Sometimes, research is a powerful tool. Think about this as a model.
You start by asking questions about an issue that is live in your market. You give respondents the option to remain completely anonymous when they fill in your questionnaire. But, if they wish, they can leave a name and address and receive a full copy of the report when it’s complete. Give respondents an incentive to respond in the form of a donation to a charity.
Now, get the results in and compile the report. It should look credible and properly presented.
You can deliver that report to all the people who wanted it. You can feed the report into your PR campaign. (“Here’s what 200 managers said about…”). You could host a reception or seminar to tell clients or others about the results. You can use your web site to display headlines from the report you’ve written.
Do this once and it gets you noticed. Repeat it, and it begins to demonstrate your leadership qualities, and starts the all-important dialogue with potential clients that leads to new business.
We’ve successfully completed this programme with a law firm and a software company. It works!
