Improving B2B Response - Involve and Inform

A study by the UK's Critical Research suggests that agencies need to work closely with businesses to improve falling BtoB response rates. The study found senior decision-makers were often unclear about the purpose or benefit of research, and wary about being hooked into a sales call.

Critical interviewed senior decision-makers in 300 UK businesses, and found that lack of time was the main reason given for non-participation in MR. However, it wasn't the only factor: 41% of those who don't normally participate in surveys said they didn't feel research was relevant to their organisation, 29% agreed that market research was 'boring', and 22% couldn't see the point of MR.

Fewer than half (42%) of all senior decision-makers agree that the MR industry has a good reputation, and 66% feel that it is not always possible to tell the difference between genuine MR and sales calls. When asked what would make them more likely to participate in research, more than 68% said that seeing a copy of the final results would help. Incentives and charitable donations were also popular.

According to Sarah Connis, Research Director at Critical: 'The whole industry - agencies, clients and industry associations - needs to work together to combat falling BtoB response rates. This includes promoting the industry in a positive light, differentiating MR from sales calls, and considering the needs of respondents. Giving a clear introduction that explains the purpose of the research and why the respondent's opinion is important, offering a summary of results, and keeping the questionnaire length down are likely to do most to improve response rates.'

The company is online at www.critical.co.uk

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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