People are bombarded with more information about products and services than they can possibly digest.  Naturally, the more information we're exposed to, the more we rely on trusted advisors to distill it all and make informed decisions.  Identifying these trusted advisors is the first step to successfully engage with a community and that's why Community Analytics is doing this study.

With this research, we're mapping the flow of advice that exists in the sales and marketing community to form what we call a decision network.  This network will uncover communities of individuals that are working towards similar goals and struggling with comparable issues.  The goal is to create strategies to help bring these folks together to discuss the issues, share ideas, and find solutions. This will, in turn, create more opportunities for you to connect with colleagues and ultimately provide you with more relevant products and services.

How did you get my name?
We purchased a list of sales and marketing professionals across the United States.

Why do you want names?
The goal of this project is to better understand how sales and marketing professionals are connected in order to authentically engage with the community.  We specialize in social network research and take confidentiality very seriously. All information received during our research is kept confidential from other participants.

Why do you want to know the city and state they’re located in?
We simply need a way to differentiate Sue Miller in Philadelphia from Sue Miller in San Francisco.

What are you going to do with the names I give you?
We are going to map out a decision network that reveals how sales and marketing professionals are connected in order to better nurture and serve the community.  Our goal is to create strategies to help bring you together to discuss issues and share ideas. Ultimately, we want to become a part of the communities that currently exist and

communicate with you in a way that is meaningful and relevant.

Are you going to contact the people I name?
We’re reaching out to a variety of sales and marketing professionals across the United States and the people you mention may already be on our list. If we do contact them, it will only be to ask them the same questions we asked you. Your name and all information received during our research are kept confidential from other participants.

What’s in it for me to participate?
With your help, we will be better equipped to offer sales and marketing professionals more customized, relevant and, appealing products and services. This will, in turn, create more opportunities for you to connect with colleagues and offer you a platform to voice your thoughts and concerns.

Who is your client?
We’re actually doing this for ourselves. We want to create a dialogue with our community of sales and marketing professionals to understand your goals, challenges, and the networks that connect you.  We offer authentic customer engagement through pre-existing decision networks. This isn't just something we provide for our clients; it's the way we engage with our communities as well.