The first step in the marketing research process is to:

a. specify the sampling procedures to be followed.
b. recognize a marketing problem or opportunity.
c. collect primary data from the available sources.
d. plan a research design and gather secondary data.

ANSWER: b

The first step in the seven-step marketing research process is to recognize a marketing problem or opportunity. The marketing research process is a scientific approach to decision making that maximizes the chance of getting accurate and meaningful results.