I wholeheartedly approve of the need for publishers to do more research. With a couple of notable exceptions, they still seem to think their sales teams are the best source of information.
 

A hearty amen to that! Your point on sales intelligence is key, most especially for publishers trying to catch up to long-online database providers. It takes a different set of ears oftentimes to understand user needs - though we have had good luck in TRAINING sales forces to listen effectively in structured interviews. It takes guidance from professional researchers like Shore, but it's doable.
 

Come off it John! Training sales forces to listen effectively might be doable, and no doubt that helps them to sell.

But it takes experienced, and as you say independent, researchers to frame a research study, ask the right questions, collect the data without prejudice, analyse it rigorously and report it back in an insightful way.

Relying on self-serving sales to carry out any of these tasks will only reflect their own interests and priorities.
 

Paul,

I agree with you strongly that it takes an independent view to frame research effectively, and we have used sales reps only as part of a greater interviewing team. But within that framework I have been impressed with the results that we have received. I was very much a doubter on this technique at first but when the right training is given and the right tools are there for conducting and processing the interview it can be a plus.

I'd never stake the entire results of a study on the technique at this point but under the right conditions it can be a strong plus for both the research itself and a client's ability to use and understand the research if they have sales people hearing these things for themselves through the lens of professional research techniques. To go back to my original news analysis, hearing your customers clearly is a crucial transition that many publishers and aggregators have to make if they're going to have a successful transition to high-value services.