The Use of the Survey in Industrial Market Research

Awareness and use of marketing research is consistently shown to be a characteristic of successful firms. Despite this, companies that market industrial goods and services still design and implement fewer market research studies than their counterparts in the consumer field. Consequently, on a first attempt their comparative inexperience leaves them vulnerable to the many pitfalls of implementing a successful survey. This paper serves as a practical guide to the issues governing choice among alternative survey methods, and to weighing up the pros and cons of personal and telephone interviews and mail questionnaires.