2026 has been a challenging year for a lot of firms. Often, the finger of blame is pointed at the buyers because they’re delaying or canceling projects. That’s fair. In some cases, firms cut back on sales and marketing to save money, but that kills whatever momentum they’ve built in the marketplace
There’s a third culprit… one that’s rarely talked about… but one that can severely and negatively impact a firm’s growth efforts. And that’s investing in the wrong sales and marketing efforts. Here are five examples where that often shows up…
#1) You keep doing the same ol’ things. Remember the definition of “insanity”… to keep doing the same things over and over and expecting the results to change. Well, I see that a lot in sales and marketing for MR firms. Running the same ads over and over in the same places with no idea if they’re working. Creating blog after blog about research methodologies when your website visitors don’t care about that. Networking at the same events with the same people (then doing the same lousy job of follow-up afterward).
STOP! Take a ‘fresh’ look at every sales and marketing tactic that you’re employing. Are you measuring them? Are they working? Should you be tweaking them or stopping them? Just because “we’ve always done that” doesn’t mean you should keep on doing it.
#2) You do whatever sales and marketing the owner/president wants. As they will proudly pontificate, “I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years. I know what works.” So, you do what he/she tells you, even if it’s not based on anything other than his/her gut feel.
STOP! Let your marketing and sales teams do their jobs. Let them execute, then measure what works and what doesn’t. Let them test new ideas. The industry (and marketing) is changing incredibly fast right now… what worked 20 years ago isn’t going to work today.
#3) Your firm is the same as everyone else. If you work for an MR agency, you likely provide the same types of services to the same types of clients in much the same way as 90% of every other MR agency in the market. So, why should a buyer buy from you? What makes you different? Unique?
STOP! Without a POD (point of differentiation) you blend in with every other firm in the “sea of sameness.” So, what’s your POD? Maybe you already have one and just don’t realize it. Or create one. Focus on an industry, a methodology, a particular business use. Develop a new way of doing things, a new piece of technology or an innovative CX strategy.
When you finalize your POD (and “we do great work and have great people” ain’t it!), then make sure it serves as the ‘pointy end of your sales and marketing spear.’ Leverage it to open doors, cement your reputation and create new selling opportunities.
#4) Not going where your buyers are. Think about your current sales and marketing efforts. We all go to events like the CRC, ESOMAR Congress and TMRE. We all advertise in Quirks. We all belong to a bunch of LinkedIn groups for Market Research professionals. But here’s the question… are your buyers there? Maybe. Maybe not. All of these channels are a mixed bag of buyers and sellers. And with the buyer segment, they’re spread across every vertical and every market imaginable.
STOP! Why not go where you know your buyers will be? Let’s say you do (or want to do) work in the pharmaceutical industry. You should, for example, be networking/exhibiting at the Pharma Market Research Conference (PMRC); you should be a member of EPHMRA; you should be part of the Pharma Marketing LinkedIn group. While these channels may have fewer overall participants than the generic MR channels, they all full of a specific target market of yours, provide a powerful focus for your sales and marketing efforts, and there will be far fewer competitors involved.
#5) Focusing on lead generation. Hey! I like sales leads as much as the next guy. [While not every sales lead will become a client… every client started out as a sales lead.] And so, a vast majority of sales and marketing is focused on lead generation.
STOP! There’s a lot of work to do before the leads start flowing over the transom. Your sales and marketing must start with building awareness and building your reputation in the markets you serve. You need to be including things like advertising, having an active presence on LinkedIn, creating and sharing relevant content, smart networking, speaking at targeted events, and so on. Remember, you don’t just want to be known… you want to be known for something.
The Bottom line
When times are tough – like they are for some right now – you can’t stop your sales and marketing. Though, you might have to cut back. And that’s OK… so long as what you continue to do is smart, strategic and focused on those things that deliver measurable results.
Good luck and good selling.