Whether or not to call in an outside resource is a classic “Make or Buy” decision.
1. Obtain Insights Quickly when Timing Is Critical
When you need fast, responsive turnaround for acquiring important industry or market information, specialists are a practical alternative to do-it-yourself research. For example, clients (often located overseas) request updates on competitior activity several weeks prior to attending an annual trade show or event. Yes, you can quickly search the Internet, but keyword selection can be problematic sometimes and a domestic resource with direct industry experience and contacts can produce valuable insights not likely to be revealed through secondary research alone.
2. Explore New Directions Without Disrupting Current Work
You can use an outside resource to “test the waters” for a new product (or change in design of an existing one) without distracting your staff from their own responsibilities.
3. Test Feasability of New Direction without Tipping Your Hand too Early
Some new product concept evaluations, pricing strategies, merger and acquisition analyses, competitor intelligence gathering, and customer satisfaction studies produce the best results when conducted by a third party. Three very good reasons for using outside resources: avoid alerting your competitors; eliminate premature activity or raised expectations; reduce respondent bias.
4. Take Advantage of Experience and Capability of Specialists on an As-Needed Basis
Years ago, a client needed to find out how satellites could be used for internal communication with employees. One of our own network of experts referred us to a third consultant who had set up just such systems for several of his own clients. Our client obtained exactly the information needed, in a timely and cost-effective manner, to make some important operational decisions.
5. Gain New Insights from Combining Existing Pieces of Information
Working across many different industries, geographic locations, size and type of organization sets the stage for a vibrant cross-fertilization of information … IF you can (quickly and inexpensively) find it, organize it and relate it to a real question or need.
6. Gain Competitive Advantage
Many companies have learned that outsourcing functions outside their core competencies results in a direct, measurable increase in productivity, a distinct competitive advantage.
7. Increase Internal Capabilities
We want to impart something of lasting value to every client in every assignment we undertake. That’s why we carefully outline our methodology and never hide the sources of our information. If you want to conduct your own focus group or internal process or information audit studies, for example, we’ll help you design and set up the first one(s), carefully laying out all the steps and analytical processes. This is the basis for some of internal workshops we conduct.
Knowledge Branches:
- Management. Functions: Business Intelligence; Strategy Development
- Management. Sector: RELEVANT ACROSS SECTORS