Good, reliable market information, based on good, reliable marketing research, is more important than ever to businesses of every size and description. But nowhere is it more critical than in the business-to-business marketplace.

And nowhere is that need more overlooked. Business-to-Business Marketing Research is not merely an extension of consumer-based marketing research. Buying situations are very involved and complex and rarely involve an impulse purchase. In most instances the individual who actually sings the purchase order—the purchasing agent—has no influence on the decision at all. In order to survive in today’s competitive environment, business marketers need to know all elements of the buying decision, including how that decision is made and who actually makes it. Effective research is the only way to gain that knowledge.

Unfortunately, many business marketers are still relying on traditional consumer techniques. There might have been a reason for such reliance in the past, but not any more. Martin and Tamara Block’s Business-to-Business Marketing Research gives the reader a comprehensive guide to the world of business-to-business marketing research, including:

• An overview of state-of-the-art business-to-business marketing research techniques with examples of practical applications.
• Outline of specific business-to-business research problems, such as identifying market characteristics, determining price levels, determining sales support, and identifying key buying influencers.
• Specifics for developing market research budgets.
• Key steps and touchpoints in analyzing data base information and making database information make sense to others in senior management.
• In-depth explanations of new research methods in qualitative marketing research.

All of this plus a CD of additional analysis and explanation makes Business-to-Business Marketing Research a must-have for every business marketer.

Chapter 1 The Business-to-Business Research Landscape

Nature of Business-to-Business Marketing
     Derived Demand
     Buying Cycle and Influences
     Negotiation and the Value of Information
     Customer Service
Business-to-Business Marketing Problems
     Identifying Market Characteristics
     Determining Pricing
     Developing New Products
     Developing Promotions
     Creating Sales Force Support
     Getting Distribution
     Evaluating Customer Satisfaction
The Research Process
     Defining Research Problems
     Establishing Research Objectives, Research Hypotheses, and Information Needs
     Presenting the Results
Ways to Classify Research
     Primary Versus Secondary Research
     Custom Versus Syndicated Research
     Exploratory, Conclusive, and Evaluative Research
     Business-to-Business Information
The Research Industry
     Syndicated Research Suppliers
     Custom Research Suppliers
     Field Services
     Web-Based Suppliers
     Consultants

Chapter 2 Managing Business-to-Business Market Research

Value-Based Marketing Perspectives
     Increasing Business
     Defining Customers and Prospects
Building and Maintaining the Marketing Database
     Building the Marketing ResearchDatabase
     Assembling the Data
     Preparing the Data
     Selecting the Statistical Model
     Applying the Analysis to the Problem
The Research Budget
     Research and Instrument Design
     Data Collection
     Data Preparation and Analysis
     Final Report and Presentation
Notes

Chapter 3 Secondary Sources of Information

Commercial Databases
     Bibliographic Databases
     Numeric Databases
     Directory Databases
     Encyclopedic Databases
Internal Information
     Internal Financial Information
     Sales Information
     Customer Information
     Personnel Records
Governmental Information
     Department of Commerce
     State and Local Agencies
Standard Industrial Classifications
     Establishments
     Code Structure
Other SecondaryInformation
     Directories
     Syndicated Information
     Periodical Literature
     Associations
Appendix: Standard Industrial Classifications

Chapter 4 Marketing Databases

Database Fundamentals
     Customer Data Sources
     External Data Sources
     File Structures and Languages
     Defining Variables
     Access
     Maintenance
The Principal of Segmentation
     Data-Driven Marketing
     Segmentation Variables
     Direct Marketing Purchase Variables
     Purchase Variables
Defining Segmentation Variables for Analysis
     Levels of Measurement
     NOMINALMEASURES
     RATIOMEASURES
     INTERVAL AND ORDINAL MEASURES
     Scales and Level of Measurement
Criteria for Measurement Quality
     Validity
     Reliability
     Measurement Precision
Outliers
Missing Data

Chapter 5 Analytical Tools

Descriptive Analysis
Statistical Significance
Graphical Analysis
Criterion-Based Statistical Models
     Multiple Regression
     Logit Analysis
     Discriminant Analysis
     CHAID
Cluster Analysis
Database Applications
     Lead Generation
     TELEPHONE METHODS
     MAIL METHODS
     Marketing Queries
     Marketing Strategy Development
     Marketing Tactic Evaluation
     Time and Activity Measures

Chapter 6 Designing Survey Research

When Survey Research Is Appropriate
     Evaluating and Tracking Communications Programs
     Recall Versus Recognition
     Segmenting Markets
     Product Introductions
     Measuring Customer Satisfaction
Market and Sales Problems
Sophisticated Measurement and Sample Size
Communication Methods
     Face-to-Face Interviewing
     Telephone Interviewing
     Mail Surveys
     Computer-Aided Interviewing and the Internet
     Other Survey Methods

Chapter 7 Fielding Survey Research

Sampling Methods
     Random Sampling
     Stratified and Cluster Sampling
     Convenience Sampling
SurveyResponse Rates
     Telephone Response
     Mail Response
     Sample Size
Questionnaire Construction
     Rules for Writing Survey Questions
     Response Formats
     Sequencing Questions
     Physical Characteristics of the Questionnaire
     Pretesting the Questionnaire
Fielding a Survey Research Project
     Telephone Research
     Mail Survey Research
Survey Analysis and Reports

Chapter 8 Qualitative Research Methods

In-Depth Methods: Key Characteristics
How Qualitative Research Can Be Used
     Generating Ideas
     Understanding the Buyer
     Evaluating Marketing Concepts, Strategies, and Tactics
     Developing Quantitative Instruments and Protocols
     Expanding on Quantitative Research
Focus Group Interviews Versus One-on-One Interviews
One-on-One Interviews
     Selecting the Sample and the Site
     Protocols and Questionnaires

Chapter 9 Focus Group Interviews

Focus Group Interviews
Selecting the Moderator
     Moderating Style
     Moderating Techniques
Deciding Who Is to Be Interviewed and Developing a Screener: Group Selection and Recruiting Methods and Criteria
     Who Is to Be Interviewed?
Determining the Size, Composition, and Location of Groups
     How Many?
     Group Composition
Recruiting Participants
The Discussion Guide
Scheduling and Conducting Sessions
     The Interview Site
     Group Scheduling and Recruiting
     Session Proceedings
Analysis and Reports
The Focus Group Budget

Chapter 10 Conjoint Analysis

Conjoint Applications
Conjoint Basics
Trade-Off Conjoint Analysis
Full-Profile Conjoint Analysis
Alternative Measurement Techniques in Conjoint Analysis
     The Paired Comparison
     Rating Scales
     Computer-Aided Interviewing
Conjoint Simulation

Chapter 11 Multidimensional Scaling and Preference Mapping

MDS Uses and Benefits
MDS Applications
MDS Procedure
Interpreting the Perceptual Map
Mapping Preferences
Developing Message Strategies
Metric Versus Nonmetric Measurement
Perceptual Mapping and Qualitative Research
Self-Organizing Neural Networks
Mapping Qualitative Data
Statistical Software

Chapter 12 Marketing Mix Models and Financial Returns

Determining Financial Values
Models for Analyzing Response to Marketing Activity
Interaction and Synergy
Analytical Problems
     Aggregation
     Data Points
     Characterizing Variables
     SIMPLIFIED MARKETING MIX MODEL EXAMPLE
Return on Investment
     Market Response and Marketing Mix Models

Index

An updated and managerial approach to research in the 21st century marketplace. An integrated B2B approach with techniques and approaches that have been proven in the marketplace. A veritable handbook of research every B2B manager should have.

Don E. Schultz

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. . . a comprehensive review of the available research tools, and providing a clear andreadable explanatory text.

Ruth P. Stevens
President
eMarketing Strategy
former Chair of the DMA B-to-B Council
and adjunct professor, Columbia Business School

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This book is a must for managers who have to evaluate and use marketing research as part of the marketing decision-making process. Isn’t that just about everybody?

Rick Kean
Executive Director
Business Marketing Association

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The definitive work in business-to-business market research . . . a “must have” for anyone researching today’s challenging, turbulent, and exciting business markets.

Ralph A. Oliva
Executive Director
Institute for the Study of Business Markets
Professor of Marketing
Smeal College of Business, Penn State

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. . . provides such a straightforward, clear explanation of the b-to-b research process and methods that you don’t have to be a researcher or statistician to understand it all. It is an excellent primer for those interested in conducting basic secondary research on their own; it also provides very good information that would help a company evaluate the capabilities and proposals of research suppliers. Business-to-Business Marketing Research is the new bible for b-to-b market research specialists. It does an a excellent job of explaining how b-to-b and b-to-c research applications differ and provides a crystal clear roadmap for planning and implementing a wide range of b-to-b research projects.

Gary L. Slack
Chairman & Chief Experience Officer
Slack Barshinger