Tight Budget? Disclose It To Save Money
When you are conducting research on a fixed budget, sharing your budget constraints with your suppliers can save you money. Letting suppliers know you have monetary caps -- even if it's only a portion of the budget, such as the amount you can spend on client or respondent meals -- has two key advantages:
1. You get costs for the level of service that fits your budget. Sharing your budget up front allows suppliers to think through your cost constraints and furnish pricing or service options that meet your budget. That may mean fewer respondents, conducting evening groups instead of daytime, feeding clients lower-priced menu options, or even declining the project.
2. You and suppliers save valuable time (and money!). When clients do this process in reverse -- by providing their ideal research specifications and receiving the applicable costs -- supplier time can be wasted answering the usual follow up questions from the client, such as: "What would it cost if we were to do it this way?" Or, "How much would it cost if I did this?" Here's the problem with this approach.
Clients that require extra work risk being classified as customers who require more time than is typical. The result can be additional fees. And unfortunately, money that is diverted from your research budget is money that isn't being applied to your fieldwork.
The bottom line
Suppliers remember which clients help the fieldwork process run smoothly. Those who don't can incur additonal fees, depending on the extra work they require. To avoid having a premium added to your projects, assist suppliers in getting your fieldwork completed with the least amount of effort. That includes assisting them in preparing costs that fit within your budget, especially when your budget is tight.
-----
About Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services
Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services are respondent recruiting and fieldwork management specialists for qualitative market researchers. Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services delivers quality respondents with less stress, less hassle and fewer headaches. Learn more at www.aaronabrams.com
Want to expand your knowledge of qualitative fieldwork? Every month Field Smarts™ delivers expert advice like this directly to your email inbox. Get your complientary copy of 20 Ways to Trim Your Qualitative Fieldwork Costs (Without Sacrificing Quality) when you subscribe to this FREE e-Newsletter at www.aaronabrams.com/newsletter
© 2010 Aaron-Abrams Research Group, Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services" message).
Return to Newsletter Index