s businesses.  

It is paramount to have a thorough understanding of our client’s objectives, and their challenges and take all of that into consideration when analysing the data, as everything should tie back to the business goals.  These could be the traditional ones like revenue, customer experience, marketing ROI, or an increase in new customers.  Fundamentally, everything needs to tie back to the client’s business goals and objectives. 

“For me one of the main assets needed is adaptability. Whether that is an ability to manipulate numbers and wordsmith questionnaires, or the capacity to take on board huge amounts of information, and then unambiguously convey concepts verbally, through graphics, or technical writing, add to this efficient project management and all that goes with that – we do these things, and many more, every single day. And they are all important to being a successful researcher.” James Hopkins

7. Engaging Presentation And Reporting Qualities 

A good market researcher interprets the data that has been collected and conducts in-depth analysis drawing insight from this.   We need to be able to understand large often complex data.  This needs to be well-documented, actionable, and shown in a visually understandable report that our clients can decipher clearly and simply. 

As good market researchers, we are expected to accurately present these findings to our clients, and be prepared to answer any follow-up questions. This is, after all, what our clients have paid for, and it is this insight that will help them make informed business decisions. It is, therefore, vital that we harbor engaging reporting and presentation skills.

8. Conscious Of Trends

We are clued on to patterns and trends through our data analysis and interpret purposeful insights from them.  We have the intelligence and know-how to be able to create a logical assumption from the different observations we have gathered that will support our clients to make informed business decisions.  We have statistical software that supports us in presenting results whether that be quantitative research or qualitative research.

“I enjoy being ‘in the know’ as far as new home technology, streaming services, and social media platforms are concerned, and it’s always interesting to see which ones stick.” Kay Rossiter-Base

9. Proficient People Management Skills

Market Research is all about people, whether that be the respondents, our colleagues, or the client, and therefore it is of the utmost importance that we have excellent people management skills.  Market Research needs people to work, and this needs to be a strong group dynamic to produce high-level results and insights.  We listen, take on board others’ opinions, and are open to receiving and giving feedback.    

“I think you also have to be a good project manager, or at least have one in your team. As a researcher you are often juggling multiple projects at different stages – you need good organisational skills to plan projects effectively, efficiently, and meet deadlines.” Sarah Connis

10. Incessant Curiosity

We continuously ask questions, we are full of curiosity, hungry for information, and have the constant desire to know and learn more.  We never stop asking why and deciphering the how’s.  

We always want to dig that little bit deeper, look a little bit further, and see things from a different perspective, so that we can be challenged to think of ideas and solutions that others may not have thought of.  We have the desire to be leaders of new research methods and be a part of driving the industry forward.  

This is what we think makes a good market researcher.

Please get in contact if you would like to speak to one of us.