Market Research for the Small Business or Entrepreneur- Customer Pain Point

Businesses face obstacles when collecting information about their customers & markets-the kind of information that drives success and growth. In this three session workshop series, we’ll be going over some of the key questions companies need to answer, and some tools that can be used to get answers to these questions. We’ll be covering some no/low-cost tools, or “hacks” that companies use when resources are limited, and also other methods that can be used as companies scale and grow. Session 2: What are our customers’ greatest pain points or needs? Once you have a sense of who the ideal customer is, it is critical to understand their needs, motivators and barriers to purchase. Companies that acquire this information improve their chances of developing marketing messages that resonate with their target market, as well as designing products and services that have the greatest likelihood to meet demand. About our Presenter Joy Levin has been leading her research firm, Allium Research and Analytics, for 22 years, and recently launched a new line of business, Growth SurgeR, specifically designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs to leverage industry and customer insights. She manages all phases of qualitative and quantitative research studies for a diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from not-for-profits and startups, to enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. Joy has been fully responsible for all study aspects, including strategic formulation and development, selection of analytical methodology, research design, field activity oversight, data interpretation and analysis, and results presentation. Using both in-person and digital methods, Joy's experience has incorporated both qualitative and quantitative research techniques, and spans a broad spectrum of topics, including: concept testing branding demographic and psychographic segmentation product/market fit loyalty customer satisfaction industry/market assessments usage of key performance indicators competitor analysis Joy holds a Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Boston University. She is the VP of Data and Insights for the Washington DC Chapter of the American Marketing Association, Market Research/Data Analysis Ambassador for Pragmatic Institute’s PAC community, the Event Lead for the DC/Baltimore chapter of Women in Research (WIRe) and has mentored many industry professionals. The third and final session, “What is the market size, trends, and potential for growth?” will be on August 4. Follow Maryland Innovation Center on Eventbrite to stay informed. Also, sign up for our newsletter at www.MDinnovationcenter.com to receive news, information about our programs, and event updates. Registration will close on July 14 at noon.