CHAPTER 6: Probing
Conducting research requires gathering two types of data. The first
PROBING is a tentative, exploratory, and advanced survey to obtain
extensive and depth information on a subject or topic.
Doing market research before pursuing any type of business is
mandatory and as such, research comes in various forms and
methods.
Importance of Probing the Market
1. Research helps in knowing the trends in the market.
2. Research helps dealing with competition better.
3. Research helps in making better decisions to come up with
effective marketing programs for new or existing services.
MISCONCEPTIONS
RESEARCH IS REGARDED AS THE ‘UNPOPULAR’ PART OF A
MARKETING PLAN BECAUSE OF THE COMMON VIEW OR BELIEF
THAT IT IS TOO DIFFICULT AND COMPLICATED.
the following are the common misconception about research:
1. Research is just an added cost.
However, undertaking a research endeavor will almost always
give high returns.
2. Research is only for big companies.
Business owner needs to research to know which product or
service provides the best opportunity to achieve/earn profits.
3. Research can only be performed by statisticians.
It depends on one’s understanding of research and what type
will be conducted.
THE RESEARCH BRIEF
The following are the basic contents of a research brief template:
1. THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. This states or indicates the
problem that the study aims to address.
2. HYPOTHESIS. A hypothesis is generally an educated guess. It is
an assertion which can be accepted or rejected, proved or
disproved.
3. RESEARCH OBJECTIONS. The research objection should indicate
what aims or goals the researcher wants to accomplish in the
study.
It is also important to keep in mind that objections should be
SMART.
S – SPECIFIC
M – MEASURABLE
A – ATTAINABLE
R – REALISTIC
T—TIME-BOUND
4. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS. This research aspect makes the
results as specific and as useful as possible especially when the
researcher in under time, budget, or manpower constrains.
5. METHODOLOGY. There are various approaches to conducting
research studies. It can be qualitative or quantitative.
6. TIMETABLE. All studies should have a timetable to make sure
that every research part and pertinent topics are covered
according to schedule.
7. BUDGET. Conducting a research sometimes entails substantial
amount of cost. However, this can be minimized as long as the
researcher is resourceful.
SOURCES OF DATA
 SECONDARY DATA
type involves existing or secondary data which originate from
studies that are previously conducted and are directly related to the
research topic. Sources of secondary data include books, journals,
newspapers, websites, and market databases.
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Getting secondary data regarding the industry is the first step in
designing a marketing plan. A clear, sufficient, and current industry
situationer provides important insights into the market dynamics.
1. THE INDUSTRY. It is important to identify first the sector in a
particular industry to which the business belongs in order to
gather data relevant to the study.
Obtaining the following data can give one good grasp of the
industry situation:
A. Description of the sectors involved in the service industry.
B. Buying behavior and usage frequency of the service.
C. Trends
D. Growth and decline figures.
Conducting a STEP analysis also helps in exploring opportunities
in the market. STEP involves the ff. factors:
A. SOCIAL FACTORS. People, being social beings, are naturally
influenced by factors such as their respective reference
groups and standing in society in terms of buying behavior.
When assessing the social factors, the following should be
considered:
I. Who provides the idea or interest in purchasing a certain
product/ service?
II. Who is a major influencer in buying decisions?
III. Who decides whether to buy or not?
IV. Who uses the product or service?
B. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS. It is important to be aware of
the various technological advancement and innovations to
stay ahead of the competition.
C. ECONOMIC FACTORS. The state of a country’s economy
significantly impacts the buying behavior of the people.
The following factors should be considered when assessing
economic factors:
I. Economic Growth
II. Interest Rates
III. Taxation
IV. Exchange Rates
V. Inflation Rates
VI. Disposable Income
D. POLITICAL FACTORS. The government sometimes
intervenes to regulate the conduct of the businesses.
2. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS. A better understanding of the
competition helps business to stay ahead of its competitors.
Thus it is important to properly identify the following:
A. Direct and indirect competitors
B. Competitors positioning
C. Market share
D. Volume of business
E. Direct marketing efforts
 4. FOCUSED GROUP DISCUSSION (FGD). It is one of the most
POSITIONING MAP commonly used research tools. It is effective in generating
consumer insights, formulating a proper positioning strategy
The positioning map or sometimes referred to as the perceptual
and providing potential service improvements and ideas.
map, is a graphical representation which links the industry analysis
A. FGD RESPONDENTS. They should be screened properly in
and competitive analysis to the service business. From there, it can
order to have a productive discussion.
be determined how the product or service can be effectively
B. FGD VENUE. It can be a facilitator of either a good or bad
positioned against its competition, or better still, can provide
FDG.
something that others are not offering yet.
C. FACILITATING AN FGD. The most important component in
A perceptual map is a two dimensional graph which plots out two an FGD is its facilitator, The more skilled at probing the
attributes along the x and y axes with varying ranges. facilitator is, the more productive an FGD is.
The guide contains the following:
 PRIMARY DATA I. Lifestyle of respondents
After gathering all the available information, the researcher should II. Sources of information
then tailor-fit the research to the service business pursued by III. Perceptions on the services offering
gathering primary data or the data that can verify or support IV. Preference in service offerings
whatever existing studies have been presented. In gathering primary V. Decision making
research data, the qualitative or quantitative methods can be used. VI. Buying behavior
D. FDG TECHNIQUES.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Techniques that can be used to gain insights from the
respondents:
It is a method that is descriptive in nature and effective in gathering
I. The DILO (day in the life of)
information through the opinions, behaviors, and emotions of
II. PROJECTION TECHNIQUES
people towards a certain topic or issue. It can be an effective
 The sentence-completion technique. It gives
method for gathering consumer insights.
respondents the starting phrase of an
Disadvantage in using the research method include: incomplete sentence, and they are instructed to
end it in a way which is meaningful to them.
- the subjective of the results which make it hard to standardize  Word association/ Thematic apperception test
- the researcher’s bias (TAT). Respondents are presented with a set of
- longer time in interviewing a few respondents that casts doubt words or picture/s (of products, brands, etc.) and
on the representativeness of the sample population are then asked to tell what comes to their mind
- the extensive labor and expense of the research upon seeing them.

1. OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH. It is probably the simplest of all QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

the qualitative methods in the sense that it only involves the
It is grounded by numbers and is objective in nature. This type of
researcher observing the subject or respondents behavior in
his/ her natural environment. research typically involves asking questions and ranking of choices
using scales that are integrated in survey questionnaire.
Two types of observational research:
A. DIRECT OBSERVATION. It involves informing the subjects
or respondents that they are participating in the research
being conducted.
B. UNOBTRUSIVE OBSERVATION. It involves people who are
unaware that they are being observed.
2. IN DEPTH INTERVIEWS. These are the question and answer
sessions that are conducted in one on one setting and
administered to get information on the specific characteristics
of an industry.
3. MYSRERY SHOPPER. Service business use this method by
contracting or deploying certain individuals as evaluators and
putting them in the position of ordinary customers. This is to
evaluate the frontline staff and determine if they are providing
the proper service level.
The following are some common insights that can be gained
from the mystery shopping method:
A. How the store/ establishment should look like
B. What ambiance can be created
C. What additional services can be offered to address
‘bottlenecks’
D. How to improve the staff performance through evaluation.