Brand Discovery FAQs
- Cheryl McIntosh
- Nov 5, 2024
- 3 min read
The Candid Brand Discovery is not a survey; it's an organic-feeling conversation with your clients. I have a set of questions, and sometimes we get through them all. Other times, I know what they are sharing instead is more important than sticking to the questions. Intuition isn't something you can train or expect from an AI, and people respond well to the human-to-human connection.
I've put together a list of common questions about the discovery process. Feel free to add to the list if I've missed anything!
Q: Do you only perform these for the A/E/C industry?
A: I have experience doing these for a broad range of industries when I had a branding agency. I've dedicated the last several years to serving builders, architects and engineers so design & build is a second language for me. I also have experience working with non-profits, and would be happy to extend a reduced rate for a project in alignment with my strengths and values.
Q: How do you come up with the list of questions?
A: I have a set of key questions that I've found tease out the brand idea, differentiation, and overall experience with the brand. At the beginning of every project, I share that list with you to add/subtract as needed. The questions are typically brand-centric, but not always! There may be a different question we're trying to answer. For example, I performed a discovery for a senior living corporation that attempted to solve the research problem: How is our continuum of care model perceived by the market? The list of questions all complimented the overarching question.
Q: How do people respond to getting a call?
A: First, I work with you to craft a warm email letting your clients know to hear from me. Then I send a custom email introducing myself, thanking them for their participation and setting up an online meeting. When we chat, the conversations feel organic with plenty of room for unscripted conversation. They are genuinely happy to talk to me, and feel comfortable opening up because the conversations are anonymous. In all the years I've been doing this, I've never talked to someone who seemed annoyed by the ask.
Q: How many people do you interview?
A: I feel like the ideal number to include in the list for a small to mid-sized company is 15. That said, companies with sub brands or multiple audiences may want to increase the number to 10 or so per category. Patterns start to form with as few as 5 interviewees though, so for very small firms and individuals, that's an option.
Q: Who should I ask to participate?
A: Let's say we're trying to arrive at 15. I would suggest 9 of your average and best clients, 3 you're not sure about and 3 that might have gone sideways. Or, maybe exchange a couple of those for vendors or partners. We want to hear from a broad swath people who've engaged with your brand so that our results reflect reality.
A: How much does it cost?
Q. Pricing starts at $1,500 and is based on the number of interviewees on your list, and the overall scope of the project. For example, you may request that we dedicate a meeting to you downloading client project status details with me for a few of your interviewees. Sometimes that's helpful in delicate situations, and, it effects the project management budget.
A: Do you travel?
Q: Quite often! Especially throughout the PNW. I am happy to meet in person for the initial internal discovery conversation (in-lieu of a survey), or at the end of the project for the report review. This naturally affects the budget, but can be helpful!
A: Why do the interviews have to be anonymous?
Q: It's important that clients feel comfortable opening up. It would defeat the purpose of having a third party do this if the clients felt like their responses weren't confidential. I will, however, ask for their permission to use their names for especially positive quotes.
I also ask their permission before we start if it's ok if I record the call. If they decline, I will email them a survey to ensure accuracy.
When I first started doing this, I met with an amazing brand consultant who was doing something similar and convinced me to start offering it. He said it's the biggest favor I could ever do for my branding clients.
He also told me that trying to understand your brand from the inside out is just navel-gazing. It makes sense! I hope this answers some of the questions you have, but please reach out if there's anything I missed.
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