Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Talking back to the survey
Recently I attended a networking meeting of a prominent organization of women business owners. We were asked to complete a survey about the organization.
First questions: "What is your business? How much are you earning? How old are you?"
We also got questions about "What kind of car do you drive?" and "What do you hope to gain from membership in the organization?"
As conscientious group members furrowed their brows, I muttered, "If I were still teaching marketing research, I would use this as an example of What Not to Do. If someone turned in this questionnaire, I would give it a C."
"You could offer to help them," a fellow member suggested.
No way. Groups, I've found, want volunteers to stuff envelopes. You get to sit around in endless committees. And if you give away your services free, you don't demonstrate what you know. You demonstrate that you've got time on your hands.
After volunteering to work on a press release, I found the group was considering hiring (and paying!) a professional. So if they want a professional marketing research consultation, they can pay me, too!
If they don't want to pay, they can go to a university marketing department. Some professors will be looking for live examples. But I was a professor myself. Sometimes you get student work that's as good as you'd get from a top consulting firm. Other times, you get what you pay for. And sometimes your group doesn't fit the course's requirements.
But I no longer offer free stuff.
First questions: "What is your business? How much are you earning? How old are you?"
We also got questions about "What kind of car do you drive?" and "What do you hope to gain from membership in the organization?"
As conscientious group members furrowed their brows, I muttered, "If I were still teaching marketing research, I would use this as an example of What Not to Do. If someone turned in this questionnaire, I would give it a C."
"You could offer to help them," a fellow member suggested.
No way. Groups, I've found, want volunteers to stuff envelopes. You get to sit around in endless committees. And if you give away your services free, you don't demonstrate what you know. You demonstrate that you've got time on your hands.
After volunteering to work on a press release, I found the group was considering hiring (and paying!) a professional. So if they want a professional marketing research consultation, they can pay me, too!
If they don't want to pay, they can go to a university marketing department. Some professors will be looking for live examples. But I was a professor myself. Sometimes you get student work that's as good as you'd get from a top consulting firm. Other times, you get what you pay for. And sometimes your group doesn't fit the course's requirements.
But I no longer offer free stuff.
Labels: free services, marketing research, networking, volunteer
# posted by Cathy Goodwin @ 9:25 AM 
