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6 min

The Ultimate Guide to help you run your first B2B survey

The procedure to follow when running a b2b survey

GrapeData
Sep 29, 2022
B2B market research

Introduction to B2B survey

As a b2b brand, you have the opportunity to connect with your customers in a very personal way. Being able to do this is one of the biggest reasons why businesses choose to partner with other companies. However, it's not always easy to get b2b customers to take the time out of their day to fill out your surveys. It's also difficult for them to take the time to answer questions about your products or services. This can be especially difficult if you're looking for difficult research projects - which is where b2b surveys come in.

What are b2b surveys?

In business-to-business (B2B) surveys, you're asking customers to give their opinions. These opinions can be about products, services or a new market entry. A b2b survey is most often used by companies that sell directly to businesses.

These types of surveys are meant for businesses with personal relationships with their customers. They're typically very open-ended—in other words, the questions aren't very specific and don't limit the answers provided by respondents. This can be advantageous because it allows you to get a wide variety of responses from your customers; however it may make it difficult for you to analyse those results later on.

On the other hand, a b2b survey can also be very specific, and in that case, the approach is more quantitative. A quantitative survey is useful in generating data that can be expressed in numbers. For instance, information about the size and number of players in the market can help generate a market entry strategy. Parameters such as regulations and economic indicators like GDP and income levels can also be expressed in numbers. For an in-depth read on market entry check out this article by Indeed.com.

B2B surveys help companies understand what their customers really think about their products or services so that they can improve customer retention rates. For strategies on customer retention, check out HubSpot's article here. The data gathered can also help the company ultimately boost profits.

Who are B2B surveys useful for?

B2B surveys are an incredibly useful tool that any business that sells directly to B2B consumers can benefit from. They can help you improve your customer retention, target audience, and product or service offerings. These surveys are especially effective when used with customers who have been using the product or service for a long time. This is because they have more experience with it and can provide valuable insights. Data can then be used to make forward-looking decisions.

How can I add more customers to my survey?

To get more customers, you can utilise social media and email blasts. You should also consider a referral program or offering a referral code for those who sign up through your links. This will help you increase the number of people who respond to the survey. The reason behind this is that it gives them incentives to do so. However, incentivising a B2B respondent can be difficult. This is because B2B customers usually don’t have a lot of time to respond to surveys. Additionally, B2B customers are a niche audience making them even harder to find. However, a data collection panel can make this process easier. Find out how a data collection panel works on our website!

What questions should I ask in a b2b survey?

Should you ask open-ended questions or multiple choice? Should your survey be long or short? How many questions should be included in each section of the survey, and what should those questions be asked about? These are all important considerations when creating a b2b survey.

  • Open-ended questions: When using an online survey to gather customer feedback, it's best to use open-ended questions. These questions allow people to write whatever they wish as their responses. This helps ensure that you get more thoughtful answers from customers, who may not have considered some points if given only a few options.
  • Relevance: It's important for any question in a b2b survey to relate directly back to the topic of your research. Whether it's how likely customers are to recommend your service provider or how well their experience went overall. Make sure that each question touches on something relevant without straying too far from what needs answering.
  • Neutrality: Asking unbiased questions ensures that respondents will respond honestly because they won't have any preconceived notions about what kind of answers are expected. This will also help navigate certain topics which are off-limits with regard to sharing opinions or experiences with your brand (or competitors).
  • Ease of understanding: In addition to being neutral and unbiased, a b2b survey should also use language that is simple enough for anyone who might take it—without being overwhelming by dumbing down language so much that respondents lose interest completely!

For a guide on b2b survey questions to ask, check out our recent article on our blog.

What survey templates can I use?

When it comes to creating a B2B survey, there are two main options available: using one of the many available templates and building your own template from scratch.

When you purchase a template, they'll often come with instructions and tutorials on how to set them up. However, if you're just getting started, these can be difficult to navigate. If you want something easier to use or are more experienced with coding languages, then building your own might be right for you!

The biggest advantage when building a custom survey is that it allows for complete customization for your needs. The downside? You have full control over every aspect of the design process—and this means that mistakes could cost time and money in the long run when things go wrong in production later down the line. This could be due to unplanned events during development time or any unforeseen circumstance.

A B2B survey can help you better understand your target audience and improve customer retention.

A b2b survey can help you get a better grip on your target market and improve customer retention. Customer retention is a key metric for any business. If you know how to keep customers happy, then they're more likely to remain loyal and buy from you again in the future.

A b2b survey allows businesses to gather feedback from their customers—and use it to improve their services or products. It's also an effective way of collecting information about what types of products or services your company should offer next, based on what consumers are looking for.

For example, if many people tell you that they'd like something specific added to a product or service (such as “add extra features”), this could be an indicator that it would be worthwhile for your company to develop those features into future models of the product or service offering. Similarly, if many people say that something needs improvement (for example: “the colour scheme needs work”), then this may be an indication that there's room for improvement in this area and where continued focus could help increase overall sales numbers over time.

Summing up b2b surveys

B2B surveys are a great tool for any business owner who wants to learn more about their customers. They allow you to gauge how satisfied your customers are with the products and services they’re getting from you, as well as what changes need to be made so that these customers will continue coming back. They also help give insights into markets, products, or services. A b2b survey can help shape strategy and growth for a company. At GrapeData, we've been conducting b2b surveys with a specialised focus on hard-to-reach populations. Our platform for 300k+ contributors ensures that every data need is met. Additionally, we focus on hyper-targeting respondents so only the best data is gathered for your survey. If you'd like to know more about us, please reach out to sales@grape-data.com.

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