Market Assessment ...
 
Market assessment is an important tool in selecting services. The assessment looks into both supply and demand side of services and asks MSME about a range of services to understand which they most want, but cannot find. These assessments are complemented by sector analysis or needs assessment to help program designers develop a clear understanding of the potential impact of the services on MSME and on program goals.

Test Marketing or Action Research
Formal tools for choosing services are not always necessary in all cases. Instead, the supplier’s service is facilitated to try out on a small scale and see if it sells.
 

	Starting without a pre-conceived idea of what services might be in demand, listening closely to entrepreneurs about their constraints and what exact services might address those constraints.
	Initial service ideas are developed from those discussions, drawing on ideas for services that exist in the private sector.
	New services are pilot marketed, sometimes with partial subsidies in exchange for customer feedback.
	Services are modified rapidly and re-tested to fit as closely as possible to demand.

This type of test marketing is used frequently in the private sector. Even when formal tools for choosing services have been used, test marketing individual service products helps determine the potential for commercializing new services for MSME.