The Snapshot Survey: Quick, Affordable Marketing Research for Every Organization [Paperback]

Lloyd Corder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2006

Companies know that market research can be crucial to retaining customers and winning new ones. Yet many avoid undertaking survey research because they consider it expensive, slow, and difficult to administer. "Not so," says author and research ace Lloyd Corder. "There are powerful, affordable ways to conduct surveys-in just two to three days." In The Snapshot Survey, Corder gives business professionals the tools and know-how to complete highly effective, custom-designed surveys quickly and easily. Readers can use the Snapshot Survey method to test customer awareness, measure effectiveness of marketing programs, identify prospects, justify marketing to upper management, and find out what employees really think. Drawing upon years of experience as a research professional, Corder shows how he has successfully used his technique to conduct more than 1,000 surveys. Chapters are filled with examples of survey types-from competitive and customer satisfaction studies, to brand assessment, message evaluation, and employee surveys. Sections on advanced applications show readers exactly how to employ snapshot surveys to get media coverage, enhance proposals and pitches, and measure an organization’s return on investment.The Snapshot Survey is "boot camp" for those who have never done a survey and an eye-opening refresher course for those who have.HighlightsIn this book, readers will discover: •A sample Snapshot Survey proposal that can be used to present the concept to the boss or to clients •Specific suggestions for writing effective Snapshot Survey questions •Tips for effectively presenting Snapshot Survey results •A user-friendly model for measuring ROI •A special section devoted to pricing concepts (one of the most difficult, least understood marketing topics) and how to ask pricing-related questions

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141950696X
• ISBN-13: 978-1419506963
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Handy Primer for Quick and Accurate Research, June 1, 2006

By 

Chris Forbes "gmnonprofits.com" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Snapshot Survey: Quick, Affordable Marketing Research for Every Organization (Paperback)

I work with a lot of churches and nonprofits and I am all for anything that gets them using research more! Some of the most influential and admired ministries today were founded on a little snapshot survey research. Conducting a sample survey of just a few people is a good manageable way to get insight into your community if you follow the directions in this book. I very much believe in using larger scale research. But I completely agree that doing snapshot research sure beats the alternative--guessing! The snapshot research is ideal for churches and church planters. On page 103 he even gives an example of how a church, Northway Christian Community Church used a snapshot survey. Hats off to Dr. Corder for making the case for economical primary research.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on how to keep in touch with your customers, May 8, 2006

By 

John C. Dunbar (Sugar Land, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Snapshot Survey: Quick, Affordable Marketing Research for Every Organization (Paperback)

This book is about surveying your customers (or others) using a shortened and economical form of market research -- what the author calls the "snapshot survey."

This uncanny book should help smaller companies as well as departments in large companies to quickly make assessments of their market (competitors, customers, suppliers) as well as their products (product names, logos, etc.).

The book is easy to read, but it is a little slow going because there are many demonstrations of how snap surveys can be used.

What I particularly like are: 1) the author weaving in his practical tips on each of the snap surveys illustrated, the gentle coverage of statistical methods, his recommendations on how to craft the questions, his personal uses of the method, his examples for each of the situations that he has used snapshot surveys, his practical recommendations on how to quickly tabulate the results.

In this week's Business Week magazine (May 8, 2006), Jack Welch recommends that successful companies should track three key indicators: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. Snap surveys can certainly be used in the first two categories. The author gives examples of such.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone in marketing, product innovation or marketing research.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall...Good Survey for Quick Research, March 13, 2006

By 

G. A. Marken (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Snapshot Survey: Quick, Affordable Marketing Research for Every Organization (Paperback)

Everyone takes surveys. Whoever makes a statement about human behavior has engaged in a survey of some sort -- Andrew Greeley


Most organizations private, public or nonprofit don't conduct product or service surveys and research because it is too expensive, too time consuming and too difficult to develop and manage an effort that is meaningful. Until we had the opportunity to read The Snapshot Survey we agreed with most clients that industry experience and product/service trials were the best approach in our instant-on society.

While Dr. Corder's book provides some outstanding reasons for developing and carrying out what we would call quick-and-dirty research, we also realize that often consumers don't know or don't understand what they want or need. In addition, they often don't know why they will buy a new product or service that is a dramatic shift to what they have or do now.

For example:
- Few people said they wanted to be telephone operators yet today everyone makes his or her own phone call
- People scoffed at the idea of being computer operators but today it is the most natural thing in the world.
- Consumers didn't know they wanted:
+ Stereo instead of mono
+ CDs instead of LPs or cassettes
+ Stereo TV or HDTV
+ DVD instead of VHS
+ Digital or MP3 Audio
+ Digital instead of Analog Photos, Film


Even saying the above, we still believe that some level of research is needed before moving ahead with the development and roll-out of a product or service today. The cost of the wrong product, wrong features, wrong capabilities, wrong pricing and wrong competitive positioning can be expensive and crippling.

The most common reason for moving ahead with a new product or new service is because "they are doing it" or "they need/want it."

Simply because they are making a mistake doesn't mean your organization should follow suit.

While they may want/need it you never know how many of them want it, with what features/capabilities and at what price.

The Snapshot Survey gives you the tools you need to present the research project to management, how to construct and carry out the project and how to interpret the information and feedback for management. Corder walks you through every step of the process for the development of the survey proposal to analyzing and summarizing the results. He also helps the reader through the most difficult portion of the project developing the questions so the results aren't skewed toward a preconceived conclusion.

Everyone understands the importance of keeping existing customers and winning new ones is vital for any organization. Corder lays out the tricks of the trade he has gained over his 20 years of market research practice, making it almost impossible for management not to agree with an on-going program of snapshot surveys to test new product concepts, product acceptance and future product/service requirements.

If you have never done a customer survey or immersed yourself in market research activities, Corder's book is an excellent short course that can get you moving in the right direction. If you have conducted or managed a number of research projects, the book gives you a behind-the-scenes look at a faster and often more reliable approach to getting information management needs.

Corder provides excellent assistance to the reader in getting over the first and most important hurdle...getting management to agree to undertaking the snapshot survey.

Once you have management agreement, you'll want to keep the book close at hand. He presents a number of real-life examples you can follow and tailor to your own requirements, regardless of your organization or requirements. Each chapter contains examples of the complete range of survey types competitive, customer satisfaction, brand assessment, message evaluation and employee surveys. He provides helpful hints on how to continually improve your survey proposals, measure the project's ROI (return on investment) and even how to get media coverage on your survey results.

In addition you'll want to keep it close because you'll be referring to it constantly on the first few research projects as you:
- develop the survey
- conduct the survey (online, in person or mail-in)
- determine you have a reliable and predictable sample to develop conclusions and results
- develop and present your results for management so the right action can be taken
- even how to use the research in developing your communications positioning and messages


With the cost of developing and launching a new product and/or service rising so rapidly, The Snapshot Survey just might be the cheapest investment you make in your organization's success and future. Or you can simply listen to "them" and do what "they" are doing and hope you're on the right path.


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