| Issue 34 |

Concept Testing – Part 2

Concept Testing is a questionnaire that quantitatively and qualitatively tests customers’ responses to a new product (or service) idea. In Part 1 we described how the actual concept should be worded. Now we will describe how the actual questionnaire is set up.

The questionnaire is comprised of three parts: the purchasing purpose, reference to specific features, and personal information 

1. Purchasing purpose: This section tests the responsiveness to the overall concept, meaning to what extent the customers are interested in purchasing the product or service. It contains 3 questions:
 

• How willing the customer is to buy the product this year (this can teach us about the product’s market segment).
• How willing the customer is to buy the product immediately (this can teach us whether the product stimulates impulsive buying).
• General opinion about the product (this is an open question where the respondent can react to the concept prior to being exposed to more detailed questions later on in the questionnaire).  

2. Specific features: This section exhaustively tests important features of the new product as perceived by the customers, and the questions in this section comprise the bulk of the questionnaire.
 

• 5 quantitative questions about specific features – to what extent is the new product unique, reliable, relevant, important, and reasonably priced (a low score for a certain feature attests to a fundamental problem).
• 3 open questions regarding the product’s advantages and disadvantages (these questions appear on the opposite side of the page, and show how and what aspects of the idea are perceived).
• 2 questions regarding the importance of features of this type of product, and to what extent the new product excels in them (this makes it possible to clarify the new product’s compatibility with customer needs).  

3. Personal information: This section tests the respondents’ demographic, socioeconomic, and purchasing habit characteristics. The questionnaire is anonymous, but crossing-referencing with this information can yield a better understanding of which market segments will tend to purchase the new product more than others.
 

To view a real questionnaire, see an example of the Concept Test questionnaire . This is a questionnaire on construction levels that helped Kapro develop its product many years ago. The results of the concept were good, and the product was launched with great success. A description of this product (TopGrade) and other new construction levels appears here.

In the third and final part about Concept Testing, which will appear in this section next time, we will explain how to conduct a Concept Test (who and how to ask) and how to analyze the results.

• Information on Inventive Thinking workshops appears here (see page 10 at PDF booklet in Hebrew).
• For information about Idea Bank Management workshop appears here  (see page 12 at PDF booklet in Hebrew).
• For articles on Systematic Innovation: click here.

The Art of Selling

For many years ZOOZ has been offering workshops on complex B2B sales. In other words, selling to businesses and organizations, when the sales process is prolonged and conducted vis-à-vis a number of agents and decision makers on the client’s end. Alongside these workshops, we also recently began to offer workshops and training seminars on selling products and services to the general public (B2C). These are sales workshops for telemeeting and telemarketing centers, and to store and field sales teams. The workshops include a special emphasis on interpersonal communication and body language, on sales promotion questions, on handling resistance, and especially on empathizing with the customer. During the training an assessment is conducted in the sales center, and scripts are developed designed to help to increase sales. In addition, as a result of the sales center training, each participant can receive personal coaching while doing his job.

Itai Hel-Or, a senior facilitator and seasoned veteran in this field, is conducting the new workshops.

• For more information about the Art of Selling (B2C) workshops: see here (see page 27 at PDF booklet in Hebrew).

• For more information about the B2B Sales workshops: see here (page 15 at PDF booklet in Hebrew).
• To set up marketing assistance processes: contact us

Greetings without Customers

 

 
In the past we mentioned the logic of reversal, which shows how bad not buying the advertiser’s product will be. The ad shown here is another example of reversal logic. Durex wishes all those that use its competitors’ products a Happy Father’s Day. Those that do not wish to become fathers quickly internalize the message - be on the safe side and use Durex condoms. Why take a chance?.

It is important to note that there are no pictures in this advertisement, only text. Albeit the subject is very picturesque, but sometimes 11 words suffice. The choice of using a text advertisement also suits the tone of the entire ad: light, understated humor. No need for pyrotechnics and visual effects when the message is crystal clear.

And if we are already in the spirit of greetings and salutations, we want to take this opportunity to wish our readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year, even without ZOOZ’s services and assistance...

• For Information on the Creative Advertising workshop see page 18 of the  booklet of Strategy and Marketing workshops (Hebrew, PDF file) or contact us.
• We would be happy to receive more interesting advertisements Please send them to ari@zooz.co.il.