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Step 1
Make a detailed list of all of the participant sample requirements. You should include everything from geography, gender, age, race, income and marital status to anything related to your specific study. For example, if you are doing a study on a specific allergy medication, you should mention this to the recruiter to prevent any unforeseen problems during the recruit. But, due to confidentiality issues, have your client approve prior to informing potential recruiters of the product. If the product name must remain confidential until you have signed a recruiter, try to be as detailed as possible and mention to the recruiter that the research will become brand specific at a later date.
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Step 2
Look to online market research databases like Bluebook and Greenbook (see Resources below) to search market research recruiters, and ask colleagues for recruiter references in your target geographic area. If you are lucky, you may find a recruiter with offices in more than one of your geographic regions.
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Step 3
Send requests for bids to the market research recruiters of your choice. Make sure to include as much information as possible in the request so that they can give you an accurate proposal. Be sure to include your telephone contact information, as they may need to speak with you about the research, particularly if you plan to conduct in home interviews or an ethnography.
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Step 4
If you have not received your bids within 24 hours, follow up with each of the recruiters.
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Step 5
Review each bid taking careful note of the accuracy and detail in each one. It is imperative that a recruiter is highly attentive to detail, so if a bid is loaded with typos and is inaccurate, they are not the right recruiter for you.
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Step 6
Call the recruiter with the best bid to discuss the project in further detail. After the phone conversation, if you feel confident that it is a responsive, organized, and detail oriented recruiter, sign a project confirmation and authorize the recruit.
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Step 7
Be sure to call and check in with the recruiter every morning and every evening to discuss the progress of the recruit. If they are not meeting your expectations, be up front with them as soon as possible.
