Multi-stage assessment of contractor needs and behaviors

Our client often found market research being challenged internally, with inconsistent and illogical data from other B2B market research reports. The client was therefore seeking a new approach to a top strategic priority; a project to understand the opportunities for a cordless power tool for pro contractors.

To understand the opportunity for this tool, it was necessary to understand the ‘why’ behind its use across different types of pros, applications, situations and markets. This required a more flexible approach that took into account personal preference, randomness and a range of factors too broad to clearly capture through a closed-ended survey.

We started the project with an audit of existing research insights. We supplemented this with stakeholder interviews with subject-matter-experts and sales reps with direct communication with relevant contractors. We then facilitated a workshop to align on known and hypothesized insights about why contractors use the tools they do in different scenarios. We then conducted video interviews with contractors to explore their behaviors, needs and attitudes. This led to the first draft of a quantitative survey instrument. This was then pre-tested with contractors to clarify the intent and accuracy of the document.

To avoid push-back against the findings and remain flexible to a wide range of feedback, we avoided using research panels or an online survey methodology. Instead, we custom-recruited all participants to telephone or video interviews, which enabled us to clarify and probe on nuances and attitudes when asking about tool preference in a wide range of scenarios.

The findings challenged internal hypotheses and uncovered a range of opportunities for cordless tools that were not previously known. Most importantly, our recommendations isolated a handful of targetable variables that determine the choice of power tool across markets and applications. The data has been used to inform market segmentation, regions to prioritize and prospect scoring.