The Mirrored Window: Focus Groups from a Moderator's Point of View

If you have to run a focus group yourself, or you are considering investing in focus group research, The Mirrored Window is a practical guide to help you:

• Decide what type of qualitative research is best for your objective: focus groups, telephone interviews, or online groups
• Target the best demographic slice to give you truly useful answers
• Create a screening questionnaire that helps you sort out the duds (and cheaters) from the perfect participants before the group takes place
• Moderate in such a way that you get the group to open up with truly useful feedback and comments (it's tougher than you think)
• Analyze results quickly and fairly - and create a report that helps your client make better product positioning, copywriting and advertising decisions

Focus groups are expensive - they can cost thousands per session. Plus, they can take weeks from start to finish to implement and analyze. In the end, the client may use results to inform million dollar decisions.

And yet, the practice is plagued by myths, mistakes and misfires.

Here at MarketingSherpa, we speak to a lot of marketers who grumble about focus group results. 'Was it really worth the money?' they wonder. 'Were the results useful?' they say.

That's why we were delighted to discover this practical book by expert Judith Langer. She's been conducting focus groups and consumer interviews since 1970. Here she pours out a career's worth of tips, tactics and lessons learned, in a very easy-to-digest format.

You won't find pie-in-the-sky theory in this book. Instead, it's packed with everyday hands-on advice. It's a lot like a really excellent version of a "For Dummies" guide.

Each chapter leads you step-by-step through the focus groups -- including:

• selecting participants
• writing a topic guide,
• eliciting answers from quiet participants
• probing deep for useful stuff
• analyzing results

Plus, The Mirrored Window also includes a Case Study of a qualitative research study into men's attitudes towards career, family, self-image, privacy and technology. The real-life transcripts included in this Case Study are fascinating and helpful for understanding how to probe consumers for useful answers.

You'll also learn why the 15 Myths About Qualitative Research aren't correct, including whether or not groups should be homogeneous demographically, how much or how little a moderator should speak during a session, and how pre-scripted sessions should be.

By the way: Yes, this book is covered under MarketingSherpa's 100% satisfaction guarantee. If it does not meet your needs, simply return within 30 days for a full and fast refund. Thank you.

Readers Say

"Get more from your qualitative research by applying the lessons learned by one of the most gifted moderators in America."
Jim Spaeth,
President,
Advertising Research Foundation

"The Mirrored Window is an incredibly thorough guide to conducting focus groups, from one of the best moderators I've ever known."
Barbara Zack,
Gruner & Jahr USA Publishing

"A must-read for everyone who is involved in any aspect of qualitative research. It provides insights into all aspects of design, execution, and the critical element, of intepretation."
Jay Faberman,
Consumer & Market Knowledge,
Procter & Gamble