How do you conduct a focus group for commercial real estate?

1 Define your objectives

Before you invite any participants, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to learn from your focus group. What are the main questions or hypotheses you want to test? What are the key outcomes or decisions you want to inform? How will you use the data you collect? Your objectives should be specific, measurable, and relevant to your commercial real estate project or goal. They should also guide your choice of participants, questions, and methods.

2 Select your participants

Your focus group should consist of people who represent your target market or audience. Depending on your objectives, you may want to recruit customers, investors, tenants, brokers, or other stakeholders who have experience, interest, or influence in your commercial real estate sector. You should aim for a diverse and balanced group of 6 to 10 participants, who can provide different perspectives and opinions. You can use various methods to recruit participants, such as referrals, online platforms, or incentives.

3 Prepare your questions

Your questions should elicit honest and detailed responses from your participants, and help you explore your objectives. You should avoid leading, biased, or closed-ended questions that may influence or limit the answers. Instead, use open-ended, probing, and follow-up questions that encourage discussion and elaboration. You should also prepare a script or guide that outlines the structure and flow of your focus group, including the introduction, warm-up, main topics, and wrap-up.

4 Choose your method

You can conduct your focus group either in person or online, depending on your budget, location, and availability. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, so you should consider the pros and cons of each option. For example, in-person focus groups may offer more rapport, engagement, and non-verbal cues, but they may also require more time, money, and logistics. Online focus groups may offer more convenience, flexibility, and anonymity, but they may also pose more challenges with technology, communication, and moderation.

5 Facilitate your focus group

Your role as a facilitator is to create a comfortable and productive environment for your focus group, and to guide the conversation and interaction. You should introduce yourself and the purpose of the focus group, explain the rules and expectations, and obtain consent from the participants. You should also ask the questions in a clear and neutral manner, listen actively and attentively, and manage the time and dynamics of the group. You should avoid expressing your own opinions, judgments, or assumptions, and respect the diversity and confidentiality of the participants.

6 Analyze and report your findings

After your focus group, you should review and organize the data you collected, and look for patterns, themes, and insights. You should also evaluate the quality and reliability of the data, and acknowledge any limitations or biases. You should then summarize and present your findings in a clear and concise report, highlighting the main points, conclusions, and recommendations. You should also share your report with the relevant stakeholders, and use it to inform your commercial real estate decisions or actions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?