The 10 Laws of Focus Group Recruiting
Recruiting is not an easy job. The success of your focus group depends on the quality of your respondents. The next time you need to recruit, expect your focus group recruiting firm to follow these 10 Laws.
1. Timeliness
Make sure your qualitative research firm starts screening when promised and allocates enough time for the project.
2. Plenty of Recruiters
Depending on the size and scope of your study, be sure your research firm assigns enough recruiters to your project.
3. Appropriate Respondents
The job of your recruiting firm is to identify the type of respondent you are looking for and that they meet all of the screening requirements.
4. Communication
Keeping in touch with you is the mark of a top-notch recruiting firm. Letting you know about unexpected issues and helping to work through them will ensure a successful outcome.
5. Alerts to Changes in Specs
It is the responsibility of recruiting services to alert you to any adjustments that need to be made in the specs in order to complete the project. A recruiting disposition should accompany any request for changes.
6. Frequent Updates
Expect an update at least daily on the progress of the recruiting to make sure the demographics are correct and all quotas are being met.
7. Up-to-Date Database
Your focus group recruiting firm should be constantly adding people to their database and updating the profiles of those already enrolled.
8. Creativity
Experienced recruiting firms make suggestions you may not think about. For example, wording on screeners or how to recruit niche-type respondents that may not be easily accessed from typical databases.
9. Validating
Responsible recruiting firms will speak to respondents at least once prior to the focus group event and reask screening questions to confirm their qualifications.
10. On-site Rescreening
It is important to the success of your study to rescreen respondents when they arrive for the focus group. A written rescreener is best to avoid leading questions and to avoid embarrassing the respondents with personal questions in front of others.
