Grant Gooding got his professional start in mergers and acquisitions working first on the legal side then buy-side analysis, valuations, and transition management. After roughly a decade of analyzing, valuing, and transitioning hundreds of small and mid-market businesses, Grant became infatuated with market research, something that he had to work with every day.
Grant determined that while valuable, almost all market research failed to address one simple, yet critical question that he needed to answer for his clients: Why are people buying this product or service from your business?

With his MBA emphasis in qualitative research marketing, Grant spent the next several years experimenting with methodologies and measurement techniques that could be used to discover the emotions and motivations behind purchasing intent. After working with a nationally renowned brand analyst, Grant discovered a quant method that could be used to assess brand preferences. With that as a starting point, he and his team utilized some principles of neuroscience and behavioral economics and created a new metadata system that can accurately quantify emotional resonance.

Today, PROOF has executed over 500 market research engagements using its emotional resonance method. It stands as one of the most novel, compelling, and accurate ways to quantify and understand why customers do the things they do. Grant is an international speaker in Emotional Market Research and Emotional Data, an emerging field that PROOF is helping pioneer.

Nerdy Fact: Grant is a classically trained vocalist who has performed in venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Westminster Abbey, and St. Mark’s Basilica. He has 3 amazing children with his wife, Stacey, of over 13 years.