With Christmas approaching and the mowing season behind us, I find myself reflecting on the spring and summer months. There was one particularly relevant instance regarding my sprinklers (stick with me on this).

I was having issues with my sprinkler’s (non-existent) water pressure, so I called my usual yard maintenance company to figure out what’s wrong. They quickly diagnosed the issue: too many sprinkler heads on a single zone. For some reason that answer didn’t sit right with me and I spent some time researching things for me to do myself. But I was quickly drowning in all the learnings (home irrigation systems, pumps, water pressure, etc.) – that’s when I decided to call a 2nd company to get another opinion. They did a thorough inspection and identified the real problem: a busted shut-off valve. The repair tech swapped out the valve and voila, the water pressure improved instantly.

This experience reminded me of a key principle in market research: recognizing when doing it yourself isn’t leading to the kind of outcomes you are expecting and knowing when it’s good to go outside your realm of comfort and get a 2nd opinion.

When to call a professional

This is a rule rooted in common sense and it will differ for every organization and even by research project. Market research spans both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, each with its own frameworks and expertise. If you’re comfortable with basic surveys or interviews, you might handle some tasks internally. But for deeper insights, complex segmentations, or behavioral modeling, a professional researcher brings the tools and experience to guide you toward meaningful outcomes.

If your DIY research leaves you with more questions than answers, or if you’re overwhelmed by data, it’s not a failure. It’s a signal to bring in someone who can help you course-correct and make sense of it all.

When to get a 2nd opinion

Just like when my first call was to an organization I had used for similar work in the past, you undoubtedly have vendors and professionals you have on short dial – everyone does. But even trusted partners can miss the mark. Sometimes you need a more specialized skill set to really solve your research objectives or to answer difficult questions. While it may be more energy than going to your shortlist, giving a shot to a new vendor could open up a whole new relationship and skill set to you that you never knew you needed.

I could have stuck with the sprinkler company I had prior experience with, but that path would have had me wasting money and would have resulted in my main issue never being addressed. I took a chance on someone new, and it was absolutely the right thing to do in that situation.

Wrapping up

In any case, you can probably tell I constantly have my profession in the back of my mind as I make random connections to my career and line of work in even the most mundane of consumer experiences. At Catapult Insights, we take research seriously and are always looking for ways to broaden our horizons in terms of methodologies and approaches to better serve our clients and partners. If you’re looking to broaden your research horizons, or just want a second opinion, we’d love to chat.

 Andre Barroso

DIRECTOR, INSIGHTS & INNOVATION
CATAPULT INSIGHTS