Research for Your Marketing

7. Choosing an Outside Agency

Small businesses often cannot use agencies, because most agencies will not work on projects where the budget is less than £3,000 to £5,000.

This is not greed. If you cannot afford enough interviews, your results will not be reliable.

7.1 Find out what kind of reputation the agency you are considering has (in general and in the particular area of research).

• What do previous clients say?

7.2 Decide how comfortable you would feel about working with the research agency.

• Do you trust the people you have met?
• What relevant experience and qualifications do its employees have?You can find an agency with the skills you need by calling the British Market Research Association's Selectline service (0800 801 785) or visiting the Selectline website.You can also find over 500 agencies and a list of recognised freelance research practitioners in The Research Buyer's Guide. Contact the Market Research Society for a printed copy for £60 plus p&p (020 7566 1852).The Chartered Institute of Marketing (01628 427500) also offers a list of accredited agencies.

7.3 Be realistic about the likely scale of fees.

• Fees will reflect the work to be done and the agency's supposed status.
• Can the project be scaled down?

7.4 Consider whether you should be using a freelance researcher.

• A freelance may be the affordable option, especially for qualitative work.