EP53: Why Research Projects Fail / DemandMaven
•December 2, 2025
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Why It Matters
Aligning research projects with clear business outcomes and securing executive sponsorship prevents wasted spend and accelerates growth, turning data into actionable value.
Summary
In this episode of the In Demand Podcast, hosts Asia Arangio and Kim Talarczyk of DemandMaven dissect why research projects—whether conducted internally or by consultants—often fall short. They frame research as a means to an end, emphasizing that clients don’t hire research for its own sake but to drive concrete business outcomes such as higher acquisition rates, better retention, or improved conversion funnels.
The conversation distinguishes two failure modes: delivery failure, where the research itself cannot be completed or delivered, and impact failure, where the insights are produced but never translated into action. The hosts argue that impact failure is the more insidious risk because it wastes money while delivering no measurable change. They stress the need for consultants to uncover the client’s ultimate objectives before scoping a study, to screen for genuine buy‑in, and to secure an internal champion with sufficient authority to act on the findings.
Key takeaways include the mantra that “clients aren’t hiring research, they’re hiring outcomes,” and practical screening questions such as whether the organization has a history of conducting research or a track record of troubleshooting problems. The hosts also note that senior executive sponsorship dramatically raises the odds that insights will be implemented, whereas projects driven by junior stakeholders often stall.
For businesses, the implication is clear: treat research as a strategic investment tied to specific KPIs, embed it within a broader problem‑solving framework, and ensure that the right stakeholders are engaged from day one. By doing so, firms can avoid the sunk‑cost trap of unused data and accelerate growth initiatives that are grounded in validated customer insights.
Original Description
Asia and Kim tackle one of the most common pain points in SaaS growth: research projects that deliver insights but create zero impact. Drawing from years of consulting experience and countless client projects, they break down why research initiatives fail from both the consultant and client perspective. This episode is essential for anyone hiring research consultants, conducting internal customer research, or struggling to turn insights into action.
Key Highlights
* Clients aren't hiring research for research's sake, they're hiring outcomes
* The two types of research failure
* How to screen for clients who will actually use your research insights
* The importance of having the right project sponsor with internal influence
* Why clients need to be IN the interviews, not just listening to recordings
* How to structure post-interview discussions for maximum impact
* Conducting customer interviews in 3 days instead of 3 months
* When to do research vs. when to just ship and learn
* How to get people to talk to you even without budget
* Competitive intelligence gathering: Interviewing ex-employees from competitors to inform strategy
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction: Why research projects fail
1:00 Two perspectives: Consultant and client
3:42 Research is in service of outcomes, not an end itself
6:03 Understanding what clients are really buying
9:20 Screening for clients who will reject research
11:00 The importance of project sponsor influence level
15:53 When research projects go nowhere: Low-risk vs. high-risk problems
17:43 Taking clients from A to B, not straight to Z
21:25 Case study: Educating clients on growth loops vs. linear funnels
23:50 Getting buy-in: Making sure clients see the work as valuable
26:31 Who else needs to buy in beyond your primary contact
29:19 The debate: Should clients be on customer interviews?
31:25 Why presence doesn't bias interviews as much as you think
33:45 People don't listen to recordings the same way
35:23 The debrief is where the magic happens
40:26 From the client perspective: When to hire research providers
42:00 Research as a muscle: Teams that gather insights move faster
45:34 Case study: Competitive intelligence interviews with ex-department leaders
48:36 Over-relying on quantitative analysis without context
50:07 Making numbers talk by talking to humans
51:27 When to do research: High-risk decisions and big levers
53:42 For people without experience: How do you know what's high-risk?
55:48 Research can be extremely fast with the right tools
58:27 How to do research without budget: The journalist approach
Who Should Listen
- SaaS founders considering hiring a research consultant
- Internal researchers struggling to get buy-in on their findings
- Consultants who've had clients reject or ignore their research
- Anyone who's done research that sat on a shelf and went nowhere
- Teams debating whether to invest in customer research
Related Resources
Book a discovery call with Asia: https://savvycal.com/demandmaven/discovery-call
#SaaS #CustomerResearch #SaaSGrowth #CustomerInterviews #JobsToBeDone #JTBD #SaaSFounders #GrowthStrategy #CustomerInsights #ProductResearch #UserResearch #SaaSConsulting #GrowthConsulting #CustomerDiscovery #ResearchStrategy #SaaSResearch #B2BSaaS
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/ ABOUT ASIA
Asia Orangio helps SaaS founders and growth teams reach their growth goals through tried-and-true go-to-market strategy, customer research, positioning and messaging, and growth practices. Asia also previously served on the board of directors at Moz before it was successfully acquired in 2021. In early 2018, Asia founded DemandMaven — a growth consultancy that helps SaaS, software, and internet-based companies troubleshoot their growth, identify new growth opportunities, and successfully go-to-market. Previously, Asia served in a number of marketing roles, but most notably as head of marketing at Hull where she helped the team 10.5x in growth, and #FlipMyFunnel / Terminus as demand generation manager.
/ ABOUT DEMANDMAVEN
DemandMaven helps SaaS and internet-based companies find growth opportunities, troubleshoot their growth, and successfully GTM. We get founders and CEOs — both VC-funded and bootstrapped — to the next growth stage by helping them identify their biggest strategic growth blockers, focus their efforts on their best paying customers through customer research, and build growth engines that actually work for years, not weeks.
DemandMaven was founded in early 2018 by Asia Orangio — SaaS marketing and growth expert.
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