Inside the IT buying decisions of multinationals
The brief
A multinational telecoms company specialising in data connectivity was preparing to enter China. Before building its sales and marketing strategy, it needed to understand how multinational companies based in China choose and buy connectivity services.
Why it was hard
The people who make these decisions are senior IT managers at large multinationals. They are busy, guarded about their suppliers and budgets, and seldom answer research invitations, and the study needed them in three cities.
How we did it
We started with a discovery phase, working alongside the client’s team to shape the study and write the screeners and discussion guide together. We then recruited 30 IT managers, decision-makers and people who influence IT purchasing at large multinationals in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, through our B2B networks.
Interviews were face to face wherever possible, and by video or phone when a diary would not allow it. Our bilingual interviewers could hold a technical conversation in Chinese or English, whichever the respondent preferred. They covered unmet needs, the price people would pay for an equivalent service, what would make them switch supplier, how they choose vendors, and their reaction to a new service from an international provider.
What the client got
A cross-analysis of all 30 interviews, the opportunities and obstacles it would face, possible routes into the market, and a list of actionable recommendations for its launch positioning.
What it shows
We can reach senior B2B decision-makers in China’s main business cities and turn what they say into a market entry plan.
Services: hard-to-reach recruitment ยท in-depth interviews
