How do you manage market research efforts? For example, for a GTM, do you do market research in-house or with an agency?

At my current company, we have three main ways to conduct product research: in-house with our UXR team, with an agency synthesized by our Insights team, or with an agency fully managed by PMM. We choose the right path based on resources, budget, and research goals.

Here are a few tips for conducting product research:

• Start by defining your research goals. What question are you trying to answer? What will you do with the information?

• Sync with your team to see who has the resources and bandwidth to help. This may include your Insights team, UXR team, and Marketing team.

• If you're working with an agency, be clear and concise in your briefing. Share context, your ideal state, and the nuances you're looking to learn.

• Carefully craft your research stimuli. Make sure the items that respondents see are diverse and clear enough to guide them down the right path, while avoiding unintended bias.

• Review and interpret the results yourself. You know your business better than any agency does.

• Be involved in the analysis of the information, even if it's in-house. Ask market questions and let your brainstorm shape the readout.

Keep in mind research is like any other data point, people will take away different interpretations of what the information is saying, so be sure to spend your own time understanding the study so that you can steer conversations towards the ideal outcome for your business.