Market Research as a Profit Center? It May be Closer than You Think

Consider these two questions: Can market research departments be profit centers (either by “selling” internally or externally)? Should market research departments be profit centers?

I first wrote about this controversial topic in the January 2013 issue of Quirk’s. After the article was published, I found myself in various related conversations—and some pretty interesting debates.  But all of them were extreme; seems likely no one had a neutral reaction to that article! At one extreme were the people people who told me they were already doing it; at the other, I received actual hate email for broaching the subject!

Well, if it weren’t for differences of opinion, we market researchers would be out of work.  So embrace the debate with me, and let’s explore the scenarios at the MRA’s Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) in Dallas. My session is on Thursday October 17^th, at 1:15. Who knows, we may learn something from each other.

Planning to attend the Corporate Researchers Conference? Please see me there.

[Want access to more market research articles and training materials? Sign up for the Research Rockstar newsletter: SIGNUP]