What’s What with Who’s Who

Find out what it takes to be a leader
in Lehigh Valley Business

By Lisa J. Gotto

     At about this time every year it happens. Billboard announcements start popping up all over the Lehigh Valley.  And they’re not just any billboards. They look alike in some way, signifying something very special to the business owners displayed on them.  Well, it’s that time of year again, that time when we find out Who’s Who.

     The Who’s Who in Business Program is celebrating 20 years of announcing just who the leaders in Lehigh Valley business are. It’s a fairly simple concept, yet behind the scenes much is done to ensure the statistical integrity and accuracy of its results.

How It Works

     This year 600 random and geographically dispersed telephone surveys were conducted.  The respondents were asked who they felt the leaders were in 53 different business categories, such as pharmacies, florists and travel agencies. The respondents were then asked a series of specific questions about themselves to provide a demographic analysis for just who is choosing these business leaders.

     Integrated Marketing Concepts of Whitehall, an independent market research firm, conducted the surveys to ensure the results are objective and unbiased. Integrated Marketing Concepts specializes in research for both manufacturing and service-based industries throughout the United States.

     “The data collection itself is the key to everything,” says Integrated Marketing Concepts President, Robert Williams. “We use a standardized set of interview techniques.” Williams says that all the questions are asked the same way every time. If a respondent, for example, does not know the name of the business and queries the surveyor for it, the surveyor will record the question as a non-response. “There is no prompting,” says Williams, who commented this is done to help ensure the accuracy of the results.

     Williams says they are also very careful to select responders at random, not allowing bias to play a role in who is queried and who is not.

     Williams is careful to point out that this survey is purely based on the perceptions of the responder.  “And sometimes perceptions do not necessarily equal reality,” says Williams. In other words, it has more to do with recognition of the business, than balance sheets issues, like which business has the highest annual profits.

The Pay Off

     Once the data collection is completed it is edited for accuracy and then compiled. During the compilation process all the data is run through what Williams called a cross tabulation process, which matches the responses up with the demographics. These statistics become a valuable resource for the category leaders, who receive a detailed analysis of the demographics. Having this resource in turn helps these businesses market and manages themselves to their best advantage.

The Categories

        So who do you think the leaders in Lehigh Valley business are? Take a moment to go over our category list and make your own projections.