The Snapshot Survey: Quick, Affordable Marketing Research for Every Organization

By Lloyd Corder

Companies know that market research can be crucial to retaining customers and winning new ones. Yet many avoid undertaking survey research because they consider it expensive, slow and difficult to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 141950696X
• ISBN13: 9781419506963
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

A Very Handy Primer for Quick and Accurate Research

I work with a lot of churches and nonprofits and I am all for anything that gets them using research more! Some of the most influential and admired ministries today were founded on a little snapshot survey research. Conducting a sample survey of just a few people is a good manageable way to get insight into your community if you follow the directions in this book. I very much believe in using larger scale research. But I completely agree that doing snapshot research sure beats the alternative--guessing! The snapshot research is ideal for churches and church planters. On page 103 he even gives an example of how a church, Northway Christian Community Church used a snapshot survey. Hats off to Dr. Corder for making the case for economical primary research.

Excellent book on how to keep in touch with your customers

This book is about surveying your customers (or others) using a shortened and economical form of market research -- what the author calls the "snapshot survey." This uncanny book should help smaller companies as well as departments in large companies to quickly make assessments of their market (competitors, customers, suppliers) as well as their products (product names, logos, etc.). The book is easy to read, but it is a little slow going because there are many demonstrations of how snap surveys can be used. What I particularly like are: 1) the author weaving in his practical tips on each of the snap surveys illustrated, the gentle coverage of statistical methods, his recommendations on how to craft the questions, his personal uses of the method, his examples for each of the situations that he has used snapshot surveys, his practical recommendations on how to quickly tabulate the results. In this week's Business Week magazine (May 8, 2006), Jack Welch recommends that successful companies should track three key indicators: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. Snap surveys can certainly be used in the first two categories. The author gives examples of such. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone in marketing, product innovation or marketing research. John Dunbar Sugar Land, TX

Overall...Good Survey for Quick Research

Everyone takes surveys. Whoever makes a statement about human behavior has engaged in a survey of some sort -- Andrew Greeley Most organizations private, public or nonprofit don't conduct product or service surveys and research because it is too expensive, too time consuming and too difficult to develop and manage an effort that is meaningful. Until we had the opportunity to read The Snapshot Survey we agreed with most clients that industry experience and product/service trials were the best approach in our instant-on society. While Dr. Corder's book provides some outstanding reasons for developing and carrying out what we would call quick-and-dirty research, we also realize that often consumers don't know or don't understand what they want or need. In addition, they often don't know why they will buy a new product or service that is a dramatic shift to what they have or do now. For example: - Few people said they wanted to be telephone operators yet today everyone makes his or her own phone call - People scoffed at the idea of being computer operators but today it is the most natural thing in the world. - Consumers didn't know they wanted: + Stereo instead of mono + CDs instead of LPs or cassettes + Stereo TV or HDTV + DVD instead of VHS + Digital or MP3 Audio + Digital instead of Analog Photos, Film Even saying the above, we still believe that some level of research is needed before moving ahead with the development and roll-out of a product or service today. The cost of the wrong product, wrong features, wrong capabilities, wrong pricing and wrong competitive positioning can be expensive and crippling. The most common reason for moving ahead with a new product or new service is because "they are doing it" or "they need/want it." Simply because they are making a mistake doesn't mean your organization should follow suit. While they may want/need it you never know how many of them want it, with what features/capabilities and at what price. The Snapshot Survey gives you the tools you need to present the research project to management, how to construct and carry out the project and how to interpret the information and feedback for management. Corder walks you through every step of the process for the development of the survey proposal to analyzing and summarizing the results. He also helps the reader through the most difficult portion of the project developing the questions so the results aren't skewed toward a preconceived conclusion. Everyone understands the importance of keeping existing customers and winning new ones is vital for any organization. Corder lays out the tricks of the trade he has gained over his 20 years of market research practice, making it almost impossible for management not to agree with an on-going program of snapshot surveys to test new product concepts, product acceptance and future product/service requirements. If you have never done a customer survey or immers