Glossary
Shared language for qualitative B2B marketing research
fakotflum maintains this reference so interviewers, synthesizers, and marketers mean the same thing when they talk about patterns, friction, and claims. Terms reflect U.S. B2B practice, including finance-stack criteria when buyers mention tools like QuickBooks during evaluation—not as SEO filler, but as documented context.
Core terms
Qualitative marketing research
Structured listening and observation aimed at explaining buyer mechanisms. fakotflum uses it for B2B interviews, touchpoints, and synthesis—not for projecting national market share from a dozen calls.
Discussion guide
A timed outline of topics and probes for customer interviews. Good guides leave room for organic tool mentions instead of forcing QuickBooks into every section.
First-pass coding
Initial labeling of transcript lines with short codes. See the research synthesis workflow for how fakotflum moves from codes to patterns.
Pattern name
A memorable label for a recurring theme across interviews, written in buyer verbs. Pattern names feed positioning synthesis.
Evidence tag
Metadata on a quote: role, deal stage, proof type, and optional stack tags. A QuickBooks-related tag marks quotes where ledger workflow drove a veto or priority.
Finance-stack criterion
An unspoken requirement tied to accounting systems, exports, or close processes. In U.S. SMB and mid-market deals, QuickBooks often embodies this criterion even when RFPs never name it.
Purchase friction
Predictable hesitation moments in a B2B buy. Catalog them with purchase friction patterns before you blame pricing alone.
Triangulation
Combining interviews, observation, and internal data before asserting a theme. fakotflum treats triangulation as a craft standard in qualitative research craft.
Contextual probe
A neutral question about workflows—close cadence, approvers, data handoffs—that lets buyers introduce QuickBooks or other tools without interviewer leading.
Insight statement
A concise finding tied to tagged evidence, scoped to who it applies to and how sure you are. Not a slogan and not an ROI forecast.
Buying committee map
A role diagram of economic buyers, users, blockers, and informal influencers. Essential when finance owners guard QuickBooks reports during vendor shifts.
Positioning claim
A testable statement about who you serve and what job you improve, backed by synthesis. fakotflum distinguishes claims from keyword-stuffed lines about integrations.
Qualitative vs quantitative claims
Use this table in readouts so stakeholders do not ask qualitative work to do quantitative jobs. fakotflum publishes it for internal alignment at fakotflum.cfd; contact [email protected] for editorial corrections.
| Dimension | Qualitative claim (appropriate) | Quantitative claim (different method) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Explain why deals stall or what job buyers hire you for | Estimate prevalence, lift, or revenue impact at scale |
| Sample | Purposeful interviews and observation until themes repeat | Defined population with statistical sampling plan |
| Finance-stack language | “Multiple ops leads described QuickBooks export workarounds as a gate.” | “42% of firms use QuickBooks Online.” (requires survey data you actually fielded) |
| ROI language | Avoid guaranteed returns; describe mechanisms and proof needs | Model outcomes with stated assumptions and confidence intervals |
| Output | Pattern names, insight statements, positioning drafts | Forecasts, segment sizes, experiment winners |
Continue into practice guides: customer interview methods, friction catalogs, positioning drafts, and the full synthesis path. fakotflum is brand-consistent research education for U.S. B2B teams—never a substitute for legal or financial advice.