Marketing and Market Research Pro
Resume:
JONATHAN BALKIND
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Balkind @ aol.com
Personable, highly skilled business professional with more than 15 years of market research experience. Extensive background in designing and implementing research for new product development (ideation, concept testing, validation, product positioning), advertising/ branding, customer feedback studies and Web site design. Established market research departments at major internet and medical device companies. Consistent record of providing analytical insights and actionable recommendations.
RELATED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Provided research which optimized product configuration, pricing and product positioning for new computerized surgical operating room system. Resulted in fast track investment strategies and product launch allowing company to become a top two competitor in this $250 million market.
• Executed qualitative and quantitative concept testing research on consumer attitudes towards natural gas vehicles and home fueling distribution systems. Identified key consumer issues related to these new technologies and produced financial forecast scenarios based on concept test results.
• Tested TV spots and collateral pieces for a financial services company through personally conducting focus groups and one on one consumer interviews. Findings led to more effective creative messaging concepts and visual tools for company’s branding campaign.
• Interviewed corporate purchasers of embedded software about the impact of a major acquisition in that industry. Findings identified customers’ major concerns and were used by the acquiring company to formulate merger-related branding, customer support and product development strategies.
• Developed monthly online customer satisfaction survey for the flagship product of Realtor.com, the official web site of the National Association of Realtors. Customer feedback led to improvements to Web-site products that increased consumer traffic and subscriber renewals by 15%.
• Concept and beta tested an online financial performance ‘red flag’ tool with equity, fixed income and hedge fund portfolio managers. Feedback resulted in more defined market segments for the product and more targeted product features and brand strategies.
• Moderated and/or supervised over 100 focus group and/or one on one interviewing projects.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Market Research Consultant
2005 - Present
• Market research consultant to Countrywide Financial, Wellpoint Health Networks, Benchmark Metrics, Home123.com and Horizon Market Research.
Results: Services range from producing annual market research plans to complete management of specific quantitative and qualitative research projects.
Countrywide Financial Corporation 2002 - 2004
Manager Of Market Research
• Conducted follow through online surveys of Web site visitors who had indicated an interest in taking out a residential home loan. Survey was merged with company tracking data to identify customer contact experiences that most influenced whether they selected the company as their lender.
Results: Resulted in improved process efficiencies especially in the online to offline handoff stages of the lending process.
• Concept tested new credit card tied to home equity line of credit.
Results: Product features were reconfigured to address major consumer concerns.
Homestore.com 2000 - 2001
Manager Of Market Research
• Responsible for determining optimal user - centered design and content for company Web sites and internet products using product concept testing and observational usability studies.
Results: Produced improved “next generation” products as measured by increased
subscriber revenues and consumer traffic.
Karl Storz Endoscopy 1998 - 2000
Manager Of Market Research
• Conducted series of executive interviews and customer focus groups (surgeons, nurses, hospital executives) as part of strategic analysis of company’s competitive position.
Results: Findings led to company redirection towards offering services valued by customers to augment increasingly commoditized product lines.
• Successfully positioned new flexible intubation product through research with anesthesiologists.
Results: Product has achieved a 40% average annual growth rate since launch.
Southern California Gas Company 1985 - 1998
Market Research Manager /Analyst
• Conducted “trade-off” (discrete choice) analysis of maintenance service concepts with residential gas utility customers.
Results: “Needs - based “ segmentation of customer base (factor/cluster analysis) indicated several preferred service ‘packages’ expected to produce total net income of $20 million.
EDUCATION
Masters of Business Administration, Anderson School of Management, UCLA
Doctor of Philosophy, Political Science, UCLA, Regents Fellow(Published article available)
Bachelors of Arts, Political Science, Cal State Los Angeles
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