We negotiate aggressive discounts and volume pricing for our clients because sample is our primary focus. We allow corporate research departments to stretch their budget much further. Panel companies will frequently charge corporate clients more for the same sample they give away less expensively to suppliers. We do not do this. Suppliers are often surprised to find out we can save them money compared to some sample providers. We recognize that sample, while critically important, is closer to being a commodity than design or analytics. We know the sample space incredibly well and if we charge a premium it is due to the nature of the sample or the service added not due to category ignorance. As expert researchers, we add value in programming, coding, tabs, objectives, design, and data interpretation on an as-needed basis. At the same time, we understand the importance of your proposals being competitive. Unfortunately, there are many well-known sample providers that will charge you more if they perceive you to be less knowledgeable about the sampling business. Often, traditional sample providers will rank their clients for profitability and margin, then turn around and brag in sales meetings: “I marked up those translations 3000%!” Of course, these sales people are not bragging based on the value they added- most of them are not capable of adding value other than quoting you a price and buying you lunch. Why are these sample providers so eager to buy you lunch? It is because they are not really capable of doing much else. When they do buy you lunch, do they know enough about your business to help you sell your services? No, most of them have never sold research, they just provide price quotes for their sample. If they had to do anything more complicated than that, their head would explode.
