Isurus Market Research and Consulting

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of product marketing at a technology services firm. We specialize in developing IoT systems and we offer hardware, software, firmware development, data science, and AI/ML expertise and apply those to building connected systems.

What challenge were you trying to address with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Our company is in the B2B space, and we’ve just started to explore new markets. We needed a partner that’s specifically steeped in B2B with strong technology chops to help us with fundamental product/market fit exercises. Our goal was to understand how our potential target clients are wired and what their functional and emotional needs are.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Isurus Market Research to handle a foundational qualitative research project. We started the project with a problem discovery. They spent time in direct conversation with us to understand what outcomes we were trying to drive from this research and where we were in our journey.

They didn’t give us any cookie-cutter solutions — they really started at the beginning to understand what we needed first and what would be the highest-leverage outcomes for us. They provided a requirements document that served as the foundation where we could collaborate with them on a prioritized list of the things we have to learn if time allows

From there, we went through a typical and thorough creation of a discussion guide for the qualitative interviews as well. After that, we worked closely together to find and thoroughly vet the right bench of B2B technologists for the project.

In the actual interview part, they took the time to build relationships with the research participants, warming them up and doing all the things to build a solid foundation for the long game. They knew that we needed our participants to commit to a longitudinal research engagement, and they did a really great job of thinking about the project from a long-term perspective instead of just a one-time, 50-minute interview. We actually slowed down at one point to find better participants, which was a great example of them taking the long game approach.

What is the team composition?

We work with two people from Isurus Market Research, both of whom are very experienced in B2B tech research.

How did you come to work with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Isurus Market Research and Consulting was referred to us by a business colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $20,000–$30,000 for the initial project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2021, and the engagement is ongoing

How did Isurus Market Research and Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Isurus Market Research and Consulting has performed very well in terms of project management. They’ve been focused and outcomes-driven since the beginning of the project, and they’ve done a great job of keeping us in scope for a foundational research project. 

We’ve laid out a great critical path and adhered to it. They’ve also helped us make evidence-based, strategic decisions that have served our purpose well.

We communicate through phone, email, Slack, and Zoom. They’re very flexible and responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m really impressed with Isurus Market Research and Consulting’s ability to listen and focus on problem discovery instead of serving up a cookie-cutter solution. They made an effort to really understand what I needed and what constraints were in play before tailoring a solution and recommendations to achieve that.

Another thing that really impressed me is how flexible they are with my very detail-oriented work style. We’ve successfully established a new normal for the next project we’ll be working on together. We’ve learned a lot from each other and built a “getting better together” kind of relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think that Isurus Market Research and Consulting could benefit from being clear and upfront about their service offerings. They offer a lot more than standard qualitative and quantitative research — they’re incredibly smart and they probably need to declare that a little bit more boldly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to come in with your problem statement, not with assumptions or an assignment. It’s also a good idea to trust their process — they’ll definitely make your original problem statement better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

At the time of the project, I was the Manager of Market Research at an educational resources company that leads in PreK-12 content and services.

For what projects/services did your company hire Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

The head of Technical Services at HMH felt there was an opportunity to help PreK-12 schools realize the full value of their investments in instructional technology and wanted to explore the unmet needs for technical services in the PreK-12 market. We hired Isrus Market Research and Consulting to conduct qualitative research to help us understand these unmet needs.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals of the project were to refine the view of the competitive landscape for tech services, support HMH's positioning as a supplier of tech services offerings, and develop tech services offerings concepts to refine/validate in future research.

How did you select Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

We have worked with Isurus Market Research and Consulting previously, and we were impressed with the quality of their work and the consultative and collaborative nature of Jeana, who is a partner with the firm.

They also offer great value for the price. Isurus was recommend to us by a colleague for all the reasons mentioned above and because Jeana is an outstanding moderator and market researcher, and we are so grateful we gave Isurus a try.

Describe the project in detail.

Isurus worked with us to refine our business objectives and develop a discussion guide to ask the right questions to get at these objectives. Isurus recruited for and conducted 12 in-depth interviews with our target audience and distilled the findings from the interviews into unmet tech needs and outcomes that were easy to understand and clear usable concepts to test in future research.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Jeana, who is a partner with Isurus. She was our primary point of contact for the project. We also worked with her operations manager, who focused on recruiting respondents for the interviews and other logistics related to the interviews.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The concepts from the research serviced as the basis for other research so we could validate and test the appeal of them in a survey that we conducted internally. With that survey, we learned that there was not broad appeal of the concepts, and that learning saved HMH from making a costly investment. Isurus provided the foundation for that research.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was amazingly easy to work with. They were responsive, proactive, and collaborative, and consultative. Jeana always provided us status updates without us asking, and she kept the project running on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were incredibly impress with Jeana's consultative and collaborative nature. We considered Isurus a research partner and not a research vendor because it was truly like a partnership. Jeana was highly invested in the success of our research project, and she was always providing thoughtful insight and recommendations through the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I truly cannot think of any areas for improvement. Isurus provides outstanding services and support, and we would definitely use them again and recommend them to all of my colleagues who need an external research partner.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a senior manager at a company that primarily works with marine propulsion systems for different kinds of commercial and recreational applications. I have a dual role in engineering and commercial sales.

What challenge were you trying to address with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

They took on a project to help us evaluate new potential technology. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a market study for us. We prepared some high-level material about what a new piece of technology would look like and provided a general overview of the people we wanted to get feedback from.

They conducted about 15 interviews with qualified people in the industry. Then, they summarized the results for us to assess how viable the technology might be and what the market perception would be if we brought it to a real product. 

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with Joe (Vice President & Partner). 

How did you come to work with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Our in-house marketing team worked with Isurus in the past, so they came recommended internally. We gave the proposal to a couple of different companies, and the Isurus team came back with what seemed like the best proposal. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $25,000 on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from June–October 2019. 

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The project was successful in that we got the market feedback that we needed to make an educated decision about how to proceed. 

How did Isurus Market Research and Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was good and very clear. Isurus was reliable whenever we had a meeting. They were on time and had everything prepared quite well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they delivered the final results to us was very helpful. They categorized the results in a way that made it very easy for us to make a decision. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t. I don’t have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them and let them do their job. They're quite professional, so communicate clearly your desires and let them handle the project. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Director of the Giant Screen Cinema Association. As the leader in the giant screen industry, GSCA facilitates communication, information sharing, and the development of standards to support the production and exhibition of original, high-quality, educational giant screen cinema experiences.

For what projects/services did your company hire Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

2019 Member Survey

What were your goals for this project?

The research will help to guide the GSCA’s future direction by assessing: Perceptions of the GSCA Opinions about the future direction of the association Opportunities for the GSCA to enhance the value it provides Opportunities to grow by engaging lapsed or prospective members

The 2019 questionnaire is an updated version of the 2013 study. The original questionnaire was developed through a collaborative process that included discussion groups at the 2013 Film Expo and stakeholder interviews.

How did you select Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

We reviewed proposals from several other organizations. We have worked with Isurus in the past and were very pleased with their service. Their proposal was also very thorough and complete and well priced.

Describe the project in detail.

Data were collected using an online survey, from April 25-June 17, 2019. Respondents were sourced from GSCA contact lists of current, lapsed, and prospective members.

To encourage participation, potential respondents received up to 4 emails requesting their participation. In addition, GSCA promoted the survey in the eNews, and on social media, and through other outreach by GSCA leadership and staff.

A total of 183 respondents participated in the survey, and 136 completed the full survey. The survey had a median completion time of 13 minutes for current members and 11 minutes for lapsed members, and prospective members.

What was the team composition?

Several members of the GSCA Board, Committees and staff participated in this work along with Isurus.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Despite continued challenges in the industry and shrinking membership, the membership in 2019 believes GSCA is largely effective in its core activities as an association.

Members recognize that GSCA has expanded the value it provides outside of its core conference activities and expect the association to continue to deliver a balance of conference and non-conference events/resources.

Marketing to members to raise awareness of the range of resources available can help increase GSCA’s value to members. A review of utilization levels relative to the time/cost required to maintain resources may be warranted and may result in a streamlined set of resources.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was superb.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Isurus listened carefully to GSCA's needs and hot-topics. They were able to discern the most important and pull out topics we did not realize we should be thinking of.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot say I would have any areas for improvement. Isurus was excellent to work with - this is the main reason we have worked with them on several key projects over the past 15 years.

Please describe your company and your position there.

During the period of this research, I was interim Chief Marketing Officer of a security technology company. We provides touchless security screening technology that is faster and less costly than conventional walk through metal detector screening.

For what projects/services did your company hire Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

We hired Isurus to conduct original market research through in-depth interviews with customers and prospects.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to test several specific hypotheses about potential areas of future product development to give us a clearer picture of where to invest resources.

How did you select Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

I have worked with Isurus several times over nearly two decades shipping technology products. They have delivered quality work each time, so they were the only firm considered for this project.

Describe the project in detail.

Isurus interviewed our executive team to refine and clarify the hypotheses to be tested and the potential target customers with whom to test the hypotheses. Based on these interviews, they developed an interview guide and we provided them with a list of target customers to interview. Then Isurus proceeded to schedule and execute the interviews. After the interviews were complete, they summarized their findings and presented them to the executive team.

What was the team composition?

Isurus had two researchers doing the interviews. On our side we had the myself (CMO), the head of product, and our two founders, both of whom play an ongoing role in future product direction.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Before we undertook this project there were many non-converging discussions about future product direction. There were many opinions but few facts, and there was not enough customer evidence to move forward with confidence. Through the research process, we were able to clearly define our hypotheses and agree on the best way to validate them with customer data in an impartial way.

The research was pivotal in helping us move forward with a clear product strategy. It helped us put all the differing opinions in proper perspective and unify as an executive team. Having a neutral third party conduct the research helped increase our confidence in the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Isurus did an excellent job of shaping and managing our expectations throughout the project. They followed their project plan to the letter and kindly but firmly held us accountable to our commitments. They did a good job of getting buy in from across our team, and kept us abreast of their process.

When it came time to share the findings with the team, they had really done their homework and were able to answer all the questions and concerns in an efficient manner. Some people on our team had not done this kind of research before and were somewhat skeptical of the process, but in the end they acknowledged that everything had worked out splendidly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I think the most impressive aspect of Isurus is their experience. They have deep pattern recognition for how to make these projects successful. In our case, they had recently completed projects that asked conceptually similar questions in totally different industries so they were able to guide us in ways that were unique and helpful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None at this time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide financial software to energy companies in North America. My role is the VP of marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Our market is very niche and we face different competition across our different solution suites.  As such, we need to monitor many competitors and we needed a partner to build competitive analysis in areas we didn’t have as much strength or visibility.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Isurus to help build competitive reviews for several key companies. First, we identified which companies we wanted Isurus to complete a competitive analysis on. Together, we developed a predefined template, which then Isurus completed based on publicly available data, which included websites, Glassdoor.com, and similar associations. They combed through all of that information, analyzed the information, and built a complete overview. 

Upon the full analysis of the data, Isurus scheduled a call to walk us through their findings and answer any questions. Their diligence and understanding of the competitors are extremely valuable so that we could dig deeper into the information than we could our own. And, based on some of the information they uncovered we were able to drill down even further than we expected.

What is the team composition?

For our project we worked two of their Vice Presidents.

How did you come to work with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Isurus came to us through a referral from another software expert.  Unlike other firms, their approach is that we had access to senior-level researchers throughout the entire process. Additionally, they deep dive into the information and seek to understand what’s out in the market. They do research from ground zero and leverage their network to dive even further.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The most recent project was started at the end of October 2020, and they delivered the full report in early December 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The data was extremely valuable and provided additional insights that we could not have gathered on our own which helps our sales team compete more effectively against these companies.

How did Isurus Market Research and Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always great. They give us a timeline and checkpoints to make sure they’re on track. If they have questions, they always ask them. From there, the process flows.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always seek to understand the research. The team also asks the right probing questions to make sure they’re delivering what we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven't experienced any limitations. The only random thought could be that they could add new databases that could be leveraged across multiple customers. For example, access to a database could be valuable to other clients such as S&P. It hasn’t been a problem for us in anything they have completed for our team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be transparent on how you plan to use the data, what you’re seeking to understand, what's your timeline and your allocated budget.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Viessmann Manufacturing Company is a premier international energy manufacturer. I lead the marketing efforts in the U.S. for Viessmann.

For what projects/services did your company hire Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

We hired Isurus for several marketing research projects. I'll mention one the projects we conducted with Isurus

• to gain critical insight into the company's under-developed "partner program" with Viessmann's core customer base
• contractors in the HVAC industry.

We wanted to understand the levels of interest and engagement with a goal to improve the program, create a meaningful "loyalty program" and build the customer base through the evolution of this program. This was a 3-month project in 2014.

What were your goals for this project?

The key goals were to: Provide insight and understanding of the contractor base - what makes them tick, what their needs are, how the company can better serve and "partner" with this audience.

Provide meaningful and tangible benefits for this audience. Provide actionable steps for marketing, operations and relationship-building.

How did you select Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Isurus has an outstanding reputation in the B2B research space. After searching for providers of market research, we kept coming back to the accolades we kept hearing about Isurus, their work, the results of their and most of all, their people.

Smart, strategic, experienced, innovative, creative, highly collaborative, supportive, accessible and genuinely nice people. We worked with Isurus as a "partner" not as a hired vendor.

They quickly assimilated into our company, culture, category and competition. They are incredibly fast-learners. They added value at every opportunity, and that's not an exaggeration.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

I'm sorry that I don't recall the complete scope of work but it covered all steps of the process of several research projects. It was very thorough, priced very fairly and within our budget expectations.

Every step of the project was clearly explained and expertly project managed from start to finish. We had complete transparency throughout the project.

Isurus quickly gained management's trust and became our advocate throughout that project (and others we hired Isurus for.)

What was the team composition?

Our primary day-to-day contact and project manager was Jeana McNeil, VP at Isurus. I'm sorry that I don't recall the team she worked with at Isurus.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The work from Isurus was transformative. The research provided a roadmap to re-engineer our marketing and CRM for this vital audience segment. We implemented their recommendations.

The research AND Isurus helped the marketing team sell - thru creative, marketing and operations ideas to senior management in the U.S. and in the corporate suite of the parent company in Germany.

The Viessmann contractor and loyalty program has become a staple in the company's marketing toolkit, grown the customer base and become a model in the HVAC industry.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

See my comments above. Isurus is the model of efficient and effective partnership and collaboration. They are true stewards of their client's company, brand and project. They practice best practice from the first phone call to the post project review and recap.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

• Value add to EVERY situation
• Exceed expectations
• True partner and collaborator
• Easy to work with
• Able to demystify research into practical, business application
• Able to become an integral part of the client team
• Genuinely nice people (you'd want to have this team on your team)
• Working with Isurus makes you smarter, more informed and more competitive

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sorry, none. Really, none.

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO & owner of a Helsinki based design & innovation consultancy

For what projects/services did your company hire Isurus Market Research and Consulting, and what were your goals?

We wanted to test our market validation & pricing sortware concept in USA

How did you select Isurus Market Research and Consulting and what were the deciding factors?

We searched 3-5 firms. Isurus helped us to understand how to make the study. Isurus demonstrated professionalism with down to earth style.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Design of the study template & narrowing the industries & decision makers to focus. Finding out of the desision makes for the interview. Summary and analysis of the study. Adequate numbers of meetings within the project.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Joe and Jeana were people that organised thse study. Some additional people as well that reqruited the desision makers.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The study build our understanding of the market and barriers of entry.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Project management was professional. All communication was digital due to the time and geographical difference (USA - Finland)

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Professional touch. Easygoing. Punctual. Larger focus than just a study e.g. consultation related to market entry.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Does not come to my mind.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and principal at 3D Research Partners, a market research consultancy focused primarily on quant primary research conducted via online surveys. I support clients across multiple industries with research and analysis to support company strategy, product development, marketing and messaging, and any other scenario where clients can benefit from customer/stakeholder input to make more informed, data-driven decisions to improve their business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

I have partnered with Jeana at Isurus on several occasions. My specialty is quant research. Jeana has been my go-to partner for any projects with a qualitative component (focus groups, telesessions, one-on-one interviews, etc. She has generally managed all aspects of any qualitative projects or project streams we partner on (recruitment, scheduling, moderating, analysis & reporting).

What were your goals for this project?

Objectives vary by project, but a current example is a win/loss analysis, to help our client understand what factors are contributing to successful vs. failed sales opportunities, so they can try to replicate their success in future bids.

How did you select Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

Isurus was referred to me by a mutual colleague of ours about 3 years ago (in 2017). After a very positive initial experience, I have had them at the top of my shortlist of qualitative partners ever since.

Describe the project in detail.

Recruiting interviewees from a client customer/opportunity database, Isurus is conducting 24-36 win/loss interviews with key purchase decision-makers for two specific products in two states from recent RFPs.

About 45-minute interviews conducted by phone, with Isurus moderating. Isurus will then deliver a report of key findings, implications, and recommendations and lead a debrief meeting with the client.

What was the team composition?

The main contact has been Jeana, principal at Isurus. I believe she often leverages additional personnel for back-end support - i.e. recruitment, scheduling, incentive fulfillment, etc. - but Jeana is consistently the main point of contact and primary contributor.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

It is hard to gauge the direct impact of our research work, which takes time to germinate and translate into decisions, actions, and results for the client. What I can say is that client satisfaction and repeat business have been very high, particularly for projects I have partnered with Isurus on.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow has been smooth and painless. I generally give Jeana lots of autonomy to run her aspect of the project with as much or as little oversight/collaboration as she deems appropriate in her judgment, which I trust without reservation. She pulls me in when warranted to aid with judgment calls, iron out snags, review key deliverables, provide status updates, etc.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

For a fairly small firm, Isurus strikes me as very buttoned-up. They are professional, organized, and clearly a very well-run organization. With Jeana specifically, in addition to her excellent market research and client relations skills, I have been impressed with how quickly and successfully she has ramped up her subject matter knowledge in my clients' industry.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, I can't point to a single aspect of Isurus' work that I would flag for improvement. I have been highly satisfied - delighted - with all of my engagements with Jeana and Isurus!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of an integrated advertising and marketing agency.

What challenges were you trying to address with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

 They’ve acted as a partner for market research projects. We don’t have in-house market researchers, so having Isurus as a partner allows us to offer more specialized services to our clientele.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve been our go-to market research partner for several years, and we’ve worked together on multiple projects. They work with us through all stages of the project, typically including when we pitch our clients. 

One of the accounts we worked on with them was a pizzeria looking for an ad-tech solution. Isurus conducted research to help us create robust buyer profiles of the different kinds of buyers. This work was used to inform marketing acquisition strategies. They also provided a buyer journey analysis report. 

In addition, they’ve assisted us with internal projects. 

What is the team composition?

Jeana (Vice President) is my primary contact, but we’ve also worked with Joe (Vice President).

How did you come to work with Isurus Market Research and Consulting?

We’ve been working together for so long that I don’t remember how we were introduced. I believe that one of our employees knew one of Isurus’s account planners who set us up with Jeana. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested a little less than $500,000.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2010, and our work is ongoing. 

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Their reports are insightful, and our clients find them tremendously valuable. Their work has helped our clients shape their strategies moving forward. Their work also helps us measure the quality and impact of our team’s work. 

How did Isurus Market Research and Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. With other partners, I’ve felt like I had to micromanage projects. However, with Isurus, they’re on top of it. Jeana makes sure everything goes smoothly. They work directly with the client and with us, and the team is very collaborative. They’re detail-oriented, but are also good at managing expectations, especially in regards to the timeline of a project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They bring nuances to their reports that reflect the complexity of their research. The team is talented at moderating focus groups and gaining helpful information from research participants. There’s a sense of comfort and ease that they bring to those studies that we wouldn’t be able to achieve with a different partner. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Approach the project with an open mind and let the Isurus team guide the process. Use them as the experts that they are rather than coming in with too many preconceived ideas.