

Ask HN: Best practices for market research? - romero99

Hello,<p>I'm developing an online paid service with the initial target audience being restaurant/bar owners.<p>I know a couple of people in the business, and so far they've provided me with great feedback regarding my product and I was able to take their input into consideration.<p>However, I would like to expand my reach and engage in disucssions with other restaurant owners. What is the best way to approach this? Do I cold call? Visit the establishment in person and ask to have a sit-down with the manager for 10 minutes? I will not be asking them anything too private, definitely nothing about their business numbers, finances, etc. What should I expect? Should I just come in with my list of questions or should I already be trying to sell them on the product with a pitch deck?
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njstartups
It really depends.

First of all, what type of money do you have? There are some excellent
companies that can connect you to the right people for market research
discussions.

Secondly, you should NOT walk in expecting to speak to the manager. As you
stated, you already have connections in the industry, ask them to connect you
to other restaurant owners.

Another solution, depending on the type of questions you would like to ask,
would be to pose as a student and get an informational interview that way.

Alternatively, you can call them and tell them you are thinking of entering
this industry with an idea you have but don't know how the industry
functions/etc. and see if they are willing to open up and educate you.

You can find restaurant owners and bar owners on Twitter/LinkedIn as well if
location is irrelevant to you. Try to get a variety of types of restaurants to
get a better understanding of the different conditions at play that affect
decision-making.

Will see if I can come up with any other ideas or leads.

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njstartups
Also, try to make it as informational as possible. As conversation progresses,
you can introduce your idea and get a feel for their response to it.

