Focus groups are not a new topic for the b2b Fishbowl by any means—our Think Tank recently posted about this and other ways to uncover qualitative information. The fact is: the information you gather from a focus group is only as good as the individuals that are recruited. You can’t just recruit warm bodies to increase focus group attendance.

photo courtesy of ihtatho http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihtatho/627226315/

I have conducted many focus group recruitment campaigns for various b2b clients at Canyon. When taking on a new focus group recruitment campaign, I constantly remind myself that recruiting qualified individuals is crucial for success. The only way to get accurate, valuable input is to recruit the person that would be most familiar with the product/service.

Recruitment 101:

• Explain to the participant how they will benefit
• Attending a focus group should never be about incentives, but rather about what a person can learn and how they can contribute
• Be able to explain what a participant will learn by attending
• A participant will be providing valuable input on ways to improve customer service, products, services and marketing campaigns
• Play up to their ego and remind them that they will have an affect on the strategy behind a marketing program
• Assume the contact is NOT qualified for the focus group until they meet the requirements on the qualifying screener
• Last but not least, be honest!

If you want to learn more about focus groups and market research, download the “Find New Prospects with Market Research” white paper from our partners at Loop Demand Gen.

Happy recruiting!