Are you basing this on actual knowledge of the way J.D.Power opertes or are
you basing this on what could happen? In the automotive industry all
manufacturers buy them, but only a few get the top rating.


"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
So, Gould, are you suggesting Yamaha, and Mercury didn't pay for
inclusion in
the survey? How about the others? Think they didn't pay to play?

The survey company doesn't just wake up some morning, yawn and stretch,
and
say,
"I think it's time to do outboard motors!"

What happens in these situations is that the survey company has
salespeople who
are continuously pitching prospective clients about the incredible value
that
the marketing research will bring to the company's business. In fact, the
survey company will be glad to conduct a survey in the prospect's industry
for
the small sum of just $XXXXXX.XX.

The surveys are performed for individual, corporate, clients. The
questions can
easily be shaped so that the answers are predictable.

Suppose that Anchor Company A agreed to have J.D. Pourboy Surveys do a
survey
among boaters to determine what sort of ground tackle people prefer. J.D.
Pourboy Surveys will charge Anchor Company A a $10,000 retainer, $10
apiece for
mailing 4,000 surveys, and another $10k to tabulate the results. (The
whole
project can be completed by two part time employees in about a month).

Now, when JD Pourboy shows up at the Anchor CO office wth survey in hand
and
says, "Well, we ran the survey. Everybody says your gear is crap and
they'd
rather use a concrete block on a kite string than
one of your anchors and rode"..........you suppose the Anchor Co is going
to be
happy to write that check for the final $50k? No, no, no.

So, how does J.D. Pourboy make sure that Anchor Co come out mile ahead of
the
competition? Anchor Co is the only maker of anchors that includes a buoy
and a
release line as standard equipment. Questions are designed that get
affirmations from surfey takers that ease of release and the ability to
know
the anchor's actual position are critically important and make a product
better.

Another technique is the not-so-blind mailing list. Anchor Co A has the
names
and addresses of several thousand people who have bought a single Anchor
Co A
hook, and even the names of several hundred people who have purchased two
or
three over the years. (satisfied customers)
Using the mailing list provided by the Anchor Company itself as a major
portion
of the survey mailing is a sure way to get a high percentage of favorable
responses.

When Consumer Reports does a study, you need to buy the magazine to get
the
information. That's how they make their money. Every pay anything to see
the
results of a JD Powers Survey? Ask yourself; "How do they make any money?"