Question

Topic: Research/Metrics

Tip To Break The Selence In Discussion To Managers

Posted by Anonymous on 1/13/2010 at 11:17 AM ET 125 Points
Hi, I will do some in-depth interviews with top manager in pharmaceutical companies. Could you please guide me how to make them more open-minded to discuss on their works. Thanks.
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  • Posted by thecynicalmarketer on 1/13/2010 at 11:27 AM Member
    You don't supply a lot of info about the who and why, but here goes.

    The two biggest issues are confidentiality and the interviewees self-interest.
    To address confidentiality issues, do the following; emphasize it in your invites and intros, have as few people as possible participate in your meetings, consider not recording or taking notes (better have a great memory), also consider signing an NDA.
    On the issue of self-interest, you will need to have the person being interviewed understand what benefit they will receive by sharing the information (but don’t promise info from others or you will blow-up the confidentiality part).
    Good luck.
  • Posted on 1/13/2010 at 12:03 PM Member
    I agree with the points that thecynicalmarketer makes. You may want to send them some information ahead of time that would convey the confidentiality and self-interest issues this expert made above.

    I would also add that your early part of the interview is very important. You will want to add questions at the beginning that allow the respondents to relax and feel comfortable about talking with you. They should be at least somewhat related to the topic at hand, but these warm-up questions can pave the way for a relationship-building atmosphere than can help you improve the quality of the data you receive.
  • Posted on 1/13/2010 at 7:54 PM Moderator
    If these interviews are important and you haven't done this sort of thing before, you should find someone with more experience and let them conduct the interviews while you watch, listen and learn.

    There are more ways to do it wrong than to do it right, and if you get misleading results as a result of the way the interviews are conducted, you'll have only yourself to blame.

    Wouldn't it be embarrassing if a client took the wrong action because of something you thought you learned in an interview, when it was the way you conducted the interview that generated the faulty information?

    This isn't the sort of thing you want to learn on the job the first time if it's really an important interview.
  • Posted on 1/14/2010 at 10:14 AM Author
    I have done lots of IDIs with housewives, students and kids. Respondents of this study are professional people as sales managers, general manager and marketing managers and topics relating to their working experiences so I feel nervous. I know warm up part is very important. is there any clue for warm up part? Thanks
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/15/2010 at 6:40 AM Accepted
    Record the interviews and don't try to take notes during the interview itself. Focus on listening.

    You may be interested in this article I wrote based on my experiences interviewing guest for my TV series (Business With Passion): https://www.manygoodideas.com/2009/02/01/10-tips-on-how-to-interview-anyone...
  • Posted by steven.alker on 1/15/2010 at 1:20 PM Accepted
    The above advice is excellent and I think that role play is very good preparation. If you take up Jay's suggestion of recording the interview, it is a polite convention to put the recorder on the table or desk between you and invite the client to do likewise or offer to give him an mp3 of the interview.

    Finally, use a bit of sales technique. Ask well researched questions and then shut up! 10 seconds of silence is a short time, but it will feel like 10 minutes. Shutting up usually has the effect of making the other person open up to fill the void, but as you are not closing a sale, be prepared to change tack if the silence drags on beyond this.

    Steve Alker
    Xspirt
  • Posted on 1/16/2010 at 2:23 PM Accepted
    Jay's tips are terrific. His suggestion about recording rather than taking notes is a two-edged sword though.

    On the one hand, it forces you to focus on listening and interacting with the respondent. That's good. On the other hand, taking notes shows the interviewee that you are really interested in what they're saying AND it gives you a way to refer back to your notes to ask follow-up questions and get the subject to expand on things they said earlier that let you get what you want out of the interview.

    I always resist coming to an interview with a set questionnaire or discussion guide. I'd rather let the subject talk about whatever is important to them. By taking great notes, however, I can almost always steer the conversation to the topics that are of greatest interest to me. ("You mentioned earlier that ... " or "Can you explain what you meant earlier by ..." Etc.)

    I also memorize my list of important topics rather than have a written "cheat sheet." I want the interviewee to feel like he/she is in control of the discussion. That lets them feel less "on stage" and guarded.
  • Posted by koen.h.pauwels on 1/21/2010 at 4:18 AM Accepted
    Agreed with all of the above! My two points to add:

    1) it always helps to put the respondents at ease on how their answers are going to be used: will your research ultimately help their companies and/or patients? In your introduction, make this link explicit (eg 'thanks to your answers, we will be able to develop a better product for your company, which will benefit your effectiveness / efficiency of serving your clients'). Evidently, it works even better if you are coming from a organization perceived as relatively 'objective', such as a university or independent research firm.

    2) the venue is important too: interviewing managers in their office may put them at ease, but the time spent with you is seen as taking away from their real work. I often prefer a relaxed setting or a setting where they have lots of time to spend. For instance, I have had success interviewing busy managers at the airport, as they were waiting for their (delayed) flights

    Good Luck!
  • Posted on 1/21/2010 at 9:53 AM Author
    Dear all,

    Thank for your support. Have a nice weekend
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