I Am Just Graduating. The Big Question Is, Client Or Supplier: Which Way Should I Go?
Since I am on the advisory boards for the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin, and Southern Illinois University and mentor lots of students, I get asked this question very often.
Client or supplier: which way should I go?
- Is it better to start in one direction or the other?
- Which part of the industry is more enjoyable?
- Where can I learn more?
And of course the really brave students will ask…
- Where will I make more money?
For me this is a real difficult question because I have NEVER worked on the client side but definitely have an opinion. (There’s a shock! Of course I have an opinion! I’m from Boston!)
First of all I am not sure you can go wrong with either choice. As someone who truly loves the industry, I am just excited that the person is choosing to be part of it. When I think about what I enjoyed and looked for in a job way back when I graduated from Hofstra University it was:
- Learning new things
- Working in different industries
- Being exposed to seeing new products and services
- Being challenged during the day
Because of that, I truly believe someone graduating and wanting to start in this great profession, should start with a supplier. I believe the learning in year one can be much greater at a supplier because of the mix of projects, industries and different methodologies that you are exposed to in your first few years. By doing this it will become a platform for growing as a professional down the road and give you many options.
There are many benefits for going the client way. You are much closer to the ultimate decision process and yes, you probably will make more money starting out.
Let the debate begin.
I would really like to hear from both clients and suppliers about the benefits of going in either direction.
- What did you do and why?
- Have you worked for both types of companies?
- What were the challenges?
- What is your recommendation: client or supplier?
I really look forward to your comments.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I never worked on the client side, and wish many times that I had for all the insights you give in your blogpost. I will also add that the pay is better.
I would say that you should try to pick an industry that is up and coming. An industry that is going to be around in the future and will look good on the resume.
And just so I can be accused of giving conflicting advice, also remain open to the possibilities in areas where they are not apparent.
Be tuned into companies that talk about marketing, but in reality they mean sales. Be wary of firms that lump together sales and marketing. As a potential client once told me, “I never put sales and marketing in the same department. Because in that department the emphasis will always be on sales. They may talk marketing, but when I start screaming about meeting the quarterly sales figures, I can guarantee you marketing is going to go right out the door.”
And again, just so I can be accused of being contradictory, do not dismiss the value of sales experience. It can be invaluable. I am volunteering in a presidential campaign this year and have spent hours calling voters. Other volunteers are on the verge of tears when someone hangs up on them or is rude. But I have cold-called before and I know that is just my cue to go on to the next one. It’s nothing personal. In fact, the sooner I get to NO the better.
If you do decide on a sales position, nothing wrong with that. I highly recommend, however, that you read as many books by Stephan Schiffman as possible. It will save a lot of wasted time.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Define Client vs. Supplier?
I started at The Link Group right out of college which is a full service firm and i learned so much about the industry; all of which prepared me for the data collection supplier side.
I will say the work on the data collection side can be grueling and very hard and takes a special person to manage. i don’t think i could do it, if i didn’t have the basic knowledge i learned from The Link Group (which is now my client!).
Bottom line, i suggest starting with a Full Service Market Research firm to figure out all aspects of the business, then move to supplier or end user from there. You would base this move on the interests you have developed after working in full service for 2 to 4 years.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Merrill,
Thanks for another great question. While I’ve spent more of my career on the client side, I think starting your career with a supplier is the way to go (assuming you want a career in research). I think starting with a supplier best prepares you for either continuing there or switching to the client side.
I started on the client side, but quickly switched to a supplier where I was fortunate enough to work with a wide variety of clients on a variety of projects. I learned much more about research–both things that work and some that don’t–while on the supplier side. That supplier experience has been invaluable to me in the last 8+ years on the client side.
There are probably a handful of client companies that still have an in-house supplier model (with a phone center, for instance) but even there you wouldn’t get the breadth of experience you would with most suppliers.
An exception would be someone with interests in non-research leadership roles on the client side. I once had a client company, for example, where the fastest route to a product management role was 1-2 years in the sales force followed by 1-2 years in research. You get to touch many aspects of a business in the research function, so it can be a good training ground.
Dan
February 25th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I am very glad this topic is being discussed because I too am asking this question! Currently, I’m in an entry-level position with The NPD Group and work around client-facing people. Going into this position, I thought I would eventually be doing some factory/supplier work like making models and designing questionnaires. Instead, I’m specializing in understanding a specific market (printing consumables) and writing several reports a week concerning retailers and manufacturers within the market. Undoubtedly, I’m learning a lot. If I decided to move into a supply role within the printing consumables market, I’d have a good idea of what kind of questions I’d want to ask consumers and what information would be valuable to clients. In that sense, starting out as client-facing is helpful; you can build upon your client-facing capabilities or possibly venture into a supplier role (with training.)
However, starting out as client facing does not have as many transferable skills as working for a supplier. As a client-facing worker, if I were to seek-out a different research company, I could tell them that I have experience in researching the field and conveying that information to clients in report form. But my core knowledge would be with the market I specialized in. With experience under a supplier, my core knowledge would be analytical: experience with developing questionnaires, models, and deriving conclusions from what I’ve produced. These are all easily transferable. In short, my opinion is that working for a supplier develops many useful tools for understanding markets on a wide spectrum, while client-facing’s transferable skills, though valuable, are limited to basic researching techniques and communication skills.
I’m really looking forward to the comments on this blog posting!
February 25th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I am something of a hybrid having started with a client (General Mills) but in their consumer research group, the internal supplier to the company. I transfered to the user side after about five years and spend the next 30 yeas as a “client” before returning to the supplier side for the past eight years. If market research is what you want to do, you should start on the supplier side. To me it is the best way to learn market research. It gives you an appreciation for what research is and is not or what it can or can not do, which is invaluable on the client side. The client side has it advantages. Interacting with marketing and the decision making process is fun and stimulating. Be able to see first hand the impact of research is great. As I advanced up the food chain I spent less time during research and more time administering, politicking, and in meetings. That wasn’t always that much fun!!
February 25th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
OK, I guess after sitting as a spectator all this time, I’ll have to chime in.
I’m an executive recruiter on the custom side and I deal with both client- and supply-side people all the time. I hear the frustration from supply-side people about not being involved in the strategic decisions made after the report has been plunked down on some client’s desk, and I hear the lament of the client-side people who miss the variety, challenge, and growth available on the supply side.
I also hear worries about being ‘branded’ as a client- or supply-side person by staying too long without mixing it up. Add to that the stigma of some client-side stints that are actually black marks because they’re known as ’soft’ places to work, and the mega-suppliers where by definition you get so specialized that you can’t see or learn the whole research picture. It’s a tough question to figure out the ideal career track.
My gut in this very inexact science: I’d think you should start with a supplier and get exposure to a variety of clients and verticals for 3-5 years, then go client-side for a few years in the niche that makes your blood pump. By then your heart should give you a pretty clear direction. The best money is in selling for a supplier but you have to have your hands-on research knowledge first.
Jeez- did I confuse everyone even more?
-J
February 26th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
My advice to novice market researchers is that you really need to manage your career. There are 4 different types of experiences you need to have on your resume: Client Side, Supplier Side, Advertising Agency and Consumer Package Goods Company. I think you can start anywhere, but early in your career you should be ready to evaluate and move on. Go with your gut, think about the opportunity that you have with a prospective employer. Do you stand to learn anything there? Will you have someone who can mentor you and teach you the business? To me these are the key questions you should be asking yourself. And every year you should give your employer a review–just like they are doing to you. Am I happy here? Am I learning anything? Are there places to move within the organization? If the answers to any of these are no, you should be prepared to seek new opportunities.
I have spent most of my career on the client side and much prefer it to the vendor side, precisely because of the reason Merrill mentioned: the opportunity to see a strategic initiative through to completion. But I just finished a stint on the supplier side. Many of the people I worked with had spent their entire career with that company and only knew that company’s way of doing things, which left them terribly unprepared to face life at a different company. Don’t let this happen to you. Reach out, challenge yourself, explore and don’t be afraid to try new things.
February 27th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
For those choosing qualitative research as their specialty, my recommendation is to start than on the supplier side. Here’s why.
After 15 years in qualitative, I believe every qualitative market researcher, whether supplier or client, should spend time on the telephones recruiting respondents.
It’s from this *in the trenches* experience that I learned what is effective — and what isn’t — when setting up and executing fieldwork. On the supplier side, you’re involved in research on a daily basis.
Recruiting respondents is the foundation for understanding the ins and outs of effective screener construction, project planning and execution, problem solving, and the capabilities and limitations of respondents and suppliers.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Here’s a question to the Blog: Does your Supplier/Client recommendation change if you are starting your Marketing Research career AFTER receiving your MBA degree?
February 29th, 2008 at 10:26 am
This is an n of 1. I worked supplier side for 4 years then went to a full-time MBA program. Since MBA, I’ve spend the last 2 years on the client side. It’s been an excellent experience exposing me to a wide diversity of projects and vendors (great contacts on LinkedIn to refer to an earlier post).
With perspective from both sides I’m much more understanding of how to partner with my vendor colleagues on projects and really loop them in - however, I also know where all the timeline and pricing fluff resides.
Having been on the client-side, I feel I could bring much more insight into providing targeted stand alone deliverables, respect for client time, etc… should I ever venture back to the supplier side.
To specifically answer Kristin, I would say the rule of supplier side first would supercede the post-MBA decision. If you get the MBA with no supplier side training, then think about a top full service firm (like ZS). If you have the supplier side training and the MBA, I think a client-side move at that time is good. You have instant credibility walking in the door based on your education and your prior experience that you can leverage for quick promotions and/or high responsibility/visibility projects.
Again, an n of 1.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Kristin,
Thanks for posting your question. I still believe you are better off and alot more valuable to the client side if you start on the supplier side.
Depending on what your MBA is in - Finance, Marketing etc does open up more doors on the supplier side. Many research company are set up in verticals and with an MBA might be a good spot.
I just interviewed a number of folks yesterday in one of our offices and a few of the candidates mentioned their budgets and staff have been cut so the amount of projects and methodologies that they are exposed to has change for them over the years.
Be careful this is now an n of 2.
Thanks.
Merrill