A focus group brings together 10 to 12 people to participate in a 90-minute discussion about a specific topic. The participants should be representative of the total population from which they are drawn. 

A professional moderator leads the conversation, following a prepared outline (“Discussion Guide”).  All opinions and responses are valid, and only one person speaks at a time.  The moderator keeps everyone focused on the topic and directs the conversation in a productive way.  A good moderator encourages all participants to share and will discretely steer the discussion away from someone who begins to dominate.  The goal is to empower people to feel safe about contributing their own opinions and ideas.

The discussion is recorded, and the moderator reviews the comments and prepares a report that describes the opinions and awareness of people about the subject area and draws some conclusions about the ideas where there was a consensus.

I nearly always use at least one focus group discussion to develop an effective survey questionnaire for a random sample survey.

The result of a good focus group discussion is a surprising wealth of information that can be utilized for gaining new ideas and fresh perspectives and making planning decisions.

Unless you have a clear goal in mind for using the results of your survey it’s difficult to create questions to get the information you need.  Ask yourself, and others who will be using the information you’re gathering, what you want to know to make future decisions.

I often do a planning workshop at the beginning of a survey process to be sure there is consensus about what information is truly needed.

A focus group* is an excellent tool for identifying what questions you will want to ask and what kinds of answers you are likely to receive.  This is especially important if you are having closed-end questions – i.e. questions that have three or four possible responses.  I think it also helps to provide an “Other” response, with a space to include something, just in case there is a significant topic that was overlooked.

Creating productive questions requires knowing where you really want input and where you are willing to make changes or do something different to better serve the needs of your customers.

And, there’s no point in asking any question unless you can use the information you’ll gain from the results.

If you’re thinking about doing a survey, give me a call, and we can talk about your goals.

*Note: I'll talk about focus group discussions in my next Blog.

The word “survey” is used a lot, but pay attention to whether the term “Statistically valid” is attached.

A lot of non-reliable information gets passed off as a “survey.”  With Survey Monkey and other simple ways of sending out questionnaires available on line, it’s easy to believe that if you just send out a survey on the internet, it will produce reliable information.

If someone chooses to respond to an on-line survey, which by definition is a “self-select” survey,  this is not a statistically valid process.

Telephone interview surveys are still considered to be the most cost-effective way of getting statistically valid information.  There is a margin of error, based upon the size of the sample (generally, a minimum sample of 200 is the industry standard for reliable data about any population segment).  Even with the advent of cell phones, there are companies that create accurate phone lists that marketing research companies purchase.  Overall, random sample telephone interview surveys provide reasonably accurate information about the population from which the sample is drawn.

Then, there’s the matter of how questions are asked…..next week’s Blog.

My first place for publishing these stories was the on-line Examiner.Com site where I am the Whidbey Island Life Examiner; then I was asked to write stories for the on-line Whidbey Local and have been officially designated The Business Buzz .

Now, in addition to these two on-line sites, I am in print doing the Business Spotlight for the Whidbey Weekly (formerly the Whidbey Marketplace).  The stories appear every two weeks; the most recent story was about Midway Florist, published on Wednesday, April 18.  On May 1, there will be a story about Bayview Blinds.

I’m enjoying filling this niche.  Others do write about businesses on Whidbey, but I believe that I tell the stories with a different slant because I enjoy the human interest elements and personal stories behind the business stories.

If you are a business person who feels you have a special story to tell, I’d enjoy hearing from you.

I don’t know that any of these merchants originally thought to have a business that featured a pet, but each has taken full advantage of the soft spot many of us have for cute animals.

The most obvious one is Spoiled Dog Winery in Langley that literally took its name from two Australian Shepherds, Blue and Sami (Samantha) that seem to be managers there.  People come to taste wine and tour the vineyards because of the reputation for the quality wines that are produced there, but I learned that many of the regulars go there to see the dogs that belong to winery owners, Karen and Jack Krug.

Then, there’s Koa, a very large, beautiful golden retriever at Vino Amore. He loves jumping up and putting his paws on the counter to say “Hello” when a customer walks up to Gail Liston or Brian Plebanek to get help.

Midway Florist owner Rob McGowen has actually trained his two dogs (or maybe they learned on their own) to sit up to greet visitors to his flower shop.  He has a dish of dog treats by the register and encourages people to have Bruno and Brutus do tricks for a treat.

I’m not suggesting that everyone run out and buy a dog to greet customers, but this is a good example of how marketing ideas can sometimes come from unexpected places.  The job is to recognize these opportunities and create your own special ways to bring people into your business.

I’ll let you know when the story is published…complete with photos.

Addendum: Right after I wrote this Blog I visited Frontier Building Supply in Freeland and was greeted at the counter by their store kitty, a black Manx cat named TJ.  Like the canines described above, TJ comes right up to the customers to be petted.  He spends most of the day on the counter, often in a left-over cardboard container next to the cash register. 

Several people have told me they enjoy the information, and many have said they have learned some new ideas.

I want this Blog to continue to serve and to respond to questions and concerns.

If there is a subject you’d like me to address, please let me know what that is.

If you have done something to market your business or to improve your products and/or services and you would like to share it, I’d like to share it also.

Please send me an email sharing your ideas for future Blogs to: carolyntamler@whidbey.net.

This last week I was asked to do some analysis of survey data for a study that was conducted for a major community organization offering a range of services.  One of the questions gave people a list of 15 services and asked if they knew which of the services were provided.

Some of the services were known to most of the people (78 – 92% for five of the items); two-thirds (65%) to just over half (51%) knew about another six items; but less than half knew about four of the services.

In other words, a significant proportion of those surveyed did not have a full understanding of the range of services this organization provides.

A major theme in my marketing advice is that people need to know what products or services you sell, and it may be a surprise that this is often a significant problem for a business.

Remember, a key element of marketing is educating people about what you sell and what is special or unique about the products and services you provide (hmmmm, have you heard me mention this before?).  And, don’t think that just because you mention it once in an ad or an email that the information is general knowledge.  In our current world of information overload and stress, people may need to hear things several times before the information sinks in.

In The Business Buzz for April 1, you will read about Island Girl Nails.  This is a locally-owned nail salon that has been a successful business for eight years.  For most of us who have walked into a nail salon, the experience is pretty basic: a table, the manicurist and often a simple, small shop.

Vicki Thompson, the owner of Island Girl Nails has been building her business by creating an environment and offering services that make her business special and unique.

Vicki’s salon is almost like an art gallery.  The colors are vibrant; large round mirrors decorate the walls; there are oversized, relaxing chairs for the pedicures.  Most impressive, though, has been Vicki’s focus on her clients.  She learns about each new client’s health issues (if there are any), what they want with their service and what will make them feel most comfortable.

All of her employees share Vicki’s ethic about making a visit to a nail salon comfortable and pleasurable.  There are other nail salons on the south end of the island, but the number of repeat customers and referrals have built her business and attest to the ways she has made a visit to her salon special and unique.

No matter how many businesses compete with you in any way, it's up to you to create a product and/or a service that is special and unique.

Check out Vicki's story at www.whidbeylocal.com/carolyn.

 “I once had a business that was also my passion but I found that when you absolutely must earn a living from that thing, it can take the joy and pleasure right out of the thing that once fed your soul. For me, it's been much easier to NOT earn money from "what makes me passionate," but to do something else that can enable me to do my passion outside of work, without it having to be reduced to the grind of needing to make me money. “

I’ve read this over several times.  I certainly understand the point that was made. 

And yet, on Whidbey especially, I see so many examples of people who really love what they do while they are making a living from their business.

I think what I have observed is that many people who move to Whidbey need to find a different way to earn a living since there are relatively few jobs on the island.  Many decide to follow a dream they have had but never acted upon.  Running any kind of a business isn’t easy, but I have crossed paths with many who moved to the island, decided to do something as a business that they had never done before, and find themselves feeling very contented with their business choice….even if it isn’t earning the money they might have gotten from their city job off the island.

There really is no pat answer to the dilemma of job/business satisfaction vs. making enough money to live comfortably.  Obviously, if you can follow a passion and earn as much as you need to get by, it’s a formula for a happier lifestyle.

In each meeting, I followed my standard facilitation procedures: I encouraged participants to share ideas while I listed their suggestions on poster sheets.  Within each group, ideas flowed.  I made a laundry-list as each suggestion was offered.

After everyone had an opportunity share ideas, I invited people to come up and prioritize the listed responses by selecting the five items they felt were most important (those who have been to a planning meeting I have facilitated know I love press-on stars for this purpose).

In each of the two groups a clear consensus was apparent.  When I prepared my reports on these discussions, I was able to provide a reliable summary of what was important to the participants of each discussion, which was also a good indication of where people are most likely to be motivated to be involved; they also had a sense of participation in, and ownership of, the next moves forward.

Some individuals are blessed with great creativity, but in my experience, a group discussion where each person is encouraged to participate, but no one is allowed to dominate, leads to many creative ideas and potential solutions.