Tom H. C. Anderson - More Than Market Research

Today Wendy Marx, a Fast Company - Expert Blogger (who has a great blog on PR and Personal Branding) posted a very flattering review about my marketing efforts and about Anderson Analytics.

You may want to check out her blog if you are interested in personal branding as we all need to be reminded about marketing basics and understand what works for others from time to time. When Wendy called me the other day as she was writing the piece we spoke and she asked me what tips if any I would give others starting their own businesses. I mentioned a few top of mind items which she listed such as: 1. Think differently, 2. Work with smart people, and 3. Give back.

I think perhaps I would add two things:

Talk is Cheap/Show Expertise – Rather than just taking about what you can do, since client projects are usually confidential, we have conducted research at our own cost so that we can show specific examples of the types of insights we can provide.

Along with “work with smart people” I would add:

Do your own work – Trust and Reputation is key. Most market research companies these days offshore several parts of the process. During the firs six months of business as Anderson Analytics, before I had staffed up I continued to use the same off-shore relationships I had relied on in my past position prior to starting Anderson Analytics. However after just a few months of starting I decided to pull the plug on all off-shoring. I think most marketers who engage in off-shoring simply haven’t understood the risk and true costs associated with the practice, to me client trust is of utmost importance, and I really have come to believe that offering a quality product while off-shoring is not possible. 

I’d be curious to hear what you think.

Do you feel off-shoring is worth the supposed cost savings?

Perhaps more importantly, do market research suppliers have an obligation to their clients to let them know if they are sending data overseas?

-Tom

Tom H. C. Anderson

Managing Partner

Anderson Analytics, LLC