When recruiting participants for qualitative research, it is important to keep the intended audience in mind. Typically popular audiences are categorized by two major segments B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer).
B2B and B2C market research are very different. Each audience requires its own specifications in order to encourage participation in market research studies. Particularly when it comes to recruiting B2B professionals, market researchers are challenged to think outside of the box.
For many professionals, time is a valuable resource. Participating in a market research study is not top of mind in their day to day routines. When a financial product came to Drive Research to recruit independent financial advisors for a qualitative study, we knew from past projects we were going to have to take a different approach than when recruiting B2C audiences.
For this financial advisor study, our qualitative recruiting company needed to attract a diverse, qualified group of B2B professionals to participate in research interviews to offer their feedback on a financial product.
Finding B2B professionals to participate in a market research study is challenging, but not impossible if choosing to partner with the right qualitative recruitment company. Learn how the process works from start to finish.
Overview of the B2B Professional Recruitment
Drive Research recently partnered with a financial product platform designed specifically for independent financial professionals. The client hired our qualitative recruitment company to recruit six independent financial advisors for one-on-one, in-depth interviews (IDIs).
Our qualitative recruitment focused on the following requirements:
- All independent financial advisors
- All familiar with financial alternatives
- All have a total Assets Under Management (AUM) of less than $1 billion
- All conduct research on products and investments
- A mix of interest in investing in alternatives
- A mix of experience with investing in alternatives
- A mix of small and medium-sized firms
- A mix of demographics (gender, geography, etc.)
The financial advisors who met these criteria were asked to participate in a remote, 60-minute follow up interview using an online conferencing software. The interviewer was able to share visuals with the participants using the software's screen sharing capabilities.
Our Qualitative Recruitment Process for B2B Professionals
Before we hit the road, our qualitative recruitment team scheduled a kick-off meeting with the client to discuss the different objectives, process, timeline, and screening criteria they had in mind for the project.
Drive Research utilized a mix of recruitment methods to capture this niche group of financial professionals and maximize the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts.
First, our B2B market research company targeted social media advertisements to financial advisors on multiple channels. Next, Drive Research maximized our reach and diversified our pool of potential participants by conducting desk research by sending personalized emails to reach qualified independent financial advisors.
Process for Screening B2B Professionals
Our recruitment company, specializing in market research for banks and credit unions, created an online survey to pre-screen potential participants.
The recruitment screener asked questions regarding job title, firm size, AUM, age, gender, and geography. The pre-screener also quizzed respondents on their financial industry knowledge and experience to ensure that we would be recruiting qualified independent financial advisors.
The independent financial advisors who met all qualifying criteria based on their answers to the online screener received a follow-up phone call from the Drive Research recruitment team to verify their responses, credentials, and if they seemed like a good fit for the client. If all requirements checked out, participants were then asked their availability for a 60-minute interview.
The strategic recruitment process we use for our B2B qualitative projects assures all participants are completely qualified for the study and a good fit to participate in market research.
Once a participant was considered to be completely qualified for a follow-up interview, the recruitment team walked the financial advisor through the next steps. A confirmation email and a calendar invitation were sent to the selected B2B professionals. These included further instructions and details for the interview and how to access the online conferencing software.
Rewards for the Financial Advisor Participants
Keeping quotas and qualifying criteria in mind, each individual qualified independent financial advisor was strategically selected through our recruitment process.
Promptly after the interview, all six financial advisors received a $175 Amazon gift card in their inbox, thanking them for their time and feedback in the study. Our B2B qualitative recruitment company often recommends offering participants some type of incentive to participate in any kind of market research study.
This demographic generally has tight schedules that don’t allow for in-depth interviews with little to no incentive. In fact, the larger the incentive is the cheaper and easier the B2B recruitment will be.
Learn how higher rewards can equal lower market research costs.
Drive Research is a national market research company located in New York. Our team has the knowledge and tools to quickly find B2B participants for your qualitative research, cost-effectively.
Interested in receiving a proposal or estimate for a qualitative recruitment project? Reach out through any of the four ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040