Product Marketing
Customer and Market Research
Build the product marketing decisions around how buyers make progress: what triggers the search, which alternatives they consider and what prevents a purchase.
Research that answers a business decision
I personally carry out the agreed research and synthesis. Start with the decision the team needs to make. Is the uncertainty about the customer segment, the buying problem, the alternatives or the reason a promising deal stalls? An interview programme is useful when its questions and sample relate to that decision.
Existing customers can explain the purchase and the progress since it; lost and stalled opportunities can expose a different story. A useful research brief keeps those groups distinct, records the source of each observation and shows where the evidence is thin.
Understand the decision to switch
I personally investigate recent buying or switching decisions: what changed, why the previous approach became insufficient, which alternatives were considered and what nearly stopped the decision. Jobs-to-be-Done provides a way to examine the progress a buyer wanted in that situation; it does not replace the evidence of what happened.
The agreed handoff can include source-linked decision timelines and a map of triggers, desired progress, obstacles and decision criteria. I keep won, lost and stalled accounts distinguishable, include contrary cases and make participant permissions and sample limits visible.
Use these findings to inform positioning, an offer or the next research question. When the decision specifically concerns package boundaries or how to charge, consider Pricing and Packaging Research.
Deliverables
What the work can cover
Decision and research brief
Define the decision, working hypotheses, buyer groups and practical constraints. Agree who can supply records, invite participants and approve how information is used.
Buyer and buying-committee evidence
Explore a recent buying decision: the trigger, previous approach, alternatives, stakeholders, objections and criteria. Preserve the buyer’s words and context separately from interpretation.
Segment and alternative map
Compare customer situations and buying conditions. Distinguish direct competitors, internal workarounds and the option to keep doing nothing, rather than relying only on company size or industry.
When choosing an ICP, define the customer group, sources and sample limits, including observations that challenge your preferred segment. Assess product fit, readiness to buy and potential deal value separately. A strong fit may not be ready to purchase, and a large possible deal may be unlikely. Prioritize against your sales capacity and carry open questions into the next review.
Findings and decision handoff
Bring the evidence into a source-linked matrix with recurring patterns, contradictory cases and open questions. Connect it to an ICP, positioning, launch or enablement decision.
Process
How the work comes together
Frame the uncertainty
Review the product, segment assumptions and commercial decision. Use existing sales and customer evidence before designing new research.
Gather contrasting evidence
Agree the participant groups and questions. Examine the purchase in its original context and keep won, lost and stalled decisions identifiable.
Turn findings into choices
Compare evidence against the starting hypotheses. Record the chosen direction, its limits and the next validation question for product, sales and marketing.
Separate a useful signal from a comfortable story
A frequent phrase can be a useful hypothesis without representing the whole market. The research should show who said it, when it mattered and whether another group had a conflicting experience. Recruiting only enthusiastic customers can hide why other buyers did not move.
For example, a team may believe its strongest message is time saved. Recent purchases might instead turn on reducing a handoff risk or making a decision defensible to another stakeholder. Research identifies and tests that difference rather than collecting agreement with a message already written.
In this illustrative situation, check which product capabilities support a dependable-handoff message before using it. The finding could shape a positioning brief, website explanation, sales comparison sheet or launch audience. Name each output's reviewer and next decision; the client retains packaging and commercial choices. Review buyer understanding and sales use separately from pipeline or revenue.
A practical handoff names the action the team can take now and the uncertainty it should carry forward. It can inform the positioning framework, a launch audience decision or sales discovery questions. Research scope and access to participants are agreed before work starts.
For example, difficulty completing setup could reflect an unclear promise, an onboarding obstacle or an unsupported integration. Compare the buying conversation with product and support information you have permission to use before choosing the response. Record the observation, competing explanations, missing facts, action owner and reason to revisit the decision. Track the change separately from its measured effect.
FAQ
Questions about customer and market research
What can customer and market research answer?
It can inform which buyer situation to prioritise, what triggers a search, which alternatives matter and what makes a decision move or stall. The brief ties the research to a specific product marketing decision.
Do you research customers or prospects?
The participant mix is agreed for the question. Customers, prospects, lost deals and stalled opportunities offer different perspectives; the findings keep those groups and their context visible.
How does this connect to positioning?
Research supplies buyer language, alternatives and decision criteria. Positioning then makes a focused choice about the segment, value and evidence to communicate.
What if the evidence is limited?
Record the limitation and distinguish a working hypothesis from a validated finding. A small or selective sample should not be presented as the whole market.
How is the engagement scoped?
Scope, deliverables, responsibilities and review points are agreed per engagement. Engagements are month-to-month with no minimum term; either side can end with 30 days notice.
The end-to-end product marketing service
Next step
Discuss the customer and market research scope
Bring the decision you need to make, the evidence you already have and the team that will use the work. We can agree scope, responsibilities and the next step together.
Practical decision resources