Online Research & Information Broking: We have access to a wide variety of proprietary databases - Dialog, Factiva, Dun & Bradstreet to name just three. In addition we are recognised as experts in finding information on the Internet and regularly lead training on how to find information using the Internet. Effective searching doesn't just involve using Google (and even here, there are ways to search more efficiently). There are many more search tools - all offering particular benefits that can help us help you find what you need. (We've listed some of our favourites on our resources pages for search engines).
- Our Online Research services are aimed at giving you a cost-effective alternative to finding information on the Internet, using expert searchers. Our pricing for online research is based on what you believe is the value of the information, taking into account your need for the information and the speed with which you want it.
- Our Information Broking services go a step beyond the above Online Research which just focuses on the Internet. This service also searches proprietary and subscription databases and is aimed at providing you with comprehensive information on your topic so as to enable you to make effective decisions.
Scenario Planning: To ensure survival, businesses need to plan. They need to anticipate the future and prepare for events that could happen. Classical approaches to forecasting include trend analysis using moving averages. These assume that business will continue in a similar fashion to the past. Unfortunately the future is not this predictable - especially when you need to think five, ten or more years ahead. Scenario Planning is a tool that enables organizations to look at the factors impacting their business and its environment. It uses these factors to construct pictures of possible and plausible futures and these are then used to prepare and plan for what could happen. We offer organizations support in all aspects of scenario planning:
- training, showing how to construct a scenario plan
- facilitation - working with an organization's scenario planners to ensure objectivity while the scenarios are developed
- research to identify the key uncertainty factors impacting the organization.
Click here for more information on Scenario Planning and how we can help you.
Business Environmental Analysis: The business environment today is moving much faster than ever before. Change is now a factor of life and for business survival it is essential to keep an eye on what is happening both within the industry and outside it. A key step in strategic and marketing planning is the situation analysis - answering questions such as where are we now? Business environmental analysis will give you the answer to this question. Working with you, we will look at the political, economic, sociocultural and technological (PEST) factors influencing your industry and conduct a thorough strengths and weaknesses assessment (SWOT analysis) of your business. Combined, you will gain information on what is happening in your business environment - what are the opportunities and threats, and what are your capabilities to match them.
For more on our Business Environmental Analysis service, click here.
Marketing Research: AWARE's market research services enable companies to evaluate their position in their market place. Our market research services complement our competitor research by focusing on market, customer and prospect needs and wants, thus enabling you to obtain a total picture of your business environment. Projects undertaken have ranged from a public sector study of transport needs for schools in different parts of the UK, to an analysis of attitudes of chemical and construction company customers to a client offering water and sewage services.
Win-Loss Analysis: Our Win-Loss Analysis will help you find out why customers choose you, and more importantly, what went wrong that led to you losing a customer. Knowing why customers choose you means that you can focus on these aspects and target this type of customer and so maximise your chances of gaining sales. Conversely, knowing why you lost a customer allows you to correct any problems that led to customer dissatisfaction, so that you remain better placed to keep customers happy in future. (More on Win-Loss Analysis)
Marketing Planning: AWARE supports companies in their marketing planning activities by giving an objective external viewpoint which, when combined with our business environmental analysis services and market & competitor research services can help companies produce a workable and effective marketing plan. We also offer training on how to compile a marketing plan, and can provide advice and support on the various elements that should be included.
SME support services: Small and medium sized business often lack staff and budgets, but if they are to grow and flourish, they need intelligence on their customers, markets and business environment in the same way as their larger competitors. AWARE's SME support services are aimed at helping SMEs gain the intelligence they need. Services include customised training in both marketing and competitive intelligence topics, mentoring and support allowing companies to be self-sufficient in their own research activities so that they can stay within their budgets, as well as all of AWARE's other services. . (More on our Small/Medium sized enterprise (SME) services)
