Introduction

If you're in the business of doing market research, then you know that a B2B client panel is one of your most valuable resources. They can help you understand your target audience and predict trends with both accuracy and speed. But if you've ever tried to build a B2B client panel from scratch, then there's a pretty good chance that your initial attempts fell short of expectations. In this article, we'll cover some tips for getting started with a new B2B client panel. We'll also explain how to make sure it succeeds in the long term.

The challenges of a B2B client panel

With consumer panels, it's harder to reward participants. If you want to give them cash or gift cards, they may be reluctant to participate because they don't see the value in participating. They're more likely to do so if there are incentives on the table. You can also run into problems with getting a representative sample in a B2B client panel. Those who choose to participate might not represent the client base as a whole. Additionally, even if you get a good response rate (the number of people who engage with your survey), the responses could be skewed. This is because individuals can take multiple surveys or click buttons repeatedly without reading them thoroughly.

The benefits of healthy B2B client panels

The most important thing to keep in mind is that a healthy panel is one that you can trust. A healthy panel will:

• Be more representative of your target audience and therefore more useful for testing ideas and gathering feedback.
• Respond to your research requests, surveys, and so on in a timely manner. That means you’ll get the information you need when you need it.
• Allow for higher response rates with less effort on your part.

And finally, you can retain a healthy B2B client panel over time as opposed to having to bring in new members every few months or years (or sooner).

Setting up and using your panel

Setting up your client panel and managing it is a process that takes time. However, you can get started by following these steps:

• Set up the panel. To start, we recommend you set up your client panel and have a call with one of our team members. Then, we'll guide you through the process of recruiting participants for your research studies. 
• Build a recruitment plan. As part of setting up your client panel, it's important to build a recruitment plan for each study you want participants for. This is so that we can find people who fit the criteria required by your study (for example, demographics). We'll facilitate this process from beginning to end so all parties understand their roles in getting new clients into their research studies quickly and easily!
• Create a data collection plan & develop related procedures. In addition to finding participants for your study, we'll work out the data collection methods that are necessary. This usually depends upon the type, and size of the firm, or industry being targeted. 

How to get the most out of your B2B client panel

Now that you know how to set up a B2B client panel with us, here are some tips to get the most out of it.

• Keep your panel fresh.
• Make sure your panel is representative.
• Ask the right questions.
• Use the right tools.
• Be open and honest with your participants.
• Use the data you get back from your surveys to get more responses.

To build a successful B2B client panel, you need to manage it carefully throughout its life cycle

Here are some tips on how to do this:

• Set up the right panel for your business goals. In order to build a B2B client panel that meets your needs, you need to first determine whether a survey-based approach with clients is going to be useful for you or not. Do this by answering some key questions about your business and industry:
• What do I want from this? What kind of insights am I hoping to gain from my B2B client panels? Are there any particular problems I'm trying to solve through these surveys? How will these insights help me improve my company's offering(s) and marketing strategy?
• Who should be in it? Based on what kind of information we want and what kind of participants would give us those insights? Do we want young professionals or older executives who have been working in our industry longer than most people? Do they need certain levels of education or experience within their field before they can participate effectively in the B2B client panel?

Your B2B client panel is an invaluable resource. Use the following 6 tips to make sure you're getting the most out of your research

Let's explore the following 6 tips that will make sure you're getting the most out of your research.

1. Know what you need before you start building

Crafting a winning B2B client panel strategy requires that you think about what you want to achieve with your panel. This will help you determine the best approach for building and refining your panels.

First, make a list of all the things that are important to you:

• What’s your time frame for completing this?
• What is your budget?
• How many people do you have access to who would make good candidates for this project? And who has time and expertise in these areas?

Second, think about the things that are most important when selecting individuals from this list. Don't waste time creating a survey that won't get you what you need, or worse will be too general to be useful. Before setting up surveys and questionnaires, take some time to think about what your goal is. What information do you hope to gather from the client panel?

2. Think beyond your immediate need

Ask yourself: How else could this information be used for other segments of my business? What would be gained by comparing trends across companies in different industries?

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to creating a client panel is that it’s not just about what you need now. You have to think beyond your immediate needs. Additionally, you can use the data you’re collecting to make better decisions in the future.

For example, if a client is telling you they love your product, but there are some issues with how easy it is for them to use, then this is useful information for your sales team when talking with prospects who ask about customer service and support. That way, when one of those prospects asks about ease of use, your team will be able to respond with something specific from their client panel rather than just saying “our support team always provides excellent service."

3. Start with a plan, and do what it takes to see it through

It’s time to plan. You know what you want to accomplish, and now it’s time to figure out how you’re going to get it done. The first step is figuring out what kind of market research panels would be best for your team and clients and then getting started on recruiting them.

Once you have your panel list in place (which can be as simple as a Google doc), the next step is making sure everyone involved knows exactly why they need to participate in these activities. This includes your client team and other internal stakeholders who will be affected by this research project!

So tell everyone about the benefits of being part of a client panel, such as:

• A greater understanding of their needs and wants through direct feedback from real customers;
• Better insights into how competitors are doing things differently than them;
• More accurate predictions about future trends based on historical data collected by past surveys or focus groups conducted by other businesses within similar industries.

4. Work closely with a B2B client panel provider

One of the advantages of working with an experienced B2B client panel provider is that they can help you optimise your panel through their vast industry knowledge and expertise. This includes providing insights into how participants are responding to your questions, what they're looking for in the questionnaire, and more.

A good panel will work closely with you to ensure that the panel is well-managed and that all participants have a positive experience. They'll also be able to provide unbiased feedback about how your panels are performing, which gives you valuable insight into what might need improvement for better results next time around.

5. Make it easy for participants to be part of the panel

Here are some ways to make it easy for participants to be part of a B2B client panel:

• Provide a link to the panel signup form and survey form separately.
• Include instructions on how to sign up for the panel or survey, if necessary.
• Find ways to reward participation on a regular basis.

It's important not only that people feel like their opinions matter but also that they know that their responses are being taken seriously by those who manage them (and therefore by future clients). This can help build trust in both parties involved as well as strengthen relationships over time!

6. Keep your team involved and on board

As a researcher, it's critical that you're actively involved in the process. Your team needs to understand what they're doing and why and that's on you to make sure they do. It's not enough to just tell them what their role is; keeping them in the loop means making sure everyone knows what each person needs to accomplish and why it matters. You also need to ensure that your business has all of the tools at its disposal for success, from marketing materials like brochures or website copy, to customer service solutions like in-app chat bots or live video calls. And if your team isn't up to speed on skills like data analysis? Take steps now so they can learn those skills as quickly as possible. Check out 5 tips for motivating your research team here.

Planning is the key to long-term success with B2B market research panels

Long-term success comes with planning. If you want to be successful in the long term, you need to plan for it. Don't wait until tomorrow; start today!

Sometimes the best way to plan something is by not planning it at all, or at least not too much. You don't want your plans to become so rigid that they prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. However, if there's one thing that can provide an excellent foundation for long-term success with B2B market research panels, it's making sure that every step is well thought out before moving forward.

Planning plays a role in almost everything we do. If we didn't spend some time considering our options beforehand and coming up with a strategy based on those considerations, then most of us would probably never get anything done!

As with any successful business, planning is the key to long-term success with B2B client panels.

There are three main factors that influence the success of your panel:

• The quality of your panel members (they must be qualified and willing!)
• The quality and quantity of data you collect from them (your ability to do this is largely dependent on how well you conduct your interviews)
• How quickly and effectively you can turn that data around into insights or recommendations for clients

Conclusion

If you want to get the most out of your B2B client panel, it's essential that you plan for success. This means building a strategy that will help you achieve the goals you set for yourself and your business. It also means working closely with your recruiting partner, keeping everyone involved and updated on progress, and making sure that each member of your team understands what they need to do. By following these steps, you'll ensure that every member of your research team has access to all the information they need. This helps make sure that the B2B client remains healthy while still providing valuable insights. Keen to learn more about a B2B client panel? Check out our recent post: ‘A complete guide to a B2B client panel’.