How about market research?

A few days ago, I completed a market survey of new products. I feel a little sad at the moment, and I don't feel unhappy! A corporate headquarters attached great importance to this research work and arranged the task very early. Marketing department, regional business personnel and cooperative planning companies have all held special meetings, but the implementation process and research results are far from the expected research objectives and practical significance. In the words of regional personnel: the beginning is sensational, the process is vague, and the result is not. Although a little radical, it can be seen that the market regulation of enterprises has become a task that must be completed: it can be understood as a form; It can also be understood as going through the motions. According to common sense, it takes a long time to prepare in the early stage, and a detailed and systematic second-hand data collection is carried out from the aspects of product characteristics, target population, channels, terminals, market characteristics and media. , including questionnaire design, research process, relevant personnel, survey samples, location, etc. However, the survey results are still inconsistent with the author's visit to the market. There are contradictions. Is it more accurate to comprehensively judge the results of "qualitative" or "quantitative" surveys? First of all, I don't doubt the quality level and professional ethics of researchers, but I always vaguely feel that the data in this report should be very different from the real market situation (qualitative interview). The problems here are mainly caused by objective reasons (subjective reasons are all in the setting of "quantification" questions in the early stage). First, they don't understand the pattern of market competition, and second, the distribution of major consumers is unclear, which is caused by completely copying the general research model. Therefore, from this perspective, the "quantitative" research in the full sense is not completely applicable to many products and is not suitable for making decisions; Secondly, I don't reject "quantitative" research, otherwise, many market research companies will "sue" me. I still remember a classic market research story. It is said that there is a shoe factory in America, and the owner sent a marketing manager to an isolated island in Africa to investigate the market. After strict quantitative analysis, the marketing manager found that no one actually wears shoes and has no habit of wearing shoes. This data shows that there is no market. When he returned to the hotel, he immediately sent a telegram to tell his boss, "The residents here never wear shoes, and there is no market here." When the boss received the telegram, he thought for a long time. He ordered another marketing manager to make a field investigation. The marketing manager was very excited when he saw that the local people were barefoot and didn't wear any shoes. As soon as he returned to the hotel, he telegraphed his boss: the residents of this island have no shoes to wear and the market potential is huge. Send a million pairs of shoes quickly. Revelation: In the same situation, there are different opinions and conclusions. First of all, how do we view the problems of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis? Neither quantitative analysis nor qualitative analysis is good. The key is how you treat and use the research results. Secondly, what is your comprehensive judgment and feeling about the market? "Qualitative" can provide a more accurate source for consumers' "quantitative" research, otherwise the target consumers may not be found, or consumers who do not meet the target group may not be found. Some people will say that it is another slap in the face. In fact, the business personnel who went to the island to investigate the shoe market did not make quantitative analysis. On the contrary, the former has been analyzed for a long time, but the latter has successfully developed the market. Why? The comprehensive judgment and analysis of the investigation is particularly critical. In other words, "quantification" is based on "feeling" about the market. Then, if the business personnel in the regional market can be as familiar with their own market as Zong, they can have a thorough understanding of the market situation, channels and terminals even without quantitative market analysis. It is unrealistic to investigate every regional market for every new product, but there are more or less differences in regional markets, such as brand influence, channel structure, source of consumers, competitive brand status, resource input and so on. With what? By accumulation; It also depends on acuity and control. What should regional sales staff do when new products are launched? It is difficult for business personnel to adjust the packaging, ex-factory price and taste when new products are on the market. What can be adjusted to the maximum extent is the market operation structure, channel structure, channel (terminal) and consumer promotion of products. Therefore, qualitative research is very important for regional salesmen, so don't fall into the misunderstanding that qualitative research is unscientific and mathematical model is more scientific. In many cases, when consumers and channels in the domestic market are not very market-oriented or mature, it is impossible to reflect the real market situation with quantitative data models. Moreover, it is difficult for consumers and distributors to draw correct conclusions through quantitative models. What can we do next? First of all, understand the dealer's agent will. China is "vast in territory and abundant in resources". There are too many consumer goods terminals scattered, and it is difficult to achieve complete coverage by our own efforts. Never tell me that consumers are the most important, and we will eventually catch loyal consumers. If you have been in the market, you will understand how important a suitable agent is to you. I don't want to elaborate on this issue. You should go to the wholesale market or the distributor of similar products first. Of course, you can "lie" that you are a competing business person (dealers don't compete for this brand), first understand the actual situation and see what the interests, strengths and ideas of the dealers are. If the banker is interested and willing, then identify himself and apologize (generally speaking, he will understand). Then it's easy to say. You should talk to him about the company's main policies and requirements. If you have a high desire, you can talk about the details next. To find out the dealer's views and ideas on this market, he will generally know the practices and sales volume of similar brands, and then you will generally have to go through major wholesalers, and the basic situation should be clear. Say something beside the point. There are many people who habitually hate to do agency (second batch business) incentive activities, thinking that it will do great harm to the market, saying that it is the company's inventory transfer, but the actual situation is far from simple in theory. Whether it is out of pressure or encouragement to the library, it is very necessary to carry out channel promotion at the appropriate time in the off-season and peak season; Whether it is to suppress competitors plays an important role. Sometimes the power of dealers is still great (whether from the perspective of fund raising or product distribution), and most of the time, nothing is the biggest crisis. Of course, these are all strategic and targeted incentives, and blind promotion is of course harmful. Second, it doesn't matter if you visit dozens of houses instead of visiting terminals in the past. More importantly, the quality of the visit? Generally speaking, we use our "leisure time" to visit restaurants and wine terminals, usually before lunch in the morning, before dinner in the afternoon, and preferably before dinner (many small bosses don't get up in the morning), so that the terminal boss will have time to greet you. Ask him what he thinks of the main competitive brands, how to operate them, and reflect customers' views on competitive brands through the terminal boss; Then take a closer look at the display, empty boxes, gifts, giveaways, promotions, posters, animations, signed agreements, and the general sales of major brands and so on. Go to the terminal and don't just ask: boss, is this easy to sell? Boss, which one sells well? He will bother you very much, and the boss will think: What does it have to do with you? ! Then, where is your product breakthrough? Generally speaking, fast elimination is a breakthrough in the terminal; Which terminals are consumers concentrated in, and the contact points are easy to find? Then go to restaurants, restaurants, night markets and supermarkets respectively. Analyze the overall impact of these terminals on the listing of products, and focus on which industries are conducive to the listing breakthrough; Which terminals can I access in the second step? Some people like to say: how important consumers are, the opening must be consumers. However, it will not be very effective to launch consumption activities immediately after the new products are listed. What is the reason? A new product, except for large-scale advertising and hype, is difficult to play an absolute winning role through pure advertising marketing. In other words, the era of advertising winning is basically gone, and consumers will not buy a product when they see it. There is a process, that is: first get attention-know; Then feeling-interest, then demand-desire, and finally action-purchase. From this psychological process, we can know that consumers should pay attention to new products before they go on the market, and then promote them after they have a strong desire, and the effect will be very good. So the effect of instant promotion is not good. See if the discounted products in the supermarket will sell well now? Will you buy as an ordinary consumer? Most of them won't, because you don't even know how much this product is worth. For you, discounts have no sense of value (you don't realize the benefits of reducing prices). Terminal motivation is not just "doing terminal death; It's as simple as not waiting for death at the terminal, because this is a very important part of the smooth launch of the product. Without this part, the product will have problems in connection (proxy) and connection (connecting consumers). "This link" is an important link for consumers to want to buy. Third, strategic consumer survey If you stop a consumer in the street, ask him: Is this product good? It is generally difficult to get the right result, either people ignore you or deal with you; If you invite some consumers to have a discussion, most of them will give you face and say: not bad. Therefore, as a regional business person, you should "pretend" that you are a consumer, chat with them, make them unprepared, and express their true thoughts in a relaxed atmosphere, so as to get real results. You can go to consumers and see what they are spending. Whether the brands or products consumed in different places are consistent. In this way, you will know how to stimulate consumers' activities through channels and terminals after the product goes on the market, so as to stimulate the sustained consumption of target consumers. Finally, I have to quote a sentence that Mr. Zong Houqing said many years ago: For the market, I follow my feelings. Many people criticize this sentence; Many people disagree. But there are too many meanings behind this sentence. To find out, is Zong Houqing really sitting at home "following his feelings" and making such a big market? Absolutely not. He travels more than 200 days a year, and his roots are deeply rooted in the market. No matter the media, channels, terminals and consumers, they are all in his "feeling". This is the real market research. Market research is much better than the so-called "surprise" quantitative and qualitative research. From this point of view, I am very supportive of Zong's taking back the Wahaha brand, because I think "Wahaha" will last forever under Zong's leadership, although I think it is wrong to live in a "joint venture". Ok, now you know what "market research" is and how to conduct it? In particular, how business personnel conduct "market research" on the regional market is actually your "feeling" about this market, and you can grasp, control and even lead the real "feeling" of this market. Sales need to be smart. What about the "research" of the regional market that you are responsible for? I think the reason is the same.