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Business to Business Marketing Research

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Business to Business Marketing Research

Thomson South-Western,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Competition got you down? Research can solve b-to-b marketing problems – which differ from those of consumer businesses.


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

In this thorough guide, authors Martin P. Block and Tamara S. Block delve into b-to-b marketing research, describing its component elements and explaining how to apply research techniques. They don’t consistently discuss research in the context of the marketing department, so you should probably have an idea of how research fits into your strategy before you open this book. Still, its narrow focus and intense expertise makes it appealing and valuable, if academically written. Block and Block describe how to manage research and find information. They explain how to use customer databases, analytical tools, survey techniques and financial values. This book is not light reading, but getAbstract.com recommends it to anyone interested in or working with marketing research.

Summary

Starved for Information

All research efforts have one goal: obtaining more, higher quality information. In the b-to-b marketplace, research takes the form of methodically collecting, dissecting and presenting new information to all the interested parties, for the purpose of improving your company’s knowledge of its market and customers. Today’s marketing research uses techniques from the social sciences: sociology, psychology and political science. In contrast to the subjective impressions that marketers often rely upon, research provides a reliable basis for your business decisions. The quality of your marketing research can directly affect your sales.

"Derived Demand"

Marketing researchers often fail to account for the differences between consumer-oriented and b-t-b research. Consumer research examines situations in which the manufacturer or service provider sells directly to the public. In contrast, in a b-to-b environment, businesses sell to other businesses, which in turn depend on retail customer demand. This is called "derived demand." In the b-to-b environment, your sales depend on your ability to help other businesses sell goods or services to their...

About the Authors

Leading marketing researcher Martin B. Block is a founder of the Integrated Marketing Program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where he is a professor. He co-authored Analyzing Sales Promotion. Tamara S. Block heads Block Marketing Research and co-authored The Sales Promotion Handbook.


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