I copped a lot of flack from the team when I told them what the headline for my next blog was going to be. The strategy department just about flipped and administration was completely confused as to why I would want to discourage clients from a core part of the business.

The reality is, that most waste money on research. Not because it’s bad research nor because it’s not incredibly useful. Simply because most people just don’t listen.

In a business environment where the ‘Marketing Dollar’ and the research bucks are all but dried up, it’s never been more important than now to listen and ensure you’re getting the greatest return for your dollar.

Inherently, most of us want to take the easy road and ‘get there without taking the trip‘. It’s a pretty natural trait of the modern world. Especially when we’re so used to things moving so fast.

No matter how fast the world becomes, though research and planning will always remain a vital part of developing success. It’s the crucial ingredient of every entrepreneur and like the footings of a new building, is the foundation of building your pathway ahead.

It’s also important to appreciate that research has come a long way since the traditional paper survey. Not only has the mechanisms to gather data changed, along with accessibility to data but also the core philosophy behind what we should be seeking from our research.

Apple is a fine example of this and as Tony has spoken about in the past, they don’t believe in consumer research to define what their customers want. Arrogant? Perhaps. But they have a deep belief that for them to continue being cutting edge, they can not expect the market to know what they want, when they don’t even know what is possible.

They focus their research in a completely different direction, but the key to this is, they spend extensive amounts of time ensuring they have the right understanding of how to produce the best possible product.

So while research isn’t really a waste of money or time, if it’s not used correctly and it’s not implemented correctly, then it stands to offer you little to no value.

Before you take the next big leap, think about the foundation you’re going to need to build a solid future for your concept, product or business…and don’t waste your money!