Market Research

Course overview

Research is only useful when it changes a decision. This course starts from the decision you need to make, such as launching a product, entering a city or changing a price, and shows you how to collect just enough evidence to make it well.

You will use free public data, talk to customers in a way that gets honest answers, analyse competitors and size the market from the bottom up, then turn it all into a one-page summary with a clear recommendation.

What you will learn

• Write research questions that lead to a decision
• Find and judge free sources such as national statistics and trade bodies
• Run customer interviews that reveal what people actually do
• Compare competitors and alternatives on offer, price and reviews
• Estimate TAM, SAM and SOM without fantasy numbers

The 8 lessons

Every lesson is unlocked the moment you pay. Each one explains a method, shows a worked example and ends with a task.

1. 01

   Start here: research that leads to a decision

   You will be able to turn a business decision into a few research questions and choose methods that fit your budget and time.

   11 min read

2. 02

   Desk research: what you can learn for free

   You will be able to find, judge and record free published sources that answer your research questions, and know when to stop reading.

   12 min read

3. 03

   Customer interviews that give honest answers

   You will be able to recruit the right people, run a 30-minute interview about their past behaviour and take notes you can compare across interviews.

   13 min read

4. 04

   Surveys that are worth the effort

   You will be able to decide whether a survey is the right method, write neutral questions and plan who to ask and how to read the results.

   12 min read

5. 05

   Competitor analysis: what customers compare you with

   You will be able to map direct competitors, indirect alternatives and doing nothing, compare prices like for like and find patterns in reviews.

   12 min read

6. 06

   Sizing the market: TAM, SAM and SOM without fantasy

   You will be able to estimate your market from the bottom up, check it against a top-down figure and state every assumption with its source.

   13 min read

7. 07

   Segments and personas built on evidence

   You will be able to group customers by the job they need done, choose which segment to focus on first and write a persona backed by evidence.

   12 min read

8. 08

   From findings to decisions: summary and next steps

   You will be able to write a one-page research summary with confidence levels, make the decision you started with and keep a calendar of ongoing research.

   12 min read

Templates included

You copy these into your own spreadsheet and fill them in as you go:

• Research plan
• Source log
• Customer interview script
• Survey plan
• Competitor analysis grid
• Market sizing sheet
• Persona sheet
• Research summary

Who it is for

• Founders testing a new idea before investing in it
• Businesses planning a new product, market or price
• Marketing and sales staff who need evidence, not opinions

How you receive it

Straight after payment you get a button to open your library and an email with your personal link. There is no account to create and no app to install.

Lost the email? Get a new link at any time from Resend my access.

The courses are business education, not legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. Professional disclaimer.