Research Tidbits

Understanding customers more deeply

In my last Research Tidbit, we discussed the importance of uncovering customers’ unconscious motivators and the use of techniques from NLP and hypnotherapy, such as guided visualization, to do so.

Another valuable technique for market researchers is the ego state approach, widely used in hypnotherapy. This model suggests that our personalities are made up of different “parts” or ego states, each of which comes to the forefront in different contexts.

For instance, an accountant might draw on a highly analytical part of herself when reviewing a spreadsheet, but access a more playful part while riding a rollercoaster with her kids. Most of the time, these parts work together smoothly – but not always. If you’ve ever thought, “A part of me wants to eat that donut, but another part knows I’ll regret it later,” you’ve experienced a moment when your internal parts were in conflict.

The ego state approach can be very helpful in understanding customer decision-making and how to appeal to all the parts involved in the decision. In research sessions, we can apply this approach by:

  • Asking about the parts involved in the decision.
    “Is there a part of you that really wants to make the purchase? A part that’s hesitant? Are there other parts that have concerns?”
  • Exploring the motivations of each part.
    “If the part of you that wants to go for it could speak, what would it say?”
  • Discussing what would help align the parts.
    “What would the resistant part need to feel more comfortable? What information or reassurance would help it get on board?”

This technique encourages participants to move beyond purely rational explanations and share emotional, intuitive, and even contradictory motivations – which are often more telling and actionable than logical responses alone.

For clients, the benefits go beyond deeper empathy. The ego state approach can help marketing teams:

• Create richer personas that reflect different internal drives and tensions.
• Identify internal conflicts that may be blocking conversions.
• Design messaging that speaks to multiple “parts” of the consumer—addressing doubts while inspiring desire.

By mapping out these inner dynamics, brands can craft communications that don’t just inform, but resonate – acknowledging and validating the complex inner worlds that shape real-world choices.

Let’s find ways to understand your customers more deeply. Email me at info at bureauwest.com.

Reference: “Ego State Therapy,” Gordon Emmerson, 2007

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

Uncovering unconscious motivators (part 1)

We’ve long known that the unconscious mind plays a major role in customer decision-making. Influential researchers like Daniel Kahneman, Dan Ariely, and Gerald Zaltman have written about how emotions and unconscious memories shape our choices. (Note: Gerald Zaltman is not related to me… as far as I know!) People’s decisions are largely based on emotions and unconscious memories; yet, when asked how we come to our decisions, we use our conscious minds to come up with a rational answer – which may or may not be accurate!

One of the advantages of qualitative research is its ability to uncover these hidden motivators. Projective techniques, for example, help us get beyond surface-level responses to reveal deeper emotions and drivers. Lately, I’ve been exploring neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnotherapy – two fields that specialize in accessing the unconscious mind – to see what qualitative researchers can learn. There are several powerful techniques we can adapt and apply in our work.

One particularly useful technique is guided visualization, commonly used in NLP to retrieve unconscious memories and imagine desired outcomes. In qualitative research, we can leverage this method to help participants recreate past experiences and envision ideal future scenarios – both of which yield richer insights than traditional questioning.

Take a retail client, for example. Instead of simply asking customers about their last visit to the store, we can immerse them in the memory:

  • In a one-on-one interview, have the participant close their eyes and relax. Guide them through their last visit: “Picture yourself walking into the store. What do you see? What do you hear? How do you feel?”
  • Move through the entire experience: browsing, interacting with staff, making a purchase. Probe for emotions: excitement, hesitation, satisfaction, regret.
  • What feelings lingered after the visit? Would they return? What made the experience memorable – or forgettable?

This technique activates the senses and emotions tied to the experience, unlocking deeper insights that may not emerge in a standard interview. It helps clients understand not just what customers do, but why they do it – and how they feel about it.

But we don’t have to stop at recreating past experiences. Once the participant is fully engaged, we can ask them to visualize an improved version of the experience.

  • “What would make shopping here more enjoyable?”
  • “If this store wanted to feel extra premium, what should change?”
  • “What would make you want to return more often?”

Instead of asking customers to rationally brainstorm improvements, this method lets them feel their way into the answer. It often reveals insights we wouldn’t get through direct questioning.

Guided visualization is just one technique that can enhance qualitative research. In my next Research Tidbit, I’ll explore the ego state approach, a method from hypnotherapy that can help uncover internal conflicts in decision-making. Customers frequently have a part of them that wants to make the purchase and part that doesn’t: we can learn how to appeal to both sides.

Let’s discuss how to uncover your customers’ unconscious motivators. Email me at info at bureauwest.com.

References: “Hidden Minds,” Harvard Business Review, June 2002; “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” Daniel Kahneman, 2011; “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions,” Dan Ariely, 2008

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

How to avoid bias in research

One of the most important concerns we have as market researchers is how to minimize the influence researchers have on participants. We want to uncover participants’ real thoughts, feelings and motivations, but what if the researcher’s presence, or even the mere act of asking the question, has an impact on participants’ responses?

Experienced researchers have a variety of methods we use in qualitative research to reduce that impact and obtain the most accurate input possible. For example:

  • Setting the tone. The intro at the very beginning of the discussion is an important tool to minimize bias. The first thing I tell participants is “I’m an independent researcher. That means you can say good things or bad things and it won’t hurt my feelings either way. My job is to get people’s honest opinions.” (The late great Naomi Henderson advised against saying “there are no right or wrong answers,” since that brings up the idea of wrong answers. I agree!)
  • The intro is also the time to set the ground rules to avoid having one participant dominate the conversation, which can also introduce bias. I say “I want to hear from everyone and keep it even, so if you notice you’re going first a few times, I’m going to ask you to hold back and let someone else go first.” If a participant later starts to dominate the conversation, they can be reminded of this ground rule.
  • Neutral language. When our clients have questions, they tend to be unconsciously biased in favor of their product. For example, they may want to know how a certain feature has improved customers’ experience. Instead of asking questions like “how has this this feature improved your experience?” I prefer questions like “What impact, if any, did this feature have on your experience?”
  • One exception: when we want to make sure participants aren’t saying things to please us, we might play devil’s advocate to see how strongly they feel. For example, “Is that feature really that helpful? Someone was just saying in the last group that it made no difference to them. Were they wrong?” This gets participants to provide more detail about why they feel the way they feel.
  • Watching our own signals. The moderator can bias things without realizing by smiling or saying something like “great answer” to a participant. We really have to watch ourselves. I try to thank everyone for their input, say things like “that’s an interesting point” and “does anyone agree or disagree?” to make sure I appear neutral. And the first time someone disagrees with another participant, I’ll praise them and say something like “that’s what I was talking about earlier – we can feel free to disagree with each other in a friendly manner.”

While we can’t completely eliminate researcher influence, the above strategies can help a great deal. As third-party researchers, one benefit we bring to our clients is the fact that we come from the outside and are therefore more able to be neutral when conducting research. It’s important to approach research discussions with curiosity and empathy, rather than advance expectations about participants’ responses.

Let’s discuss how to elicit unbiased information from your customers and prospects. Email me at info at bureauwest.com.

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman

How to avoid unprofitable customers

Not all customers are profitable to a business. There are those who only ever buy products at a discount. There are customers who return products repeatedly. And those who utilize customer service disproportionately. (It turns out the customer isn’t always right!) Even though it goes against our instincts, there are customers that companies should not want – they should either be “fired” or, better yet, never become customers in the first place.

Some examples:

  • Years ago, Best Buy classified its customers as “angels” or “devils.” According to The Wall Street Journal, “The devils are its worst customers. They buy products, apply for rebates, return the purchases, then buy them back at returned-merchandise discounts.” They changed their policies to make them less vulnerable to exploitation, adding a 15% restocking fee and selling restocked goods over the Internet instead of in-store.
  • Hubspot had two main customer segments: people who run small businesses (1-10 employees) whom they called “Ollie Owner,” and marketers at companies with 10-1000 employees (“Mary Marketer”). At a certain point, the company realized that the Mary Marketers were much more loyal and profitable then Ollie Owners. They didn’t “fire” their Ollie Owner customers, but rather, focused their marketing and service efforts on pleasing Mary Marketers.

How can your company avoid unprofitable customers?

  • Analyze existing data to identify and focus on customer groups that are likely to be profitable. Consider behavioral segmentation, looking at purchase recency, frequency and value, as well as customer lifetime value.
  • Approach discounting with care, looking for ways to incentivize good customers rather than encouraging unprofitable ones. One option: make discounts part of a loyalty program.
  • Develop personas for both profitable and unprofitable customers. Those “negative” personas can help guide marketing and product offerings, making sure you appeal to the good customers and not the unprofitable ones.
  • Pamper your high-value customers. Provide an amazing customer experience to your most profitable customers. Consider having explicit customer tiers like airlines do with frequent flyer status – those who are most profitable can unlock extra bonuses and services.
  • For some companies, it may make sense to screen customers and/or have minimum purchase levels.

Let’s discuss how to find your most profitable customers. Email me at info at bureauwest.com.

Sources: “Case study: how audience-driven products built a unicorn,” GTMonday, 3/4/24; “Best Buy hopes to exorcize devil patrons,” Ars Technica, 11/8/04

Posted on by Jay Zaltzman