Views From The Hills of Kentucky :: Market Research and the Sales Department

Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com

Market Research and the Sales Department

Traditionally the Market Research Department works with marketing and Research & Development to uncover new opportunities, develop the ideas, evaluate the market potential and then assess the introduction of the product into the marketplace. When was the last time you heard of the Market Research Department working with the Sales Department? I believe most will say "never" and there are a few fortunate ones who will say "last week." The Market Research Department can be a valuable resource for the Sales Department.

In my days at Procter & Gamble, we in market and consumer research, had the opportunity to lend support to the Sales Department for a number of diverse projects. For instance, we were used to:

1. Determine the Sales Department's image among the buyers and Store Managers.
2. To evaluate the potential of a new type of retail facility.
3. To evaluate various types of in-store features including shelf talkers, displays, plan-o-grams, coupons, etc.

Recently, Sorensen Associates in conjunction with their clients, have pushed the envelope even further. For instance, one of their clients was seeking to expand the market of one of their brands. The client hired Sorensen Associates to conduct a taste test of their product compared with the brand sold by the mass merchandiser and conducted the test in the mass merchandiser's facilities, utilizing the mass merchandiser's customers. The overwhelming win for the client's brand over the brand currently sold by the mass merchandiser resulted in the mass merchandiser purchasing the client's brand. Based on this experience, the client contracted Sorensen to repeat the process in approximately 20 other retail chains. The results of the process were very successful in gaining new customers for the client's brand.

In another project, Sorensen was asked to design a study showing the effects of the addition of a client's brand to the store shelf. In this study, Sorensen conducted a controlled store test with and without the client's brand. The results not only showed that the client's brand had high sales appeal but the category in general posted a significant sales increase.

Bottom line is that Market Research Department can be a valuable resource to the Sales Department. It is just a matter of establishing a sharing of the capabilities within each department and a partnership aimed at corporate growth. It can be a "Win" situation for all concerned, the Sales Department, Market Research Department and the Company's clients.

A side comment may be relevant at this time. When the client was dealing with buyers at the mass merchandiser, the addition of an independent third party, namely Sorensen Associates probably brought more credibility to the whole process.