by Kerry Juhl and Julie Rose

SIVO’s Organizational Intelligence (OI) solution offers leader development and coaching to our clients.  Our OI team has many years of experience with one-on-one coaching engagements and group development sessions.  We are also skilled at identifying employee insights, both through quantitative engagement surveys and in-depth employee discussions.  As we have looked at leadership from both perspectives, we see 5 leadership traits that employees are looking for.   

The Authentic Communicator

This trait is displayed in a leader who communicates well in one-on-one situations because they: 

• Listen to understand - communication is a two-way dialogue

• Are empathetic - can put themselves in their employees’ shoes 

• Share truth responsibly – even hard truths are delivered in a courageous and respectful way 

• Are direct – messages are clear and concise to maximize understanding 

This is also true for group communication because the communication is transparent, honest, and the leader can read the audience.  Authentic communication can be delivered in multiple ways – written, verbal, in video, newsletters, etc. 

The Learner Mindset

Everyone will make a mistake or fall short of a goal and when a leader reframes to a learner mindset from a failure mindset, employees gain confidence to take some risks, learn and grow. A leader with this trait might also choose to share a personal experience of failure and how there is growth from making mistakes. Through this humble approach, the leader is helping the team develop grit – that combination of taking measured risks, perseverance and resilience. 

The Big Picture Thinker

Leaders who keep a greater purpose in mind, for themselves as well as for the company, and cultivate a sense of purpose on their team tend to have a more positive culture and better results.  Employees need to understand how their work fits into the “bigger picture” so that all are making decisions with the same end goals in mind.  Vision and purpose also give employees a sense that the work they do matters and that is critical in cultivating their engagement and enthusiasm.   

The Reflector

Some of us have worked for a manager that is scattered and acts like everything is a fire drill.  It’s exhausting!  However, leaders that take even a quick pause to reflect on a project, on a day, or even a fiscal quarter are better equipped to provide thoughtful feedback and then tackle the next challenge.  Gathering the necessary data, consulting with key stakeholders and team members before rushing off to the next thing can demonstrate a willingness to grow and learn from the past.  It can also instill confidence in the team, knowing that all angles have been considered before taking the next step.  Leading a team through an exercise of assessing what went well and what did not go well, and considering the potential for future obstacles can also be a particularly effective way to advance the team forward.  

The Goal Setter

Leaders who continually set short-term and mid-term goals toward achieving the longer vision are much more effective leaders.  Employees are seeking clear direction from their leader and while having a long-term vision is inspiring, without short-term goals, teams often find themselves churning with indecision, not knowing what their immediate next step should be.  A great leadership tool is the SMART goal setting framework.  Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-oriented. Having SMART goals also makes it possible to pause and celebrate when the team achieves the goals as it happens! 

Do you possess these 5 traits?  As it turns out, all leaders are working to achieve excellence in leadership and in business impact.  Shoring up your skills and taking action to develop these 5 traits will make you a more effective leader on both fronts.   

To talk more about leadership development, leader coaching engagements, or employee insights, please contact the SIVO Organizational Intelligence team at LeaderInsights@SIVOInsights.com 

by Cindy Blackstock 

At SIVO, our team of insights experts have honed their skills over many years of market research and the lessons gained along the way now prove to be invaluable.  We have learned that insights are just useless facts unless they can be applied to the business in a way that drives action among our client teams and growth on their businesses.  So, in the spirit of sharing useful content and a bit of our “secret sauce” with our valued clients and partners, here are 5 Keys for Turning Consumer Insights into Action.  

Start with the End in Mind 

As market researchers in search of consumer insights, the SIVO team must understand how the results will possibly be used, what actions will be taken by our clients and how our clients intend to influence and have impact in their organization using our research. When we are equipped with the business objective and the actions that might stem from the results, we become clear on the research objectives and design.  We all know that best consumer insights experts can envision how the research results need to come to life before starting the research.  When we do this, we avoid two big pitfalls in research – first, the fatal one, missing a key question and second, the sloppy one, asking questions that don’t need to be answered or are already known. 

Conduct a “Get Smart” Session  

By facilitating a “Get Smart” Session with the client team, SIVO can mine existing information and surface institutional knowledge. There are 3 key reasons for the session:  

• To provide context and grounding to the SIVO experts as they design the learning plan 
• To uncover client team knowledge gaps, a.k.a., figure out what is known and what the client team still needs to learn 
• Level everyone up – the entire client team has the same in-going perspective 

Plan for Quality Input to Get Quality Output 

It has been said that the quality of the output is only as good as the quality of the input.  This is very true when designing market research.  SIVO experts start with detailed learning plans to outline how the business objectives translate to the learning objectives and market research approach.  This is where we align with the client team by defining things like sample composition and size, key measures, and of course, the action standards.  Action standards outline the “if/then” scenarios for research outcomes and the follow-up actions.  For example, if the results indicate X, then the action to be taken is Y. Documenting the action standards, before the research is executed, forces both the SIVO and client teams to think through the possible actions for each hypothesized outcome. 

Report the Key Findings (and, all the rest too!) 

Some client teams want an at-a-glance Executive Summary of results that they can quickly act upon, and others want all the details for a more thorough understanding before taking action.  SIVO provides both, either in one report or in two separate deliverables. We must be clear on the delivery of the topline summary versus the full report with the detailed findings (supporting data, quotes, video clips, images, etc.) for future reference. 

Make Clear Recommendations

It’s critical to turn data into insights and insights into actions. Too often professionals in the insights industry are hesitant to make bold recommendations on potential actions to take. However, client teams are looking for more than data and insights.  They need courageous recommendations that inform their decisions.  To drive action, SIVO puts a stake in the ground!  It is, however, important to point out that recommendations are an educated opinion or point-of-view, based on the insights and findings of the research.  Clients will then use research recommendations, in conjunction with other external factors, to guide or inform their actions and decisions.  The best way to be confident about the recommendations is to circle back to Step 1!  Start with the end in mind! 

Contact the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or reach out to me directly at Cindy.Blackstock@SIVOInsights.com to help you uncover insights that inform your future decisions and actions! 

By Kerry Juhl

The Responsibility & Privilege of Serving Customers

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.”​

– Mahatma Gandhi, 1890 

This quote is more than 100-years old, but it is still true today.  The opportunity to serve customers is a privilege.  The responsibility of that privilege is ensuring the customer’s voice is heard and understood.  Brand teams need to know what their customers need and what they value, as decisions about products and services are made on the customers’ behalf.​

Defining Customer Value

Understanding customer value can be a differentiator for companies in today’s challenging market.  Simplistically, if a brand team has $1 to invest – or needs to cut $1 in spending – knowledge about what customers’ value must guide these business decisions to stay competitive. 

So let’s talk about customer value…In everyday conversations, value has many meanings including price, worth, or even benefits. It is imperative for organizations to operate with a common understanding of customer value.  From a marketing and branding perspective, it helps to think about customer value as an equation:
Customer Value equals Benefits minus Cost (CV=B-C)​. 

Benefits include the advantages of quality, service, image, brand, experience, and the functionality one gets or emotions one feels when using the product or service.  Cost is not only price – which we think of as cash, credit, interest, even service fees - but it can also include non-price terms such as time, effort, energy, and convenience.* 

When teams define their Customer Value Equation, they can clearly identify growth opportunities by emphasizing or improving aspects of an offering that customers value (where to invest) and they can identify cost savings by eliminating aspects of the offering that customers do not value (where to cut).

Developing the Customer Value Equation

SIVO employs a 5-Step Process to develop your Customer Value Equation.  In partnership with our client teams, we Mine, Explore and Quantify the customer value drivers leveraging Functional, Emotional, Life-Changing and Social Impact values. Note that the Quantify Step can be qualitative consumer learning, a quantitative survey or ideally, a combination of both.  The design of this step is dependent on how much past learning that the team already has in hand.

Four Categories of Customer Value

We then partner with teams to Develop & Refine the Customer Value Equation. Lastly, we help teams Apply their equation by assessing where their products/services are over/under-delivering and facilitate them through the generation of ideas to improve the customer experience.

The result of our process is rich with discoveries. These insights provide a unifying understanding of the target customers’ purchase drivers, must-haves and nice-to-haves regarding a product or service – giving teams confidence and clarity on what to do with $1 more or $1 less. 

Our Offer to You

SIVO is interested in sharing our Customer Value Equation experience and case studies with you and your insights team!  Our “CVE Download” can easily be part of an in-person or virtual “Lunch & Learn” or your next team meeting.

If you can answer “yes” to at least one of the following three questions, please reach out to SIVO.  

1. Do you want to better understand what your customers value? 

2. Do you want to improve how you serve your customers? 

3. Are you interested in improving: 

• Your products and services, 
• Customer loyalty​, 
• Market share, and 
• Revenue and profit growth?

To learn more, contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com.

*Referenced article by Gautam Mahajan https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2394964320903557

By Marilyn Weiss

Did you know that 81% of consumers say they want brands to get to know them and 66% report that they would be willing to share their personal data to receive more personalized experiences?*

While there are many market research techniques for getting to know your consumers, one of the best ways to understand the intricacies of what they think and do is to “walk” side by side with them in a real-world context.  Being with them in the moments that matter, you can discover the underlying linkages to how they make choices about your product or service. This is the essence of ethnographic research; a powerful market research methodology that delves deeply into the lives, habits, and environments of consumers to uncover rich insights that explain their behavior.

What is Ethnographic Research?

Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method that is rooted in anthropology.  In the context of market research, ethnography involves observing and interacting with consumers in their everyday environments, such as homes, workplaces, or community spaces. Skilled Research Strategists will immerse themselves in the lives of participants, seeking to uncover unfiltered insights into their behaviors, motivations, and decision-making processes.

When to User Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic research is particularly valuable in scenarios where understanding consumer behavior in context is essential. Here are some situations where ethnography can be highly effective:

New Product Development: Exploring how consumers use existing products or navigate specific tasks or routines can provide invaluable insights for developing new products or improving existing ones.  

SIVO in Action: SIVO has gone deep into the lives of senior citizens and how they communicate and interact with their families, living nearby and a far, to inform the development of health tracking devices for older people and their families.

Improving the Customer Experience: Understanding the customer journey and identifying pain points or opportunities for improvement can inform strategies to enhance the overall customer experience.

SIVO in Action: SIVO has spent quality time alongside farmers and hunters on their properties to help clients better understand their experiences with outdoor utility vehicles.  

Cultural Understanding: When entering new markets or engaging with unique consumer groups ethnography helps businesses gain a deeper understanding of cultural norms, rituals, values, and preferences.  

SIVO in Action: SIVO has explored the lives and rituals of pet owners and how different pet parent styles dictate their dog and cat food buying behavior and preferences.

Gaining Reaction to your Brand: Examining how consumers interact with and perceive brands in their everyday lives can uncover perceptions, attitudes, and emotions that shape brand relationships.

SIVO in Action: SIVO has worked with a national retailer to understand the impact of their new store footprint on shoppers’ overall shopping norms, routines and perceptions of the store brand, as our client developed unique-to-market storefronts.

Best Practices for Conducting Ethnographies with Consumers

1. Establish Rapport: It is critical to build trust and rapport with participants to encourage openness and honesty during observations and interviews. Respect their way of living and cultural sensitivities throughout the research process.

2. Observe without Bias: Approach observations with an open mind, avoiding preconceived notions or biases. Pay attention to subtle cues, behaviors, and non-verbal communication that may reveal underlying motivations or attitudes.  Most insights come from observing what they do and not just listening to what they say.

3. Dig beyond the “what” to get to the “why”: It is easy to capture what is happening in their lives but understanding the reasons why and the associated emotions and values is where the rich insights are found.

4. Use Multiple Data Collection Methods: Combine observation, interviews, photography, video recordings, and artifacts to capture a comprehensive view of participants' lives and experiences.

5. Maintain Confidentiality: Because consumers are opening up their lives and homes to us, we need to respect their space and maintain their privacy, ensuring informed consent and confidentiality for participants throughout the research process.

6. Stay Open and Flexible: Be prepared to adjust research plans and methods based on unexpected discoveries or changes in the environment. Embrace flexibility to capture emerging insights effectively.

7. Gather Diverse Perspectives: Engage with a diverse range of participants to capture a breadth of experiences and perspectives. Consider factors such as age, gender, income, and cultural background, as well as product usage, in your recruitment criteria.

8. Limit the Size of your Team: When visiting consumers’ homes or workplaces, you will want to limit the visiting team to 1 interviewer, 1 videographer and 1 client team member per respondent.  The idea is to keep it casual and as close to reality as possible.  It also helps encourage respondent candor.

9. Bring a Videographer: A high-quality video reel will bring your consumers to life for the stakeholders in your organization. Trust us.  It is absolutely worth the added expense to have a professional behind the video equipment!

10.  Translate Insights into Recommendations:  Finally, give your research partner the time to comb through the notes, video and transcripts to synthesize the data, identify the ethnographic insights and translate the insights into actionable recommendations.  This will always take longer than you think it will!

By using these guidelines to fully embrace a holistic understanding of consumers’ lives, businesses can uncover nuanced insights that help build a relationship with their consumers, inform strategic decisions and drive innovation.

SIVO for your Ethnographic Research

As business teams try to navigate an increasingly complex and dynamic marketplace, SIVO’s skilled and experienced research team can lead you through ethnographic research to make sense of the mysteries of consumer behavior and unlock new opportunities for growth.  Reach out to the SIVO team at Contact@SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery call today! 

For more DIY approaches, check out SIVO’s On Demand Talent Profiles to learn more about how an experienced, fractional Qualitative Research Strategist/Expert Moderator can be also an asset for your ethnographic research needs.  

Introduction statistics cited from Forbes.com:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/18/why-customer-centricity-is-a-key-to-long-term-success/?sh=60917fb67f64