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 The Focus Group is an exploratory research method used to help companies gain a deeper understanding of their customers' and prospects' perceptions, feelings, motivations and desires. Focus groups are a well-respected means of gathering in-depth, qualitative information such as opinions and attitudes. Focus Groups bring eight to ten people together for a round table discussion lasting from one to two hours. Qualified participants are typically recruited by telephone and offered an incentive to attend a group. Participants are qualified by specific segments such as customers vs. prospects, or drawn by random selection to match targeted demographics. Prior to holding a group, discussion topics are developed using an outline which is prepared in consultation with our client. Often, participants of Focus Groups are asked to fill out a questionnaire relating to the primary topic of discussion. Focus Group sessions are usually recorded by video and audio tape to allow for discussion transcripts, which enable further analysis. In a well designed Focus Group project, a minimum of two sessions with two different groups are recommended. This eliminates bias, by allowing comparisons between groups, and provides more valuable information than a single session. Focus Groups have definite advantages One advantage of Focus Group's is that they allow respondents to express detailed opinions - where telephone or mail surveys limit respondents to responses which can be expressed only in a few words. With Focus Groups it is possible to ask "What if..." type questions. In the give and take of a lively discussion, people can raise questions that the researcher may not have thought of and might never have raised in the course of a few individual interviews. It's possible to use visual and/or audio props in a focus group study - participants in the focus group can actually be exposed to examples of advertising and give immediate reactions. Finally, by using Focus Groups client's can learn what their customer's and prospect's really think. No other research method offers the client this
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