Market Research Stages: A Six-Step Method
Most companies that say “we commissioned research” hold a thick file nobody opens. Research that didn’t start with a question doesn’t end with an answer. 🔍
Market research stages number six: write the question, choose sources, gather desk data, listen to the field, build the table, turn it into decisions. The order holds — data collected before the question is written is a pile of noise.
This guide covers the six steps, the data sources, interview rules and the report’s decision section. The analysis side sits in market analysis. 📋
How Are Market Research Stages Ordered?
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- Step 1: the research question
- Steps 2-3: sources and desk data
- Step 4: the field
- Steps 5-6: table and decision
Six steps, each resting on the last. 🪜
Market research stages: (1) write the research question — what would change a decision, (2) choose sources — desk, field or both, (3) gather desk data, (4) listen to the field — customer and sales interviews, (5) build the table — segment, competitor, price, (6) turn it into decisions.
Step 1: the research question
“Let’s learn about the market” isn’t a question. “Would this segment pay our price?” is — and its answer changes a decision.
Steps 2-3: sources and desk data
Search data, sector reports, competitor sites; sources include Google Search Console and open data.
Step 4: the field
Five to ten customer interviews give information most surveys can’t buy.
Steps 5-6: table and decision
Data goes into a table and three decisions come out: segment, promise, channel. 🎯
Where Does Market Research Data Come From?
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- Your own records
- The sales team’s notes
- Competitor pages
- Interviews
Data exists even without a budget. Six sources. 🗄️
The sources: search data (who’s looking for what), your own customer records (the most valuable and most neglected), the sales team’s notes, competitor sites and price pages, sector association reports, and customer interviews. The first three are free and already exist in most companies.
Your own records
Who bought last year, for what reason, at what price? That table is the cheapest research available.
The sales team’s notes
The answer to “why didn’t they buy?” sits in sales, but nobody writes it down.
Competitor pages
Price, scope, promise and proof; mapping method in market analysis.
Interviews
Five interviews teach more than fifty surveys. 🎙️
How to Run a Customer Interview
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- Rule 1: ask about the problem
- Rule 2: discuss the past
- Rule 3: ask for numbers
- Rule 4: talk to lost customers
The field is the most valuable but most misexecuted step. Four rules. 🎙️
The rules: don’t pitch the product, ask about the problem; discuss the past, not the future (“how did you decide last time” is good, “would you buy” is bad); ask for numbers (how long did it take, what did you pay); and talk to lost customers too. The most instructive interview is with someone who didn’t buy.
Rule 1: ask about the problem
Pitching turns the interview into a sales meeting and corrupts the data.
Rule 2: discuss the past
Everyone politely says yes to “would you buy”; past behaviour tells the truth.
Rule 3: ask for numbers
Duration, budget, headcount — concrete figures are comparable data.
Rule 4: talk to lost customers
“Why didn’t you choose us?” guides more than ten pieces of content. 📉
The Decision Section of a Market Research Report
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- Three decisions
- The one-page rule
- Tying it to measurement
- Refreshing
A report’s value isn’t its thickness; it’s the last page. 📄
The decision section states three things: which segment to focus on, with what promise to enter and which channel to start from. Research that doesn’t state these three stays on the shelf; results not tied to measurement get forgotten.
Three decisions
Segment, promise, channel; strategy format in marketing strategy.
The one-page rule
The decision section shouldn’t exceed one page; a long report goes unread.
Tying it to measurement
Every decision gets tracked by a number; scorecard setup in data-driven decisions.
Refreshing
Research gets refreshed yearly; markets move and reports age. 🔄
Field Notes 📝
The most skipped source in research projects is the company’s own customer records. Firms consider buying external data while last year’s sales list already holds the segment, the price tolerance and the reason for purchase. The cheapest research is reading your own records.
Quick Glossary 📖
Desk data: information gathered from existing sources. Field: customer and sales interviews. Research question: a question whose answer changes a decision. Decision section: the report’s final page stating three decisions.
Quick Summary ⚡
- Market research stages number six: question, sources, desk data, field, table, decisions.
- Six data sources exist; the three most valuable are free: search data, your own records, sales notes.
- Interview rules: ask about the problem, discuss the past, ask for numbers, talk to lost customers.
- A report is worth its decision section: which segment, which promise, which channel — on one page.
Next Step 🎯
Let’s write your research question together: a six-step plan and source list in one session. Visit our marketing consulting page or get in touch.
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Six steps: writing a research question whose answer changes a decision, choosing sources, gathering desk data, listening to the field through customer and sales interviews, building a segment-competitor-price table and turning it into three decisions.
Six sources: search data, the company’s own customer records, the sales team’s notes, competitor sites and price pages, sector association reports and customer interviews — the first three are free and already exist in most firms.
With four rules: ask about the problem instead of pitching the product, discuss past decisions rather than asking “would you buy”, request concrete numbers like duration and budget, and interview customers who didn’t buy.