What We Do
Essential Resources LLC is a Business-to-Business Marketing Services Company with over 50+ years of combined experience in conducting customized marketing projects for organizations throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. At Essential Resources we specialize in understanding our clients needs and delivering high-quality, marketing solutions, directed towards helping our clients make better informed and therefore more effective business decisions. Essential Resources is a dedicated, client-oriented enterprise, with a long history of commitment to our clients. We help our clients more effectively address a wide range of marketing and sales related matters with the following services:
√ Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Strategies: Highly Customized Performance Measurement and Evaluation Programs, On-Line Tools for Kirkpatrick Training, Brinkerhoff Success Case Method and Jack Phillips ROI Evaluations, Metrics Development, Standardized Reporting Services and LMS program integration.
√ Project Management – A Performance Measurement/Evaluation Program (for Capital Intensive Projects): Customized Measurement/Evaluation Systems Designed Around the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Life Cycle, Survey Design, Metrics Development, Detailed Reporting Services.
√ B2B Customer Loyalty (Ultimate Question) Measurement/Evaluation Program, Customer Satisfaction Measurement/Voice of the Customer: Customized Measurement/Evaluation Systems, Survey Design, Metrics Development, Detailed Reporting Services.
√ Events Marketing Research (Conferences, Symposiums, Seminars, Special Events, Group Meetings): Customized Measurement/Evaluation Systems, Web-Based, Hard Copy and Mailed Survey Designs, Metrics Development, Detailed Reporting Services.
√ Custom Market E-Newsletters: A Direct to Customers & Prospects, Product Sales and Marketing Tool.
√ Brand Awareness & Image Studies: A More Accurate View of What Customers Think of Products and Taglines and How They Perceive the Market Leaders.
√ Marketing Research -
Qualitative and Quantitative: Web-Based Surveys, Survey Design & Web Hosting, E-Mailed (PDF, fillable form PDF) Surveys, Telephone Interviewing, In-Depth Interviews, Mail Surveys, On-Site Surveys, Focus Group
Moderation.
Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Strategies: Highly Customized Performance Measurement and Evaluation Programs, On-Line Tools for Kirkpatrick Training, Brinkenhoff Success Case Method and Jack Phillips ROI Evaluations, Metrics Development, Standardized Reporting Services and LMS program integration.
Essential Resources Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Program adds tremendous value to training and learning organizations by providing a high degree of program customization and usability, increasing data collection levels and reporting accuracy, standardized reporting for all training and learning initiatives. In addition to providing traditional learning-related metrics the main emphasis of Essential Resources Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Program is to enable training and learning organizations to focus more heavily on linking performance-related measurement to business strategy, value to the business, enterprise alignment and communicating results to business leaders.
The primary objective of our Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Program is to more closely align training and learning initiatives with business strategy and key objectives e.g., increasing market share, bringing products to market sooner etc. Utilizing Kirkpatrick Training Evaluations (levels I-IV), Brinkerhoff Success Case Method and Jack Phillips ROI Evaluations coupled with fully customized reporting capabilities, we'll help your team measure and evaluate training effectiveness and business impact by providing meaningful intelligence for business planning purposes. We'll also identify and provide links between your overall corporate priorities, human capital management objectives and learning investments.
Today’s businesses know that knowledge is power. Knowledge gained through blended learning can give companies the edge in any marketplace. In fact, a recent KPMG study found that 75% of organizations believe knowledge management plays a significant role in improving an organization’s competitive advantage. Education is the pathway to productivity, it moves knowledge from the people who have it to the people who need it. But how can companies make sure that their training is effective for employees and especially the business? The key is the right partnership of strong, effective content and a practical, focused platform for delivery, coupled with a Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Program to clearly document business impact and actual results!
- We utilize Kirkpatrick Training Evaluations, Brinkerhoff Success Case Method and Jack Phillips ROI Evaluations in setting up our Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Programs. Evaluations can be executed over the web through Essential Resources dedicated Online Survey Response and Reporting Access Center or through the organization's LMS. At the client's request easy access to final reports can also be made available through this site. Depending on the situation online evaluations are often supplemented with telephone interviews and in some cases onsite focus groups.
- Essential Resources can help your training and learning organization build the evaluation tools at levels I-IV and associated plans for key programs. We can design, implement and administer a turnkey Learning Performance Measurement and Evaluation Program that will help your organization move beyond level II. We can create standards for the kind of training and learning initiatives that need evaluations beyond level II towards program retention (behavior), results and ROI.
- An organization's Learning Management System (LMS) may have survey capabilities which can be easy to administer but they are usually very limited and they may not provide what you need to more fully evaluate the success of a particular training program as it relates to business strategy. Reporting capabilities can be very limited or non-existent with some of the LMS packages. Organizations have clearly recognized the need for higher level feedback especially beyond levels I and II. Through our programs we are able to answer the question did the training actually change the way the person does their job; and, if so how, and what effect did the training actually have on the person’s job performance and in turn the business?
Project Management - A Performance Measurement/Evaluation Program (for Capital Intensive Projects): Customized Measurement/Evaluation Systems Designed Around the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Life Cycle, Survey Design, Metrics Development, Detailed Reporting Services.
Essential Resources Project Management: A Performance Measurement Program (for Capital Intensive Projects) is totally unique to the industry because the program has been designed around the Project Management Institutes (PMI) Project Management Life Cycle. The Project Management Life Cycle, which includes five (5) Process Management Groups and forty-four (44) Management Processes, is a framework around which all project management activities can be structured and carried out on a project.
The Project Management: A Performance Measurement Program (for Capital Intensive Projects) adds tremendous value to a company's project management process by enabling project managers to more fully document and clearly explain the rate of success or failure at each stage in the development of a project. We'll work directly with your project engineers and managers to thoroughly measure, evaluate results and provide management with detailed but easy to understand reporting at each stage of the project management life cycle, ensuring that senior management clearly understands at the end of each project what went right, what went wrong and why. In an independent, unbiased and objective way we'll answer the inevitable question that seems to come at the end of every project and that is what did we learn; and, based on what we learned what can we do differently on the next project.
Project Managers who are involved in a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of a particular project often would like to formally measure overall project performance while encouraging continuous improvement, possible as part of their Quality Management System (ISO), Six Sigma etc. For any number of reasons these performance assessments may never get done or maybe they do but on a more informal basis, through conversations, ad-hoc project reviews, customer emails etc. In addition the feedback may never get compiled, evaluated, analyzed or reviewed in a structured report by the right people in management. The long and the short of it is that there really is no structured program in place which could provide consistently high quality feedback which could then be used to improve the customer experience, the business and the company's bottom line.
A couple of key points having to do with Essential Resources Performance Measurement Program:
- All five process management groups as defined by PMI are typically included in our programs. They five process groups include: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.
- All of our programs are designed to fit each specific situation--there is no one size fits all approach. All the work we do when developing these programs is custom to the individual client's business operations.
- Our programs are developed in complete consultation with the client. The client needs to be completely satisfied with the design of the program and the performance assessment tools before any interviews are started.
- All of our assessments are done over the telephone and when it is convenient for the project contacts. In many cases this involves overseas interviews in the evening with certain individuals who may be located overseas and working onsite. We do have international capabilities when conducting these assessments. We also have the capability to do these assessments on-line but we don't recommend it largely due to the complexity of project requirements and the desire for more detailed (qualitative) and focused feedback by the client. If online evaluations are preferred we have a fully secure, dedicated web site designed solely for completing web-based assessments as well as accessing final reports.
- All assessments are conducted in-house by professionals on staff and in a very professional and thorough manner. The Essential Resources partner who did the interviews is always readily available to talk about the results upon completion and delivery of the completed interview—in fact we strongly suggest it to all our clients as a matter of practice. The conversation always seems to bring additional clarity and insight into the results.
Events Marketing Research:
Customized Measurement/Evaluation Systems, Web-Based, Hard Copy and Mailed Survey Designs,
Metrics Development, Detailed Reporting Services.
In today's fast paced business environment events must exceed every ones expectations, they have to properly deliver your event theme, build relationships among various different types of attendees, generate or increase business between customers, all this and come in on or under budget! Events Marketing requires a focus on things like education/training, brand awareness, message delivery, increasing the likelihood to purchase and even increased sales as a result of having participated in a particular event. Essential Resources LLC has the expertise and tools to be able to effectively measure event success and provide not only timely feedback but clear insights that can be used to improve future planned events.
Essential Resources has evaluated all different kinds of events for all different types of businesses as well as associations and non-profits going back to 1991. Our many years of experience helps us design the proper program and select the right tools that best meet your organization’s needs. We can interpret and analyze the results, and provide a management level detailed report which is easy to read, understand, and can be utilized in planning your next event. We understand that every evaluation program should be designed to do more than just measure event objectives. The program should provide feedback and clear insights that will enhance the decision-making process for the specific event being measured.
Essential Resources offers the following survey research services to support Events Marketing:
User Group Evaluations: These evaluations would quantify and demonstrate the value and role of your event; the quality of the speakers, keynotes, education, networking opportunities and overall program.
Sponsorship Measurement Evaluations: These evaluations would enable you to quantify the recall, success and awareness of your brand as a result of sponsoring a particular event. This is critically important as sponsorships have become significant investments for many exhibitors. With this knowledge event marketing can offer sponsorships that deliver the highest possible value to exhibitors and also partners.
Session Evaluations: These evaluations allow attendees to provide feedback and rate speakers on the content and delivery of their material, and value of the sessions they attended. Evaluations are conducted at the end of each session. Results are compiled, analyzed and reported on shortly after the event has ended.
Program Evaluations: This is our most comprehensive event measurement tool. It addresses all the key measurement objectives including quantifying ROI and providing feedback to improve overall event performance.
Pre & Post Conference Evaluations: These evaluations will measure the impact of an event in changing an attendee's brand awareness, perception and purchase preference for a company and its products. The pre-conference
evaluation establishes benchmark levels for awareness of the brand and perception of the company. The post-conference
evaluation measures progress in advancing the marketing and sales process and the changes in brand awareness and message delivery as a result of attending the specific event.
Sales Conversion Evaluations: These evaluations will measure the percentage of attendees who actually purchased since attending the event. It will also determine the dollar volume of those purchases from the company and quantifies the influence of your event versus other factors on these purchases, as well as the percentage of your attendees who received follow-up contact by your sales representatives after the event has ended.
Pre-Event Planning Research Evaluations: The investment in producing or changing the strategy of a corporate event is almost always changing. Proper review and evaluation is critical to understanding the needs of attendees and partners and insuring the event's success. Pre-event planning research gathers feedback prior to the event, which then is used to design the type of event attendees and partners feel they “need” to attend.
New Event Feasibility Research Evaluations: These evaluations test and refine the organization’s concept for a new event, quantifies the likelihood for success, identifies those types of attendees that are most likely to attend and the types of exhibitors most likely to participate. The research is then used to market the event to potential partners, exhibitors and attendees. The research helps provide justification and support for new event ideas.
B2B Customer Loyalty (The Ultimate Question) Measurement/Evaluation Program, Customer Satisfaction Measurement/Voice of the Customer (VOC): Customized Measurement/Evaluation System, Survey Design, Metrics Development, Detailed Reporting Services.
Does your company have a Net Promoter® Score?
If the answer is “no” your company’s revenue and profitability could potentially be at risk.
Customer loyalty programs and the determination of an organization’s Net Promoter® Score (NPS) is a management information tool that gauges the loyalty of a company’s customer relationships. By asking customers one question "How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague" customers can be categorized into three groups: promoters, passives, and detractors. Promoters represent valuable assets that drive profitable growth because of their repeat/increased purchases; detractors are liabilities that destroy profitable growth because of their complaints, reduced purchases/defection and negative word-of-mouth. By calculating a company’s NPS the company can create and track a bottom-line metric similar to net worth or net profit, thus enabling managers to prioritize and evaluate loyalty-building customer initiatives.
The NPS concept was created by loyalty business model expert Fred Reichheld of Bain & Company in his book The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth. The net promoter metric has been widely adopted by leading firms including GE, Allianz, Apple, P&G, American Express, HSBC and Philips to name a few. The body of related frameworks, tools and processes have evolved into a management discipline known as the Net Promoter System.
Essential Resources can design a measurement/evaluation program that meets your company’s requirements whether you need the program to meet an ISO standard, Six Sigma or hopefully because it makes good business sense to have such a program in place to help foster growth. We are a full service firm that can design, implement and administer an unbiased turnkey customer loyalty/customer satisfaction measurement program for your company—talk to the experts today!
Customer satisfaction measurement is also a management information system that continuously captures the voice of the customer through performance assessments from the eyes of the customer. The information provides a basis for the strategic alignment of an organization’s resources to deliver on whatever is of most importance to the company’s customers. Customer satisfaction measurement is a developing tool that is moving well beyond basic measures of satisfaction and even more important dissatisfaction toward approaches that enable businesses to compete more effectively in today’s global economy.
*Net Promoter Score was co-developed by Fredrick Reichhield, loyalty expert and Bain Fellow and Dr. Laura Brooks of Satmetrix Systems. Net Promoter® is a registered trademark of Satmetrix Systems, Inc.
Custom Market E-Newsletters: A Direct to Customers & Prospects, Product Sales and Marketing Tool.
Essential Resources has taken traditional market newsletters and totally reinvented their content and focus. We have turned Newsletters into a business-to-business custom marketing tool designed to shorten sales cycles and reduce the cost of staying out in front of buyers and the competition. E-newsletters have now become a new business development tool resulting in increased demand and sales.
- An e-newsletter focuses on the company’s recent advances in a particular product or line of products, even services. These e-newsletters are typically emailed to both clients and prospects. Newsletters are produced and e-mailed bi-monthly or once a quarter. As a direct result, companies typically see increased traffic on the order of about 20-25%% to their website. An e-newsletter reduces the need for ads in industry journals and doing direct mail campaigns so the potential savings can be significant.
- E-newsletters are also a good way to target smaller operations that may be difficult to reach because of either their size or the cost to reach them. The e-newsletters can also be sent to the company’s sales agents and marketing representatives in its distribution channels, encouraging them to forward it on to their regional prospects and clients, therefore giving the company an even broader reach in the marketplace.
- Names used in the effort are usually taken from an internal database of customers, prospective clients and other people who have contacted the company requesting product information.
Brand Awareness & Image Studies: A More Accurate View of What Customers Think of Products and Taglines and How They Perceive the Market Leaders.
Essential Resources offers a variety of study options for clients seeking a comprehensive Brand Awareness and Image Study for their company. Our talented staff will work with your company to develop a course of inquiry that produces the best results possible. Our studies provide clients with an accurate view of what customers think of products and taglines and how they perceive the market leaders. A Brand Awareness and Image Study will help you determine your company’s position relative to the competition and facilitate adjusting your marketing message to maximize customer interest in your particular products or services. Using proven questionnaire design techniques and sample sourcing (e.g., panels and highly targeted opt-in email lists) many aspects of brand awareness and image can be tested for including:
- Brand & Product Associations
- Brand Preferences
- Value Perceptions
- Buyer Profile Variances
- Positioning v. Competitor Brands
- Brand Association with Advertising
- Movement of Awareness and Positioning Following Ad Campaigns
- Market Share
Marketing Research - Qualitative &
Quantitative: Web-Based Surveys, Survey Design & Web Hosting, E-Mailed (PDF, fillable form PDF) Surveys, Telephone Interviewing, In-Depth Interviews, Mail Surveys, On-Site Surveys, Focus Group
Moderation.
At Essential Resources we are truly passionate about understanding our clients' needs. We are dedicated to performing customized quantitative and qualitative marketing research that delivers actionable information that helps drive effective marketing decisions. Essential Resources provides superior quality marketing research services to clients within a broad range of industries. We offer both quantitative and qualitative market research methods, such as telephone surveys, e-mail and web-based surveys and focus groups, among other techniques. We also have a dedicated web based Online Survey Response & Reporting Access Center utilizing a fully secure password and login process. The site is dedicated to just taking surveys and a place where management can go on-line to download final reports quick and easy. Most importantly, we offer solutions to our clients' information needs – quantitative and qualitative market research techniques custom-designed to provide our clients with the information they need to make the best possible business decisions.
Qualitative Marketing Research: Information is gathered from respondents in an open-ended and exploratory way. We lead respondents through a guided conversation, allowing them to answer questions in their own way. This process also allows us to follow-up on topics of interest that arise during the conversation. In short, qualitative marketing research explores the “how” and “why” of a particular subject area.
Quantitative Marketing Research: Information is gathered from respondents in a more structured format, commonly in the form of surveys or questionnaires but also in a conversational format. Surveys consist of structured questions and mostly pre-defined answer categories, such as rankings, scales, and yes or no responses. Quantitative research helps us understand the “how many” of a subject and then allow us to forecast the results onto the broader target population with a degree of statistical confidence as reported.
The Solutions we offer to help inform and direct a client’s decision-making process includes:
- Market Feasibility and Segmentation Studies.
- Product Attributes Testing.
- Purchase Decision Dynamics, Pricing Sensitivity.
- Business Intelligence Gathering.
The Methodologies we use to collect, analyze and present actionable information geared towards meeting our clients' specific needs include:
- Telephone Surveys.
- Email (PDF, fillable form PDF) Surveys.
- Web-Based Surveys.
- Survey Design & Web Hosting.
- Mail Surveys.
- In-Depth Interviews.
- Focus Groups.
Telephone Surveys: A lot of marketing research is conducted over the telephone. This format is effective for all types of respondents, including business professionals, executives as well as end users. Telephone surveys are the most effective format for most business-to-business marketing research project because it allows the interviewer to fully explore the issues for both quantitative data and detailed qualitative insights.
Web-Based Surveys: An increasing amount of survey research is now being done over the web. When e-mail addresses are accurate and readily available it is possible to conduct surveys over the web. Potential participants are either e-mailed an invitation with a link to respond to a survey or are directed to Essential Resources fully secure Online Survey Response & Reporting Access Center to take part in a specific program. At the customer’s request easy access to final reports can also be made available through this site. Sources of e-mail addresses include customer databases or any number of online panels that are widely available on all kinds of topics.
Web Hosting & Survey Design: Essential Resources would be willing to review your survey for content and flow and then offer some suggestions for improvement. We could also execute your survey anonymously over the web through our Online Survey Response and Reporting Access Center. We could even do the analysis and prepare a detailed management level final report. Inquire today at info@Essential-Resources.com for information on our web based programs or call us toll free at 973-944-0527.
In-Depth Interviews: In-depth interviews are a guided, open-ended conversation with a single respondent. Partners lead respondents through a structured topic guide that addresses key issues of interest to the client. In-depth interviews are appropriate for executives, geographically dispersed groups and people that may not feel comfortable speaking openly with others present such as competitors. At Essential Resources the same individuals who design the marketing research with you and analyze the results—also conducts all the interviews.
Mail Surveys: In general, mail surveys are usually only considered for customer and employee marketing research. People are mailed a paper survey which asks them to fill it out and send it back to the company for analysis and reporting. Mail surveys can have rather limited application. Response rates tend to be fairly low (less than 10%) thus requiring very large sample sizes.
Focus Groups: A focus group is a group discussion that addresses key issues of interest to the client. A focus group typically consists of 7-10 participants led by a moderator. The moderator follows a discussion guide which outlines all key issues. Focus group discussions generally last from 1 to 2 hours. The client sponsoring the focus groups can watch the group in real-time from behind a one-way mirror, and videotapes of the groups can also be provided. As with in-depth interviews, an Essential Resources partner—the same individual who designs the market research with you and analyzes the results—will moderate the group. Typically, a focus group project consists of 3-5 groups. Most often, groups are conducted in two or more cities to help understand any geographic or cultural differences that might exist.
