When expert opinion is needed
Sometimes it isn’t the opinion of customers, members, or the public that's needed. Instead, you need to survey community leaders or business leaders; those that make decisions, or create and implement programs and policies.
For example, an environmental organization might want to survey business leaders concerning their positions, policies, and practices related to the environment.
Or, a trade association might want to survey leaders in their industry (whether they are members of the association or not) to assess opinion on a critical issue or to identify emerging trends.
An economic development agency might survey CEOs and business owners in their region to ask about the business climate, expected hiring trends, likely purchases, attitudes about education, transportation, or any of a number of topics.
A city or county government might survey businesses in their jurisdiction to identify ways to improve the business environment.
The director of a non-profit organization might want to survey his or her counterparts in similar organizations.
Like a membership survey, these surveys are custom-designed and can cover a variety of topics. Often these surveys can be conducted online because the respondents almost always have a current email address.
It is common practice with many of these surveys to offer to share survey results with those who participate.
