Business Matters

Business Matters

Dynamic Systems in Marketing Research: Cracking the Nut of Habitual Behavior

July 2, 2025 0

If you’ve ever struggled to understand or shift entrenched consumer or professional behaviors, this article offers a fresh and deeply insightful perspective. The author—originally a cognitive developmental psychologist—introduces dynamic systems theory to explain how habits form, stabilize, and resist change over time. Using real-world examples from healthcare and consumer behavior, the piece explores how marketers and qualitative researchers can uncover the early influences and unconscious motivators behind resistant behaviors—and how to effectively disrupt them. This isn’t just theory—it’s a call to rethink how we frame questions, design studies, and unlock behavior change. A must-read for any insight pro looking to solve sticky behavior problems with new thinking. […]

Business Matters

Why Investment in Your Firm’s Brand is an Important Part of Your Growth Strategy

April 4, 2025 0

Insight industry growth expert Paul Griffiths explores the most cost-effective and easily executed ways to grow your research partner brand. Regardless of whether you are a qualitative solopreneur, part of a small qualitative shop, or the leader in a large agency, there are ways you can build brand salience and make sales activity more impactful that don’t require big marketing budgets. […]

Business Matters

Let’s Talk About Side Hustles

December 4, 2024 0

Independent qualitative researchers can find themselves riding a financial roller coaster, as the economy ebbs and flows in an inconsistent pattern. Establishing a secondary source of revenue, one unrelated to qualitative research, can offer some stability. This article explores approaches qualitative researchers have taken, as well as key issues for consideration, and unexpected ways in which side hustles can benefit researchers, while keeping the lights on. […]

Business Matters

The Future of Qualitative Research—An Ideation Session: How We Can Dramatically Increase Our Value to Clients and Stay Relevant in the Future

June 12, 2024 0

Is traditional qualitative research dead? A provocative question that seems to surface every now and then. With the proliferation of new tech tools and AI, it might feel this way sometimes, but it’s the combination of old and new methods that can help researchers increase their value to clients. Author Len Ferman identifies ideas from a brainstorming session with qualitative researchers to consider in our pursuit to add unique value to brands and businesses. […]

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Dealing With Big Change? Don’t Just Survive. Thrive!

December 6, 2023 0

Qualitative moderator Kelley Styring offers a provocative look at people who have navigated and overcome significant emotional and physical challenges in their lives and emerged to thrive. Through engaging stories, Styring shares five behavioral and attitudinal operational principles that qualitative researchers can apply to our own lives. […]

Shooting a stand-up show. Stand-up comedian on stage at the microphone.
Business Matters

3 Things Stand-Up Comedy Can Teach You About Building a Moderating Business

June 21, 2023 0

With a background as a professional stand-up comedian, focus group moderator/interviewer Leigh Kessler delivers a unique perspective on the fundamentals of both, highlighting similarities and sharing three unique lessons learned in stand-up comedy that can help develop interview skills and make you a great focus group moderator. Learn how you can benefit as a moderator—and businessperson—by spending a little time doing stand-up comedy. […]

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What Am I Buying and Why: An Insurance Primer

March 22, 2023 0

Calvin Gilman explains the types of small-business insurance that may be most relevant for qualitative researchers operating small businesses. Calvin aims to arm readers with some tools that will help them become more savvy consumers of insurance, and give them a better understanding of the risks that face their businesses and methods to mitigate those risks. He discusses contract insurance, professional liability, and the growing issue of cyber liability coverage. Qualitative professionals should discuss these issues with insurance brokers to determine coverage options and premiums available, and should also discuss risk management with their entire qualitative research teams. […]

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Improv Mindset: 4 Principles to Build Your Qualitative Skills

January 3, 2023 1

Qualitative research is a form of applied improvisation: even though moderators prepare extensively, almost anything can happen in an actual conversation, and we have to be able to react in the moment—all while putting on a show for our highly-engaged client “audience.” Actor Will Dennis describes how deliberately adopting an “improv mindset” can further bolster our qualitative skills, offering exercises to help us listen more attentively, make our respondents look good, and reconsider how spontaneous dialogue can turn into opportunities for more genuine and authentic conversations with participants. […]