Newsletter Fall 2012 - Competitive Edge Research

CERC: YEARS, NOT MONTHS OF EXPERTISE
Competitive Edge didn’t make it to 25 years by cutting corners.
We strive to lead our industry’s best interviewing practices by cultivating expertise that is
measured in years, not months.
Naturally, our most recent interviewer tenure report comes as no surprise. On
average, our interviewers bring 1.3 years of experience while our Quality Assurance
coaches average 3.6 years on the job.
Time and again, clients share their gratitude for not just receiving quality research
information for their campaigns and brands. They also appreciate the high-caliber of our
professional staff. We can’t deliver one without having the other. Thanks team!
Learn more: http://cerc.net/company/quality-control/
FALL 2012
We’re much more than just a political polling firm! In our quarter
century of business, Competitive Edge Research & Communication has
honed its superior research skills in the areas of consumer surveys, civic
studies, focus-group testing and facilitation, and phone-based campaign
services. Visit www.cerc.net to learn more about our winning
solutions!
CASE STUDY: REP. PETE SESSIONS, TX-32
THREE CAMPAIGNS, THREE WINS
Pete Sessions of Dallas, Texas decided to run for re-election to the
32nd Congressional District of Texas in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
SESSIONS WINS
2006 | 56.4 %
2008 | 57.2 %
2010 | 62.6 %
HAPPY COMPETITIVE EDGE DAY!
Sakes alive – we’re 25!
A quarter of a century ago, founder and President John Nienstedt
first hung out his shingle at just 25 years of age. Today, we’re one of
the most well-respected research firms around.
In our hallowed halls at Competitive Edge, it’s a pretty exciting
milestone. Turns out, other folks think so too.
San Diego County Supervisors Greg Cox and Dianne Jacob wanted to
mark the occasion with a County of San Diego proclamation.
In 2006, CERC conducted two rounds of voter identification calls to
identify Mr. Sessions’ supporters (6,800 total contacts). That program
was followed up with two rounds of voter identification/ advocacy
calls to previously undecided voters.
The goal: to find new Sessions supporters and to persuade those still
undecided (2,000 contacts). The final push included two rounds of
GOTV calls (11,200 contacts) to remind identified Sessions’ voters to
vote on Election Day.
In 2008, CERC completed two rounds of voter identification calls to
the general electorate as well as targeted demographics to identify
Sessions voters, and offer campaign yard signs for those voters (5,400
contacts and 430 sign placements).
CERC completed one round of GOTV calls (4,400 contacts, 1,300
messages left on answering machines) reminding Sessions voters to
vote on Election Day.
In 2010, CERC completed one round of voter identification calls to
identify Sessions voters (3,100 contacts).
Each re-election strategy proved a solid success: in 2006, Pete
Sessions bested his challengers, Democrat Will Pryor and Libertarian
John B. Hawley, easily winning re-election with 56.4 percent of the
vote; in 2008, Sessions secured his re-election with 57.2 percent of
the vote against Democrat Eric Roberson and Libertarian Alex
Bischoff; and in 2010, he won the nomination with 83.7 percent of
the vote, despite a Tea Party challenger, David Smith, and
ultimately won re-election over Grier Raggio and Libertarian John
Jay Myers with his highest ratio yet, 62.6 percent of the vote.
PENSION REFORM VOTES MAKE HISTORY
CERC gladly took part in two historic and
successful pension reform campaigns in San
Diego and San Jose this June.
San Diego blogger Gayle Lynn Falkenthal
quotes John Nienstedt on the issue:
"Ballot box pension reform is here to stay. In
both San Jose and San Diego, 'yes' votes came
from independent voters, and even 40% of
Democrats supported the measures. That
across-the-board support makes pension
reform a bonafide movement."
Read more at www.cerc.net
Vice Chairman Greg Cox, District 1, and Supervisor Dianne
Jacob present a proclamation to CERC President & CEO
John Nienstedt for 25 years of service.
Before reading the proclamation language, declaring July 10, 2012 as
Competitive Edge Research & Communication Day throughout San
Diego County, both supervisors made some generous remarks.
Supervisor Jacob noted that she’s known “Johnny” since he was only
“so high” pointing to her knee. Nienstedt once served as an aide to
then-Supervisor Susan Golding in 1985 while Jacob was Chief of Staff
to former Supervisor George Bailey.
“As a local elected official, I can tell you John touches all our lives in
one way or another,” she said.

ON CERC'S NIGHTSTAND:
VERBAL JUDO, THE
GENTLE ART OF PERSUASION–
GEORGE THOMPSON George J.
Thompson, Ph.D., is a former English
professor and a black belt master of
karate. He created and crash-tested
verbal judo when he was a police officer
on an urban beat. He dishes ultra
practical advice on dealing with difficult people and some
good insights for politicians. In a chapter titled "Taking Crap
with Dignity... and Style" Thompson observes, "Who wins the
highest office in a democratic society? It's the one who has
made a career of attracting verbal abuse, deflecting it, and
surviving the biggest crap-taking business of all: politics."
You get the idea.
CONNECT WITH CERC
Visit our website at www.cerc.net,
email us at [email protected] or follow us
on Twitter @CompetitvEdge.