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April 21, 2005
Utilizing Focus Groups
Before a company invests time, money and effort into a new product or service it should determine interest from potential customers. Focus groups can help do this. By bringing together a small group of customers or potential customers, companies can gather pertinent data not attainable through surveys or other forms of market research. Focus groups are exploratory in nature and are intended to help a company more clearly define additional research activities and direction.
American Management Association offers the following tips on running a successful focus group:
Create an environment conducive to discussion. Set up a room where participants will be at ease and feel free to talk. You want a quiet meeting space. If you want feedback on a prospective new product, you may want to hold the focus group at a third party’s location so input isn’t biased by information about your company.
Select an objective facilitator. Members of the team may not be the best individuals to run the meeting. Since they helped to conceive the product or service, they may be biased. A facilitator should be a good listener, nonjudgmental or intimidating, and able to elicit responses from participants and encourage them to elaborate on their thoughts and ideas.
Promote a stimulating discussion. You are seeking a variety of opinions, and a group setting will encourage give-and-take. Props or prototypes of products, advertisements or other material often help trigger in-depth responses.
Invite those whose opinions matter. If you have a new product idea, invite those customers for whom the product is intended. If you have a change in process under consideration, involve those whose support would be critical to its successful implementation. The group shouldn’t exceed ten to twelve participants.
Set a time frame for the meeting. Most focus groups shouldn’t last more than two hours. But the meeting should be long enough to allow all of the people to participate. If the discussion is on a roll and you are getting lots of valuable ideas, you and participants may want to keep it going.
Record responses. It’s easy to forget what was said. It is also possible to let your own opinions distort what you think you heard. Have someone take notes, or record the discussion and have a transcription for post-meeting review. If you record the session, however, it is a legal requirement that the participants are aware that they are being recorded.
Elicit written feedback, too. You want the opinions of all of the participants. Simply asking respondents to write down their initial thoughts before discussions begin ensures that you get input from all participants and captures the full range of ideas.
Thank participants. At the end of the session, tell the participants that you appreciate their involvement. Many focus groups include a meal at the facility. Some organizations pay participants a nominal fee.
Use the focus group data to refine your direction. Companies shouldn’t prematurely draw broad conclusions from focus groups—they only provide general guidance. Use what you’ve learned from the session as a starting-off point to continue your market research.
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