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5 min

A step-by-step guide to finding a B2B survey company

Learn how to find the right B2B survey company for your needs

GrapeData
Nov 14, 2022
B2B market research

Introduction

The right B2B survey company can help you gather valuable information that improves your business. To find the best one, you need to do some research of your own. This article will help you find a B2B survey company that gives you answers and provides solutions for a variety of situations.

Determine what you need from the B2B survey company

The first step in finding a B2B survey company is to determine your needs. This means considering the purpose of your survey, how much time you have to complete it, and how much money you want to spend on it. Finally, consider the number of people you need to reach with it. If your goal is to gather feedback from potential customers about a new product or service idea, then having multiple questions that allow people to provide thoughtful answers will be important. A shorter survey with fewer questions might be more appropriate if you’re looking for quick feedback from potential investors or other stakeholders about funding opportunities for an existing business.

Think about timing: when do you need the results?

The time-to-results will vary depending on the type of research you need. For example, if your business needs to know how satisfied your customers are with their recent purchases, a quick survey with immediate results can be ideal. On the other hand, if you want more complex information about customer perceptions or behaviours over time, it may take longer for results to be gathered and analysed. Additionally, think about the following questions:

  • When do you need the results?
  • Is this survey in-house or outsourced? If outsourced, will the company deliver them to you electronically or by another method?
  • How quickly do we need your survey data?

Set the budget for the research

Before you begin the search for a B2B survey company, it's important to think about your budget. The cost of research depends on the type of work you're seeking. But, generally speaking, the more complex your research is and the larger your sample size needs to be will increase costs. For example, if you need to conduct surveys in multiple languages or test out various questions before settling on a final set of questions, this will require extra time and resources from your chosen research firm.

So how much should you allocate toward one project? Again, it depends on what kind of data collection efforts are being sought after.

It's also important to consider the type of research you need to conduct. If you're looking for an opinion-based survey, then it will likely be less expensive than if you need to conduct more in-depth market research that involves interviewing multiple stakeholders within your organisation (or others) and asking them specific questions about their needs, pain points, and preferences.

Define the target audience of your survey

Your target audience is the group of people you want to hear from. To get started, define the characteristics of your target audience. Are they male or female? How old are they? What industry do they work in? In what job title and level do they work? And finally, think about where these people are located geographically. Once you've specified this information, it's easier to decide which survey company will be able to find them using their data sources and tools.

What are you going to do with the results of the survey?

After you've narrowed down your list of potential survey companies, it's time to decide what you're going to do with the results. Remember that the purpose of a B2B survey is not only to gather information but also analyse it and use it as part of a larger business strategy.

  • Define your goals: What are you trying to achieve? Do you want quantifiable data or qualitative insights? Are there certain questions or topics that need more attention than others? What do these surveys look like in other industries, and what can we learn from them?
  • Decide how much money should be spent: How much do you have budgeted for this project? Will your company be able to afford it? Does your team have enough experience with research projects like this one, so that you don’t waste any money on services that aren't needed.

Think about what type of research suits you best

  • Consider the type of research you want. There are three main types of B2B research: qualitative, quantitative and mixed. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it's important you find a company that can provide the type of information you need.
  • Qualitative research is useful for understanding people's attitudes and opinions. In addition, it is useful for exploring their motivations and intentions behind purchasing certain products or services. It uses open-ended questions to get respondents talking about their experiences in detail, often probing deeper into issues that aren't easy to quantify with numbers alone.
  • Quantitative research tends to focus more on numbers and statistics, with participants answering structured questions such as "Do you agree?" or "Strongly agree," etc. This kind of data provides more opportunities for comparisons between different groups (for example male vs female). However, it isn't always helpful when trying to understand why someone chooses one option over another. It also doesn't tell us why something happened in the first place (for example why someone decided not to buy something).

What do you need, exactly from your survey?

One of the first things you need to do is determine what your survey needs to accomplish. What are you looking for? Are there any specific questions that you want to be answered? The answers to these questions will guide the rest of the process and help determine which type of survey is best for your needs, as well as which company should be hired.

Once you know what information you hope to glean from this survey, it's time to figure out how much time and effort are required from both yourself and others involved in creating or distributing the questionnaire. This will help narrow down your search by eliminating companies that don't specialise in short-form surveys or even just general market research.

Check out potential B2B survey companies and see what they offer

A reputable B2B survey company will have plenty of case studies and success stories to share. If you don't see any case studies, then there's a good chance the company isn't legitimate and should be avoided.

After you've reviewed the portfolio and have determined that the company is legitimate, it's time to look at its pricing structure. The price range for most businesses varies per completed survey depending on budget constraints and how much information they are able to collect through each questionnaire.

Next comes reputation, the most important factor when choosing a B2B survey company! Reputation matters because if this aspect fails to meet your expectations, then all other factors won't matter as much. This aspect can be difficult to measure because it can vary by industry or type of business. So what works well for one type of business may not work well for another. But generally speaking, if people talk about how great the service is then chances are high that this will continue to be true even after you have started to work with the B2B survey company.

The final step is to ask for references. A good survey company will be more than happy to provide you with references from other businesses that have worked with them in the past. By asking for references, you can get a better idea of what kind of quality work they do. In addition, you can know what their pricing structure looks like so that you know if your expectations are in line with theirs or if something needs changing.

Check the portfolio of the B2B survey company

Once you have narrowed down the list of companies, it's time to check their portfolios. The best way to do this is by looking at their website and seeing what they've done in the past. You should be able to find information about previous projects, including:

  • The quality of their research
  • Quality of their customer service
  • And finally, if possible, look at some reports or insights from the surveys
  • Quality of their data analysis.

For more information on this topic, check out our blog post ‘What is a B2B survey company and why do you need one’.

The right B2B survey company can help you gather valuable information that improves your business

Survey companies can give you the data you need to make better decisions, but they aren't always easy to find. Of course, there are many survey companies out there that aren't worth your time or money. The right survey company can help you gather valuable information that improves your business.

Now that you’ve read this article and know what to look for in a B2B survey company, you can start your search. If you need some more help, feel free to contact us here at GrapeData. We have been doing surveys for over five years and we come with a wealth of experience in the industry.

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