Research — How "I think" becomes "I know."

“You’ll never win a subjective argument.”

These words of wisdom were imparted to me by a supervisor early in my marketing career. It was in response to one of those client disagreements in which young, inexperienced account executives sometimes find themselves involved. You know, the ones that go something like this:

“I think green is better.”

“Well, I think blue is better.”

Not exactly a productive discussion. Not great for client relations either.

Luckily, young account executives grow up (at least most of them do). And somewhere along the way, they figure out that facts carry a lot more credibility than opinions.

Turn the subjective to objective.

Research is a way to change “I think” to “I know.” It eliminates subjective, opinion-laden arguments. And when used properly, it serves to unite teams, rather than divide them.    

Recently, as part of a brand development process for a higher education client, I had the opportunity to deliver the findings of our research. We pulled together a group of “Brand Champions” that represented the various functional areas in the organization and walked them through the results of our intense analysis of the target, competition, marketplace and industry.

As I prepared for the meeting, I wondered how the information would be received. Would members of the audience tune out because they didn’t agree with what I was saying? Would they feel threatened by the facts?

As I read their faces, I realized that my concerns were unfounded. This group was very engaged and seemed to be soaking up the information. Why? Because the research answered questions that had been longstanding sources of debate within the institution. Now, rather than investing time speculating, the team was able to point to unbiased, objective facts, and move forward together. It was as though a weight had been lifted, and it didn’t matter who was “right” or “wrong.” All that mattered was that now they had facts, not opinions.

Research isn’t a project; it’s a foundation.  

Research can answer many questions. It can provide clarity where there was once confusion. However, answering the questions is just the beginning.

Once the research is complete, it becomes a tool that can and should be referenced time and time again.  We encourage our clients to post the research summaries by their desks, bring them to meetings and really become comfortable and familiar with the content. Then, when decisions are being made, the research is there, in black and white, to provide guidance. Does the report support the direction? Does the research indicate that the target will respond to the message?

There is nothing more rewarding than being in a meeting with a client and hearing them say, “Well, the research tells us…” when there is a topic being debated. When research is called on to turn the subjective into objective, to change a debate about opinions into a discussion of facts, that’s when “I think” becomes “I know.”