1. How long does the interview take?
The battery of four questions takes approximately 5 minutes to administer.

2. Are there any reasons you can think of why this wouldn't work in my category?
No, the Conversion Model can be applied to almost every product category. It has been applied to over 300 product and service categories and across a wide range of industries, including financial, telecommunications, media, packaged goods, utilities and so on.

3. Does the model work across all cultures? Do the scales have to be adjusted?
Because the Conversion Model is based on fundamental theories of human behaviour, it can be applied in all markets. Conversion Model studies have been conducted in over 80 countries. In terms of the scales, while the absolute values of the answers do play a role, the relationship of the answers to each other is more important.

4. Can you apply the Conversion Model in a monopoly situation?
Yes, the Conversion Model has been applied to monopoly situations, such as utility industries approaching deregulation. In monopoly markets, the Conversion Model is usually used to measure commitment to the monopoly in the face of likely competition.

5. What sample size do I need?
The sample size of a study is not affected by the inclusion of the Conversion Model. In fact, the Conversion Model is a micro-model, which means it can be applied to a sample of one! If the sub-bases of smaller brands are very small, the emphasis will be on the non-users to see how you can grow the brand. However, in order to be able to do detailed diagnostics on the
user segment, you should aim for a sample of 100. (CAUTION ABOUT BOOSTER SAMPLES: our experience is that commitment tends to be higher for people in the booster sample than in the random sample - they are sensitised to the fact that they are being interviewed because they use a particular brand.)

6. Will I be able to compare my results to norms in other countries and product categories?
Yes, we have a database that contains the results from Conversion Model studies conducted worldwide. Norms are available for many products and categories across different regions.

7. This is a low involvement category; do you think the Conversion Model will work?
In every market, there are people for whom brand choice is important. The Conversion Model will look at those who are involved and those who are uninvolved. It can also be used to identify triggers that can be used to build involvement.

8. Do you get some people who are committed to all brands and others who are uncommitted?
The number of consumers who are uncommitted to everything is extremely small. Over 99% of consumers are committed in at least one product category.

9. How can I action the data? Apply it in strategic terms?
This question can be answered by looking at the questions that the Conversion Model itself can answer. The Conversion Model allows you to determine how strong your brand is - how many of your users are committed and what is the true potential of your brand. It can tell you how commitment can be reinforced and it can tell you how you can prevent defection by understanding what's undermining commitment. The Conversion Model segmentation enables you to understand what's in the minds of your consumers, thereby allowing you to manage the consumer-brand relationship more effectively.

10. Can the Conversion Model be used in markets where consumers have large repertoires?
Yes, because some people, who have large repertoires, may only be committed to a small proportion of the brands in their repertoire. Others may be committed to the category, yet switch freely between brands within the category.

11. Can brand and category analysis be conducted in one study?
Yes, the Conversion Model can measure commitment and availability at both brand level and category level. This is one of the benefits of the model - it can tell you whether your brand is competing against other brands in the category or against a different category altogether.

12. Does the method of data collection affect the responses?
No, the model can be used for all methods of data collection: face-to-face, mail, telephonic or the Internet.

13. How often should the study be repeated?
A commitment measure is essential in order to fully understand consumer behaviour. Therefore, the Conversion Model should be at the centre of all information collected about consumers. If the Conversion Model is included in continuous tracking studies, the segments should be monitored on a continuous basis, although in-depth analysis may be conducted every 6 months or so. For strategic U&A studies, the Conversion Model should be included every time the U&A study is repeated - roughly every 12 to 18 months.

14. How do you manage people who are uncommitted?
It depends on what is causing them to be uncommitted. If the problem is low involvement, you need to find a way to make brand choice matter, i.e. you need to create involvement among the uninvolved by the way that you position your brand. If there is low involvement, this can also be managed by making the brand presence dominant at the point of purchase. If the problem is ambivalence, the solution is to understand what's causing the ambivalence and then to ensure that the positive attractions of your brand become the dominant factors in the brand choice.

15. Do I need to cancel my existing research programs?
No, the Conversion Model can be added to any type of research program. It will add value to what you are currently doing.

16. Does this mean I no longer need to do customer satisfaction research?
No, the Conversion Model gets added on to your customer satisfaction research. Satisfaction is only one element of commitment and commitment is a far better predictor of your consumers' behaviour than is customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Conversion Model will be able to give you a better understanding of how service delivery affects the consumer-brand relationship.

17. Can I use the Conversion Model for product tests?
Yes, the Conversion Model is often used to test the potential availability towards new products entering an existing market. It is important to measure consumers' commitment to the products they are currently using - because consumers' availability to a new product will be dependent on their commitment to what they are currently using.

18. Will I only get information about my brand?
No, you will be able to get information about all your competitors in the category. The Conversion Model looks at the entire market.

19. Can the Conversion Model be integrated into my database?
Yes, the Conversion Model is an essential element of Customer Relationship Management. It is not enough to only look at behavioural data; you need to know what's in your customer's mind in order to effectively manage the consumer-brand relationship.

20. How can I be sure it works?
Over the years, we have conducted many longitudinal validation studies. We have examples in the beverage market, where, after 1 year, 4% of entrenched consumers had defected to another brand as opposed to 54% of convertible consumers. In addition, over 3000 Conversion Model projects have been conducted worldwide, by over 90 of the world's leading multinationals.

21. Are the biggest brands always the strongest?
No, an early finding of Conversion Model studies, was that there is no correlation between the size of a brand and its strength. We discovered that big brands with dominant market shares could have extremely low commitment, and vice versa.

22. Are price-sensitive consumers more likely to be uncommitted?
No, uncommitted consumers are more likely to be price sensitive. The more committed the consumer, the less attention is paid to the price.