• Secondary data is information that already exists and only needs to be accessed, extracted and put into a usable form.
• It can come from inside or outside the business.
• Research using secondary data is often called ‘desk research’ or a ‘non-reactive survey’.

7.1 INTERNAL SOURCES

• Key internal sources concerning actual and potential customers include:
• Sales records
• Sales staff reports
• Responses to advertisements
• Customer information should be recorded logically, whether on written records, card indexes or a computer database.
• Important customer information to record includes:
• Organisation name
• Address
• Contact person’s name
• Contact person’s position
• Phone/fax/email details
• Details of the customer’s business
• Products/services purchased or of interest
• Details of products/services sold, including dates and volumes
• Notes of letters, brochures or quotations sent
• When enquiries result from advertising, record the publication where the respondent saw the advertisement.
• This helps assess advertising effectiveness and avoid wasting advertising budget on publications that do not generate useful sales leads.

7.2 EXTERNAL SOURCES

• Potential external sources include:
• Government statistics
• Local authority statistics and plans
• Trade associations
• National/local press and specialist trade magazines
• University studies
• Research organisation studies
• Trade directories
• Company reports
• The internet
• A major challenge is limiting research to sources that provide relevant information while avoiding unnecessary information.
• Secondary data is particularly useful for understanding the wider market picture.
• Example: national/regional statistics can estimate market size; trade directories can identify manufacturers; company reports can provide information about trade volumes and future plans.