Our clients’ needs vary widely and our projects are tailored for their specific requirements. Nevertheless, the process of product validation does generally follow these common steps. Establish key assumptions and questions. Together with the client, we develop the broad questions needed to test and validate the business case. We establish the important assumptions about why the product will succeed and how it will be sold and supported. By setting out your key operating assumptions, we establish the metrics needed to test your business plan. Identify the players who are key to your success. Together we establish a list of the buyers, distributors and partners that will most directly affect the success of your business or product. Develop list of companies and contacts for interview and research. From the list of key companies, Working Knowledge will construct a list of specific decision-makers we will contact. We target the most direct influencers for contact and interview. In many cases we are able to initiate direct meetings between the client and the decision-maker, effectively setting up an early stage marketing opportunity for the client. Develop tools, surveys, methodologies and staffing plan to complete assignment. The tools we use are as individual as the assignment. We are experienced market researchers. We develop web tools, presentations, surveys and interviews that best serve the goals of the client. The tools play an important role in communicating your company’s ideas and in allowing us to collect consistent information across a broad sample of subjects. Conduct research. As our name suggests, our researchers come from the industries we cover. When we interact with a decision-maker, we come with subject area knowledge that allows us to probe and expand the conversation, rather than mechanically fill out a survey. Our working knowledge of the industry yields more conclusive results for our clients. Present results and recommendations. When Working Knowledge delivers the results of the research, we bring more than just a written report. We combine the information we have collected with an analysis of the market factors we see influencing the companies we spoke to. We also deliver the raw information we collected in the form of interview notes and audio tapes. Follow up We are not done until you are satisfied. Every time we review our research with a client, there is a moment of discovery that is so interesting it needs a little more exploring. We set aside time in our program for follow up and clarification that allows for the extra bit of discovery that can be the difference between a good product and a great product.