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Monday, September 8, 2008
Medicare Part D
When Medicare Part D was first introduced, we were retained by a carrier that wanted to find out how seniors really felt about the program. During that time there was much apprehension about Part D, since “political” opponents had led seniors to believe that it would be too confusing and more expensive than any plan they may have already had.
We conducted in-depth interviews with seniors, viewing it as a typical qualitative research interview. In short order we learned that there was a lot of confusion about “donut holes” and “tiers”, but that once explained, seniors “got it.” Once they were made comfortable with pricing, seniors saw the value.
What started out as an interview of discovery ended up as the development and testing of a sales presentation. Midway through the interviews, the client asked the moderator to switch to playing the role of a sales rep, asking probing questions, overcoming objections, and closing. This led to the development of a rough sales presentation. After a few more interviews, we developed a “makeshift” collateral piece and tested it as well.
What started out as a simple interview ended up as a much more valuable research study. In qualitative research, we say “we learn as we go.” This was an excellent example of not only that, but also our ability to adjust, add value to the research, and come away with actionable information.
posted by John Riester at
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