Focus groups allow your company to find out what your customers, shareholders, clients, and customers really think – and the right focus group moderator is the key professional who can gather this information from focus group participants. A focus group gathers a selection of your customers, clients, employees or other group members together to discuss your company frankly. The aim is to gather qualitative information – such as customer or employee satisfaction – that can help your company make great decisions in the future.

A focus group leader, or moderator, is the professional who leads group discussion, asks questions, gathers answers and leads the group in discussing your company. When you find a focus group guide with skill, you often are able to get more information from focus group participants, because the skilled focus group moderator is often able to tease out participants’ real ideas and opinions. If you are seeking focus group guide information, consider:

1. Contacting a market research company for focus group guide help.

2. Hiring smaller companies to find moderators willing to offer your company personalized attention.

3. Opting for an industry-specific moderator to optimize communication.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select a market research company offering focus group moderator help

Some market research companies offer much more than just a focus group moderator site or leader for your next focus group; they also offer consulting, training, research, and more. These firms can often help you set up your focus group and even make decisions based on the results. Best of all, these businesses often have highly qualified moderators for your focus group.

I recommend: SymAction has helped both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies develop and react to focus groups. They have a stable of experienced moderators ready to help your company. My Focus Group Moderator, a market research company owned by Lisa Von Bargen, offers moderation and focus group development services.

Hire an individual focus group guide for personalized help, counseling and guidance

Larger companies offering moderating services are often a good match for companies who have conducted many focus groups in the past and need a service to handle all aspects of developing and conducting a new focus group. If you are a company with many questions or a need for focus group guide information, the additional attention that a small focus group moderator company can offer is often a good bet. A smaller company can often put more focus on your business and can answer your questions more fully, since there are fewer clients to see to and since those running smaller firms are usually focus group moderators themselves.

I recommend: Allison Cohen is a focus group moderator and founder of PeopleTalk, a company specializing in focus group research and services. She offers mystery shopping, usage surveys, online focus groups, traditional focus groups and other market research services. Tom Beggs has successfully completed hundreds of focus groups as a guide for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.

Find a focus group moderator offering services to your audience

A good focus group moderator will react differently to individual group members because he understands that demographic factors affect focus group dynamics and outcomes. If you are trying to reach a specific audience or customer, it's important to find a moderator who is experienced in interacting with that particular group. Otherwise, your moderator and participants may literally speak a different language, leading to a communication breakdown.

I recommend: Focus Latino is a research firm, offering native Spanish-speaking focus group moderators and Spanish-language focus group services. Twentysomething is a market research firm specializing in reaching young adults. They offer focus group consulting and moderators to help companies reach their younger customers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking for focus group moderator providers, consider individual focus group guides carefully. Look for someone with expertise in your industry and ask for specific evidence that a moderator has been able to finesse additional information from group participants. Truly savvy moderators do not just ask questions -- they put participants at ease and help participants share all their reactions to your company.