FROM THE CLIENT
THE RESEARCH BRIEF
Understand the role of influencers and decision makers who have embedded digital experience management software in their organisation or are scoping solutions to improve and enhance the customer journey and routes to conversion.
THE METHODOLOGY
1-to-1 interviews with 24 participants
Participants were –
Professionals in full-time employment at Senior Manager or C-suite level responsible for e-Commerce/ IT/ Operations/ Marketing/ Customer Experience
Company annual revenue £500m+, in the US or UK
Decision makers or key influencers in purchasing decisions for enterprise-grade Customer Experience Management solutions as a core part of their role
Actively involved in the online discovery/shopping process of platform providers
Existing or potential/new users of end client software solutions
Mix of genders
Aged 30-65
DELIVERED BY BEAM
THE CHALLENGES
The professional profile of participants, and the qualifiers of their employing company made LinkedIn a natural place to scope, explore and shortlist for research prospects. Successful recruitment would also rely on exceptional knowledge of corporate business structure, job roles, the chain of command and decision making, and the difference between those responsible for researching software adoption versus those making the decisions.
Complexity in corporate structures may mean final decision makers are in Procurement or Finance roles, rather than those at Director-level in departments where the software would be deployed.
Director-level prospects may have identified the need or have approved the exploration of potential software partners but are unlikely to have been involved in the research or development of the business case to support the decision to purchase. Understanding terminology, roles, responsibilities, and weight of influence not necessarily captured within the recruitment screener was critical for a successful research outcome.
Creating a ‘hook’ appropriate to the professional level of potential participant, then selling the idea of participation in the research was critical to securing a recruit. Execs, Directors and Senior Managers are time-poor and money-rich, and strict professional codes of conduct and corporate policy meant the appropriate level of incentive, and flexibility of payment to beneficiary (charity donation) was communicated as part of the approach.
BEAM DELIVERED
Extensive desk research to understand the end-client’s software product and its competitor set, identifying businesses suitable to satisfy the criteria required, and profiling potential prospects for initial approach made for a seemingly slow start. This was compounded by the LinkedIn approach and potential to engage directly on this platform, which inevitably made for a numbers-driven exercise. The desk-research discovery, pre-qualification and slower-than-normal start proved the key to successfully fulfilling the project requirements with an accomplished, proven and diverse sample.
Open-minded, curious, and adaptable recruitment, coupled with determination and exhaustive desk research are recruitment behaviours that have been honed by BEAM from hundreds of complex recruitment challenges over many years. Recognising the unwritten power dynamics at play in large corporate companies was a key component in recruitment success.
When approaching potential participants, achieving instant recognition, aligning professional interests, and creating enough intrigue not to dismiss a direct cold outreach approach was paramount. Cold outreach through LinkedIn InMail made snappy subject and opening pitch lines essential to prevent instant dismissal. Once engaged, it was essential to use professional reassurances, appropriate language and overall tone, and flexible availability to talk in detail about all aspects of the research to ensure that high level B2B recruitment of upper management and senior roles was successful.
THE CONCLUSION
With determination, extensive desk research and ingenuity, this project was successfully recruited and fully completed. Not without its challenges, this project called for imaginative recruitment that pushed BEAM outside of the traditional comfort zones.
The team relishes the opportunity to use their past employment, specialisms and experience to push boundaries to deliver positive outcomes for both the participants researchers, and end clients. This project demonstrated that by slowing down, taking the time to plan smart approaches aligning with business, role, and professional drivers, and deploying the plans at pace, even the most challenging of participants can be recruited.
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