Need a B2B Panel Survey?

We put B2B marketing research first.

We don’t bolt on B2B panel surveys as a service using B2C methodologies. Our proprietary, AI-driven search scans 1.1 billion professionals across 140 industries. We find the exact person to answer any kind of question.

Every search is custom, we never recycle data, and we guarantee 100% fraud-free research. We field large-scale quantitative surveys, facilitate qualitative interviews, engage in long term consultations and provide custom research.

NewtonX partners with top consultancies, marketers, and technology companies. Together with our clients, we’re ushering in a new standard of truth in B2B research.

What is a B2B panel?

A business-to-business (B2B) panel is a group of opted-in, pre-screened qualified people willing to participate in research to provide their feedback on a particular topic, product or service.

But before a B2B panel can be created, it’s important to work with a market research firm with B2B experience. This is because they can help define the question you want to answer that best addresses the problem your business is trying to solve.

Company executives often seek out a marketing research company to learn about competitor products, assess the power of their brand in the marketplace, conduct due diligence, and gain insights into extremely niche knowledge about technology and services that a company may be planning on bringing to market.

Are online B2B panels just as good?

The panel plays a significant role in the research of various purposes, one of which is B2B B2B market research. Business-to-business online panels, such as B2B online panels, often provide important insights into complex products or services across multiple sectors in the company.

Depending on the request, a panel can draw from professionals with experience in human resources, IT, financial analytics, small business, and management. However, keep in mind most market research companies keep panels of professionals who have opted in years ago, and may have outdated profiles, often without detailed information on their professional knowledge. As a market research company searches their panel for relevant B2B professionals, they are likely searching old data without detailed professional knowledge. Online B2B panels are not as good as the open network of verified professionals NewtonX uses in every project.

B2B panels are a form of primary research. NewtonX fills the gap when secondary research, or desk research as it is sometimes known, just isn’t cutting it. Secondary research failings usually present themselves in three types of B2B market research needs. These problems with ready-made, off-the-shelf market reports can be summarized as:

A wealth of information, but not tailored or specific to client needs
Often little-to-no information on sub products, sub customer segments, sub-geographies etc.
No ability to double-click on the data; if something doesn’t make sense or you want elaboration you cannot dive deeper into the information.

Research and insights leaders turn to B2B panels to answer their most pressing business questions.

B2B panel survey challenge

Traditionally B2B online panels are a pool of pre-screened participants. They participate in surveys and offer their feedback about a product or service according to the study’s objectives in exchange for monetary incentive. Often in panels people will over-emphasize their knowledge on a particular subject in hopes they qualify for the incentive.

The result is a survey that’s full of bad data because the panel respondents didn’t have the right expertise. This puts the entire research project at risk, and the reliability of the data to inform decision making. NewtonX is taking a different approach. Instead of a panel, NewtonX uses an open-network powered by a proprietary AI-driven search. It scans over 1.1 billion professionals across 140 industries to find the highest quality expertise in the world. We call this process custom recruiting.

Accessing decision makers, C-suite, business owners, academics, and senior analysts at scale was, until recently, very difficult. Now, however, options like NewtonX enable clients to access over 1.1 billion professionals.

NewtonX has the experience necessary to determine the right criteria for qualified panel participants that can answer any business challengethat can answer any business challenge, and more importantly, is an expert at finding and recruiting these professionals to answer your specific B2B market research question.

It’s important to vet potential professionals to prevent fraud. Using a B2B panel with unverified respondents is hardly worth the money for market research. So how do you find the people who know the most about each of these topics for the industry at hand? It’s like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. NewtonX provides a two-step verification for 100% of its respondents.

That means there won’t be pre-med students pretending to be doctors with 20 years experience in your survey. With NewtonX you can feel confident about using your data to answer your business challenge. NewtonX provides a two-step verification for 100% of its respondents. That means there won’t be pre-med students pretending to be doctors with 20 years experience in your survey. With NewtonX you can feel confident about using your data to answer your business challenge.

B2B market research panel history

B2B and B2C panels are very different in the same way that B2C and B2B businesses are very different. However, in practice, researchers apply B2C panel methodologies to B2B panels and B2B market research all the time. This is a function of B2C market research companies jumping into the B2B market research landscape. They don’t fully appreciate the fact that simply bolting on a B2C panel approach of sampling from a “closed pool” of panel participants won’t serve the needs of B2B companies.

The history of B2C market research dates back to the late 1800s. The trust busting that marked the end of the Gilded Age meant more business competition for consumers who saw their standard of living double during the same period of time.

With more disposable income, advertisements that simply informed consumers of the merits of a given product just didn’t cut it in a marketplace full of competing products of comparable quality; advertisements had to create need in the consumer. Serious market research became necessary if a company wanted to understand how best to manufacture that sense of need.

During the mid-twentieth century, researchers continued to refine their methods. They wanted to capture their share of the post-World War II pent up demand for consumer goods. To do so, they began integrating discoveries from the social sciences and taking advantage of technological advancements in media and telecommunication.

Market research companies created large panels of opted-in individuals that were willing to participate in surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Market research companies had an incentive to grow the group of people as large as possible so that they could handle a more diverse array of industries without sacrificing the turn-around time of results.

When a company needed insights for a new product or to understand consumer buying behavior, for example, the market research company selected members of the group that fit the company’s search criteria. These can include demographic information, household details, shopping habits, etc.. The respondents would give feedback as best they could to answer the survey questions. The company in turn would use that data to inform decision-making.

B2B Panel Survey FAQs

Are online panels effective?

The panel plays a significant role in the research of various purposes, one of which is market research. Online B2B panels often provide important insights into complex products or services across multiple sectors in the company.

A panel such as this typically includes small business owners, executives, and people from human resources, IT, and financial analytics. Online B2B panel survey audiences help you keep up with modern business dynamics worldwide.

When are B2B panels necessary?

Whether online or in person NewtonX fills the gap when secondary research just isn’t cutting it. Secondary research failings usually present themselves in three types of B2B market research needs. To summarize these problems with off-the-shelf market reports:

A wealth of information, but not tailored or specific to client needs
Often little-to-no information on sub products, sub customer segments, sub-geographies etc.
No ability to double-click on the data; if something doesn’t make sense or you want elaboration you cannot dive deeper into the information.

How do you conduct a B2B survey?

Unless you have a very thorough understanding of the topic you’re researching, it’s wise to seek a research partner. This would be someone who works with B2B surveys all the time and can advise on audience, survey logic, recruitment and fielding as well as help interpret your results.

The first step in conducting a panel survey is to select the target population. At NewtonX you can set your audience criteria very specifically, which translates to a search that generates the highest quality professionals that could respond to your survey or interview.

About NewtonX

NewtonX is the only B2B research provider that connects forward-thinking companies with the exact professionals required to solve any problem. Our proprietary AI-driven search scans over 1.1 billion minds across 140 industries to find the highest quality expertise in the world.

72% of research leaders say they want help actioning and implementing their data. Perhaps related, 30% of businesses lose time and money due to bad data. Learn how NewtonX can help you get high quality data and better insights from your research with our innovative methodology.

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