Beyond the database: why custom recruiting is the missing piece in expert and B2B research
Traditional expert networks and research panels help reach specific audiences, but for highly specialized profiles—like CRM admins or niche IT users—companies need custom recruitment, since these individuals aren’t part of standard panels.
For years, expert networks and traditional research panels have fueled the way companies access hard-to-reach audiences. But what happens when the ask goes beyond the database? When you need CRM administrators with territory-management expertise, or power users of a specific I.T. ticketing system? Or another hard-to-impossible to reach audience? If you’ve been in the research industry for any length of time, you already know: you’re not going to find tons of these people sitting in panels. It’s a custom recruit every single time.
The rise of niche asks
Private equity firms and investors depend on “get smart” calls to evaluate potential deals. Insights teams at software and technology companies rely on IDIs with highly specialized professionals to guide product strategy. These requests often sound unusual: procurement leads at regional homebuilders in two medium sized DMAs, cybersecurity experts within a specific sector, or crypto specialists tied to certain technologies.
You just never know what the ask is going to be. But what’s clear is that these feasibility requests look nothing like the broad categories many panels and networks were built to capture. They require precision that can pinpoint exact roles, industries, company sizes, geographies, and decision-making authority.
Why traditional networks fall short
Familiar large expert networks excel at volume. They can quickly deliver academics, venture capitalists, policy influencers, health care executives and other leaders. But as I’ve seen time and again, about 20% of the time they can’t fulfill a due diligence need. They simply don’t have the niche respondents who consultants and researchers want to speak with.
That gap leaves consultants and corporations with tough choices: skip the research altogether, rely on secondary sources, or attempt to patch together insights from previous research or ChatGPT queries. Traditional research panels face the same problem: procurement leads at regional homebuilders or cybersecurity analysts are not spending their evenings joining consumer research panels.
The case for custom recruiting
Custom recruiting is the solution when requests move into these edge cases. Instead of trying to bend a static database to fit, the work begins fresh: finding professionals where they actually are. LinkedIn is often the starting point, but trade associations, certification boards, and professional communities can be just as important.
Verification is key. Clients want to see LinkedIn profiles, company details, and answers to their granular qualifying criteria. That transparency reassures them that they are speaking to the right people. In my experience, this proof of authenticity matters just as much as the participant’s expertise.
As I like to say, give us something out-of-the-box, and that’s where we shine.
Practical tips for researchers
If you’re evaluating options for a difficult research requirement, here are a few practical steps that can help:
Map the universe carefully. Decide which attributes are essential and where flexibility is possible.
Source strategically. LinkedIn is powerful, but don’t overlook professional groups, trade associations, or certification directories.
Verify rigorously. Request LinkedIn profiles or other third-party confirmation to build confidence.
Set expectations early. Recruiting extremely challenging profiles requires more time and investment, but the payoff is stronger insights.
Think complement, not replacement. Panels and expert networks still have a role; custom recruitment is the tool to deploy when the request is highly specific.
A new standard for niche B2B and expert work
Custom recruiting is not a replacement for networks or panels, it’s the complement that ensures unusual or highly targeted research needs don’t fall through the cracks. And as the stakes in both investment and corporate strategy continue to rise, settling for “close enough” respondents is no longer an option.
Joel Nelson is a senior market research executive with two decades of experience helping research agencies and brands collect high-quality quantitative and qualitative data. He currently serves as SVP, Qualitative Solutions at Rep Data, where he leads teams recruiting B2B experts and consumers for in-depth interviews and online focus groups. Before joining Rep Data, Joel led North American sales teams at Cint (Lucid) and held senior leadership roles at Research Now, overseeing multimillion-dollar portfolios across the U.S. and Latin America. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Master of Science in Marketing Research program at the University of Texas at Arlington. Joel is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
