1. The Marketing Survey-29.2 After finishing this section, you will know:
How to construct a survey
The ways that technology is used in marketing research

2. Constructing the Questionnaire
Validity- exists when the questions asked measure what was intended to be measured
Reliability- exists when a research technique produces nearly identical results in repeated trials
Requires that the questions ask the same type of information from all the respondents
Questions should be clear and easily understood
To be valid and reliable a questionnaire must be properly written, formatted, and administered

3. Writing Questions
Open-ended questions- ask respondents to construct their own response to a question
Example: How can we serve you better?
Generate a wide variety of responses that are difficult to categorize and tabulate

4. Forced-choice questions- ask respondents to choose answers from given possibilities
Two-choice questions
Multiple choice questions
Rating or ranking scales
Level of agreement scales

5. Yes/No Questions-Page 534
Should be used only when asking for a response on one issue
The most often used filter questions- help to guide respondents to answer only those questions that apply
Example: Have you had your vehicle serviced during the past year? If yes answer questions 1-4, if no, skip to question 5.

6. Multiple Choice Questions-Page 534 Give the respondent several choices
Choice should be made comprehensive enough to include every possible response
To make sure all responses are covered the other option is included
Increases reliability

7. Rating Sale Questions-Page 535
Rate a product based on a scale
Example: very satisfied to very dissatisfied or excellent to poor
Level of Agreement Questions-Page 535
Used to assess attitudes or opinions
Example: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

8. Basic Guidelines for Writing Questions
Each question should be written clearly and briefly as possible
Use the same ranking or rating scales for all similar questions
It is important not to ask leading questions- suggest a correct answer
Example: Do you prefer X or the more reasonably priced Z?
Avoid bias- a systematic error introduced by encouraging one outcome or answer over the others
It is a good idea to pretest the test the wording of the questions

9. Formatting
Questionnaires must have excellent visual appearance and design to appeal to respondents
Use dark ink on light paper and type that is easy to read
Shading sections and using arrows lead the reader through the questionnaire
Section headings or numbers should be placed on all individual survey sections
Respondents are more likely to respond to all sections and questions if they are numbered

10. Numbered questions are also easier to tabulate
If your survey goes onto more than one page, place a message at the bottom of each page to continue to the next
Directions for completing the questionnaire must be clear for each section or group of questions
Demographic questions about gender, age, ethnic background, and education are grouped together at the end of the questionnaire

11. Respondents are more likely to respond to personal questions after completing the other questions
Some people may take offense to personal questions placed at the beginning
May choose not to take part in the survey
Only placed at the beginning of a survey as a qualifying question
Example: Are you between the ages of 20 and 30? If yes the interviewer would continue with the survey and if no, the person would not be included in the survey.

12. To increase the response rate the survey should have a variety of question types
A mix of 25% Yes and no, 25% agree/disagree, 50% scaled-response

13. Administering the Questionnaire
All surveys should have deadlines for completion
A mailed questionnaire should be sent first-class with a hand-signed cover letter and personalized
The cover letter should explain the purpose of the survey and give a deadline for completion
A postage paid envelope should be included for convenience

14. Questionnaires that are not mailed, should have an explanation of the survey’s purpose on the questionnaire itself
When a personal interview is used, the selection of participants is very important
The selection process should not be biased
A plan should be established for selecting participants
Example: interviewing every third person to exit a store, regardless of age, gender, or appearance

15. Personal interviews provide a degree of flexibility in collecting data
To conduct an interview, dress in a businesslike manner and carry a clipboard to hold your questionnaire
Approach people politely and don’t take offense if individuals don’t wish to participate
Marketing research firms have trained professional interviewers on staff

16. The Impact of Computer Technologies on Marketing Research
Software programs- allow researchers to analyze huge amounts of information
Allow researchers find secondary data in computer databases, prepare surveys, and generate lists of potential customers
Information can be stored, and used to improve processes in the future

17. Computerized databases- source of data collection for researchers
Computer programs are available that analyze the information collected
Specialized programs can assist with forecasting current market data and use this information to predict future sales
Fax broadcasting- allows businesses to send questionnaires to a select group of fax numbers

18. Automated dialers- increase the number of telephone survey responses by placing multiple calls and automatically rejecting those with busy signals and answering machines
Digital surveys- allow a pre-recorded voice to qualify a respondent and then ask a series of survey questions
Interactive voice response- similar to voic as callers are greeted by a recorded voice that leads them through a series of questions
Responses can be given using the telephone keypad

19. Assignment
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