Michelson & Associates, Inc.

It happens in business everyday: A client plans a product launch, new web site or marketing communications without understanding their target market. They are too quick to the draw in that they…Get Ready, Fire, then Aim.

Companies often make the mistake of assuming that they know their public -- spending lots of money on product development, advertising production and media exposure and what happens? Nothing.

Michelson & Associates helps remedy this situation by helping clients to…Get Ready, Aim, then Fire.

The best way to take aim is to talk to your prospects and customers
and find out exactly what they are thinking.

At Michelson & Associate's. Inc, we use three basic information gathering methods to conduct surveys:

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MailSurveys

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SiteSurveys

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TeleSurveys

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NetSurveys

With these surveys, it's possible to target consumers and perform interviews according to:

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Specific demographic groups

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Customer vs. prospects groups

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Specific geographic locations

--- Large metropolitan markets to rural areas

--- Specific neighborhoods

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Any specific target audience

Surveys offer definite advantages over other research techniques. Surveys with appropriate samples are quantitative and predictable to larger populations. A typical survey project can be completed within 2-4 weeks.

The survey is the most practical research method available to measure awareness and determine competitive comparisons. Surveys also offer the advantage of specific insights into consumer opinions, preferences, shopping habits, and loyalty.

Surveys provide in-depth competitive strength and weakness comparisons. This analysis helps companies focus their marketing strategy in order to create a more profitable position. Finally, surveys give the client a chance to learn what the consumers "out there" really think. When the information gathered is used correctly, surveys can help marketers provide better goods and services.

Scope of Research Services
We offer a comprehensive list of research services. Anything and everything a company may need. For a consultation on which methods are best suitable to meet your specific needs, call Mark Michelson @ 516-576-1188.

Primary Research Services
Our primary research involves us taking an active role in gathering information from specific groups. The primary research we gather presents clients with the customers’ and prospects’ point of view featuring customized questions and timely response. We accomplish this through a variety of methods including:

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Focus Groups

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TeleSurveys

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SiteSurveys

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MailSurveys

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Executive Interviews

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Mystery Shopping

We work closely with each of our clients to build efficient surveys designed to solve their needs at a minimal cost. The following is a list of the specific studies we use to gather primary research:

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Communications Audits
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Competitive Strength/Weakness Study

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Awareness Measurement
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Political and Public Opinion Polls

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Site /Traffic Analyses
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Custom Market Area Sampling

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Attitude Studies
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Target Market Identification

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Feasibility Studies
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Community/Land Use Studies

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Customer Satisfaction Surveys
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Demographic/Psychographic Profiles

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Advertising Awareness/Attitude
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Competitive Pricing Studies

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Advertising Tracking Studies
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Product Design Development

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Facility Development & Design
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Idea Generation Sessions

Secondary Research Services
Secondary research involves searching existing resources for information related to our clients needs.

These resources include:

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On-line computer database retrieval (DataSearch)

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Library searches

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Government and civic organization reporting

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Industry reports

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Up-to-date zip code data mapping systems (GeoMapping)

Secondary research we perform also includes the following methods:

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U.S. Census Projections
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Donnely Demographics

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Supersite® and ACORN® reports
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Corporation and Industry Reports

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Consumption Trends
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Frost & Sullivan Research Reports

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Media General Databank
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Moody’s Corporate News

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Associations Publications
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Real Estate Site Analyses

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Standard & Poor’s Reports
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Market Segmentation/GeoMapping

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Dun & Bradstreet Reports
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Tiger Street Level Mapping

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ADI Mapping
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C.A.C.I. Demographics

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U.S. & World Newspapers
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Consumer Publications and Magazines

For a quote on a customized Survey Research study,
call Mark Michelson @ 516-576-1188
or e-mail: solutions@serviceevaluation.com

Helpful Research Survey Hints:

Before conducting any survey, it is important to first determine:

What is your purpose?
Is it measuring a public's attitude, understanding the behavior toward your company's actions, image, service, or product – what are you trying to accomplish?

Who to include in the survey?
It is critical to precisely define your target group(s) of participants and take every step to ensure that the sample is correct and pure.

For more on survey statistics and sampling, click here.

How long will it take to complete the survey?
After a few months, your results may not be valid if your findings have a time value.

When is the best time to do a survey?
Check a calendar and see what special events or holidays may interfere. Timing is critical to the success of any survey.

What are you going to do with the results?
Are you willing to make changes even though they aren't appealing to you?

What's the cost of the survey?
The cost of a survey can be affected by many variables including questionnaire design, incidence, interview length and the difficulty of reaching a target audience.

Is the information you want already available in your own records, other reports or through information databases?
If so, a survey may not be necessary, which will save time and money.

The Benefits of Surveys:

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Provide detailed information about current and prospective customers.

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Measure awareness of companies, products and services.

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Help discover competitive strengths and weaknesses.

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Good measure of customer satisfaction

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Measure preferences among competitors and products.

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Help evaluate advertising media and message effectiveness.

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Validate hypotheses developed through quantitative methods.

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Learn what the consumers "out there" really think.

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Guide companies in developing more effective marketing programs.

Tips for making the most of survey research

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Fine tune the questionnaire. No more than 25 questions.

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Design the questions to provide the exact information (not the answers) desired.

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Avoid leading or ambiguous questions.

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Use close-ended questions wherever possible, open-ended questions are more difficult to answer and tabulate.

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Avoid two-part questions such as "Was the person friendly and helpful...yes or no?"

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Make sure the questionnaire flows clearly, use simple language.

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Use appropriate sampling procedures.

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Segment and qualify participants.

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Use trained and friendly interviewers, offer an incentive to participants.

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Tabulate data for maximum flexibility.

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Graph data where possible for easy recognition and understanding.

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Be willing to make changes based on the information you gather.

Michelson & Associates, Inc.
C/O Service Evaluation Concepts, 210 Crossways Park Drive
Woodbury, NY 11797
V: 516-576-1188
F: 516-450-3466
solutions@serviceevaluation.com