Now we will discuss the qualities of a marketing research manager, because he is the person, who is responsible for the success of marketing research management. A research manager must have some special qualities if he is to do justice to his assignment. To begin with,
- He must be innovative and always be prepared to look at any problem from a fresh perspective.
- He must be confident of his skill and knowledge and prepared not only to accept new ideas but also to try them out.
- He should be well-informed and up-to-date in his own area of specialization. In addition, he should be familiar with recent developments in particular industries, especially the problems faced by them in the marketing of their products.
- He should also be familiar with the recent trends in research technique and should be prepared to absorb the latest knowledge as much as possible.
Without such an outlook, a research manager will not be able to inspire his team and offer the leadership that is expected of him. Finally, he should have considerable selling skill so that he can convince the management regarding the accuracy and soundness of the recommendation emerging from his research.
One of the most crucial decisions to be taken by management is whether marketing research should be undertaken and if so, what place is to be assigned to this function. This is an administrative decision which calls for a clear perspective on the part of top management. Even when a decision is taken in favor of the marketing function, a related issue is what budget allocations are to be made to carry out marketing research efficiently. Also, the organization of marketing research activity has to be considered so that management gets the maximum benefit from it.