Creative research

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" was originally referred to by Mark Twain. He attributed it to Benjamin Disraeli, however this is disputed. How appropriate!


Do you think "creative research" was simply a way of disguising the complete unknown or a lack of work?


If you are "looking for something" new e.g. growth markets, new products, new markets, then you are looking for a "NEW" and useful position. e.g. market position. If you indeed find this place then you have been creative whether it was trial and error or using a psychic to get you there. 


The difficulty with anything new or creative is that it is difficult to know where to start. Actually starting and getting somewhere can be "creative".  Academics that study entrepreneurs talk about "heuristics". By this they are suggesting that entrepreneurs have experiences and when they meet new situations they instinctively can process that information and make a good decision in the knowledge that they will be more right than wrong.


Plugging into your market is about deep involvement in your market place and being observant. When you have studied lots of markets you learn how to tune in and look for the significant information, to analyse, to synthesise and make decisions.  


"I would stand on the pavement outside the empty shop with a recording counter. I checked the number of people walking by. I counted the numbers in the queues at the nearby bus stop; I counted the students and teachers coming in and out of the nearby polytechnic; and became increasingly convinced that this was the site for me." Charles Forte on his first site in upper Regent Street


Quite simply this act of market research coupled with his vision for what he wanted to create gave him the confidence that he had chosen the right site and the right service.


There is nothing creative about sitting outside a shop with a counter. If you read his statement again Forte was doing more. He was being observant, analytical, he did not simply "click" to measure customer footfall.


Some hard questions:


Just how much information do you require before you make a decision and stick with it?
How comfortable are you with the results?
If you had to part with your cash to "bet" on this decision. How much can you afford to bet?
What are the cash needs to do what you are considering doing? (Including hidden costs of marketing etc)?


We find particular forms of "hell" in unsuccessful start ups. They have mostly done a plan and put in it what they want to. They have not assessed the market and what it takes to become a successful business in the market. It might be that they want to do everything themselves, rely on "buzz" marketing, yet they are prepared to start and they believe they will succeed. This leaves them under resourced and struggling to survive. 


The creative research is finding out new things that are relevant even if they are difficult for the business. So whilst it is possible to hide behind statistics, it is possible to hide behind almost anything. It is the hiding that should be called into question, not the statistics. For more information contact us.