Thanks very much for visiting my ConsumerView website.  The fact that you’re here most likely means you’ve made the decision (or are strongly considering it) to go ahead and conduct some form of qualitative research.  If that’s the case, then congratulations, because there’s a good chance you’re already miles ahead of several others in your industry.  Over the course of my 25 years in marketing, I have been amazed at how many companies fail to conduct even the most basic qualitative studies to find out what their current or future customers truly think of their products or services.  They balk at spending as little as $15,000 - $20,000 to potentially save millions in costly mistakes down the road.  Or they “did those focus groups about 10 years ago,” have no idea where the report is, and may be wasting millions of dollars by communicating a message that today’s consumer no longer finds interesting or relevant. 

So, now your challenge becomes one of identifying the company best suited to meet your particular investigative needs.  You should feel comforted by the fact that there are plenty of excellent research firms, both large and small, from which to choose.  Obviously, I’m hoping that you’ll at least consider ConsumerView by investing a mere 15 minutes of your time in a phone conversation with me.  Most likely, that will be 15 minutes very well spent. During that call, we might touch on the issue of company size, for I occasionally have prospective clients who are a bit concerned about engaging a one-man shop to take on their project.  However, as you’ll read in the Why ConsumerView section of this site, working with a highly-experienced sole proprietor actually offers you several compelling advantages, most notably the fact that someone who has accumulated many, many years of knowledge and skill will be devoted to every single aspect of your research project.  In other words, you’ll be getting the hands-on, full attention of the senior person, which you most definitely would not receive from the larger, more well-known firms.   

Another impression you may take away from the conversation I hope we’ll have is that “hey, this guy really loves his job.”  Such an assessment would be dead-on.  I find the business of qualitative marketing research to be absolutely fascinating, and I’m told that it shows in my work.  To me, there is nothing more interesting or enjoyable than sitting with a group of consumers for a couple hours and digging down very deep to find out what they truly think and feel.  Surprises, some of them monumental, are often uncovered during this process, and it’s a thrill to be able to help clients discover new ways of thinking about their products and / or customers after these sessions.  When we talk, I’ll gladly reveal several interesting examples of clients who have said: “Wow, I never would have expected these responses from my customers ... thanks for providing this valuable insight.”  Such is the joy of working in qualitative research.

In closing, please understand that I don’t pretend to be the optimal research partner for everyone.  That would be silly.  What I do believe, however, is that if the nature and scope of your assignment is aligned with ConsumerView’s strengths (which it usually is), and if the chemistry between us works well, you won’t find a better qualitative research option anywhere.  Simply stated, I am very good at what I do, and should we decide to work together, your project will get my unbridled attention, support and enthusiasm.  

Good luck in your search.

Sincerely,

Allan C. Mayer, Jr.