QRCA Views Magazine, Spring 2016

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10 QRCA VIEWS SPRING 2016
n FROM THE PRESIDENT n
Resist the DIY Temptation: Qualitative
Research Is Best Handled by a Professional
S o many years ago I cannot remember, in the discussion forum area of
Craigslist, I found just about the funniest thing I have ever read in my life.
It was a real life story, or at least I like to believe it was true, of a gentle-
man’s epic tale of trying to fix the commode in his home after his child, or
maybe it was his cat, tried to flush down something crazy. We all have heard or
experienced one of these anecdotes in the past, right? “How hard can it be?” we
all ask ourselves. The story turns into this comedy of errors by the homeowner, an
otherwise pretty handy repairman, and how one small DIY project developed into
this whole wild string of adverse events (both inside and outside the powder
room), thousands of unneeded dollars spent to undo what he inadvertently had
done to his home, and a true nightmare created for him and his family, who had to
live through it with him.
If only he had called a professional in the first place, that smart decision might
have cost him just a few hundred dollars, one less migraine headache, and avoided
at least half-a-dozen “I-told-you-so’s” from his wife. Lesson learned!
We see a lot of this do-it-yourself practice in market research these days, specifi-
cally qualitative research. How difficult can it be to talk to a few dozen people
about your products, right? Each time I hear a marketer say something like this, I
am brought back to this story of the homeowner and how a professional plumber
would have changed the entire outcome and bottom line for this man.
When it comes to qualitative research, what distinguishes a professional from an
amateur is significant. Professional QRCs know the rules of what works and what
does not. There are dozens and dozens of moving parts in a qualitative project.
Knowing who and how to engage support, location selection, recruitment criteria,
geographic implications, etc., ensures your project will run smoothly. We know
what methodology to employ to get our clients the insights they need to make the
best decisions. We know how to be ambitious while maintaining realistic expecta-
tions for our clients. We have knowledge and experience to save you from uh-oh’s
and I-told-you-so’s.
Professional QRCs are highly skilled practitioners. Quality and direction of
respondent interaction is the key to collecting good data. QRCs are trained on how
to elicit information and meaningful feedback in a manner that is more honest and
reflective of true consumer behaviors. Most of us bring formal training into our
practice like psychology, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, marketing, user
design, and many other disciplines.
Professional QRCs do not carry baggage. We QRCs are not affected by cognitive
constructs or internal biases that exist with insider exposure to a client’s company;
therefore, we can provide a clean and objective perspective, which is a great bene-
fit. QRCs can quickly come up to speed in a category, easily absorb secondary
research or otherwise prepare themselves to speak to your customers. Yet, profes-
sional QRCs don’t get so rooted that they develop biases. In the end, a professional
QRC will just collect better data and will serve as your perfect competitive intelli-
gence tool.
Just as I would not ask my tax attorney to represent me in divorce court (even
though my tax guy is brilliant), I would not recommend do-it-yourself qualitative
research. There is much value a professional qualitative researcher will provide, not
to mention avoiding the uh-oh’s . To learn more about the professional competen-
cies QRCA members adhere to, please visit
Monica Zinchiak
Z Research Services
San Diego, CA