Why Most Teams Research the Wrong Market with Vivek Paymode

Inside Why Most Teams Research the Wrong Market

1. —

   Meet Vivek Paymode

   The episode opens with Vivek's route into the field: market research lead at 360iResearch, where he oversees end-to-end engagements and mentors analysts across industries from healthcare to energy to advanced tech. He sets up a conversation about the mistake he sees teams make most, defining their market too narrowly, and why asking the right question matters more than finding the right answer.

2. 01

   From Curiosity to Market Research

   • How a few LinkedIn articles during his master's turned into a career.
   • Why he first assumed research was just gathering data and writing reports, and what changed his mind.
   • What keeps it fresh: a new industry, a new expert, and a new perspective on every project.
3. 02

   How AI Is Changing Market Research

   • Where analyst time used to go: reading transcripts, survey responses, and reports to find recurring themes.
   • How AI now speeds up pattern-finding, grouping responses, and flagging contradictions.
   • The bigger shift: AI frees analysts to spend time on judgment, not just processing.
4. 03

   AI as a Research Accelerator, Not a Replacement

   • How his team uses AI for literature review, trend spotting, and summarizing large datasets.
   • Why every insight still gets validated through data triangulation and quality checks.
   • The core stance: AI handles the information, analysts supply the judgment and business context.
5. 04

   How the Team Gathers Valid Insights

   • The primary side: in-depth interviews with experts, manufacturers, distributors, and end users.
   • The secondary side: government publications, regulatory bodies, company filings, and 15 years of research databases.
   • Why the best insight comes from validating across multiple sources, not a single database.
6. 05

   Where AI Fits in Primary and Secondary Research

   • Primary: survey design, interview prep, transcripts, and finding themes across hundreds of responses.
   • Secondary: summarizing and comparing thousands of pages of reports, papers, and filings.
   • The payoff: handling information faster while people turn it into reliable insight.
7. 06

   The Market Research Tool Stack

   • A layered approach: no single tool answers every business question.
   • Secondary sources: annual reports, investor decks, patent and government databases, industry journals.
   • Primary tools: professional networks, survey platforms, virtual interview tools, and CRM systems.
8. 07

   How to Find the Right Audience to Research

   • Matching the channel to who you're researching, from LinkedIn for experts to survey panels for consumers.
   • Using interest-based communities for niche markets, and trade shows and associations for B2B.
   • Watching new regulations, which can open entirely new industries to research.
9. 08

   Battery Passports and Emerging Markets

   • What a battery passport is: a digital ID for an EV battery, made mandatory in the EU from February 2027.
   • Why the new regulation is creating a whole industry around it.
   • Other markets on the rise: EV charging, connected and autonomous cars, subscription features, and surgical robots.
10. 09

    The Biggest Mistake: Defining the Market Too Narrowly

    • What "strategic myopia" is: judging the market only by what you already sell and who you already know.
    • The car-battery example, and how a narrow view misses EV, recycling, storage, and second-life markets.
    • Why a precise answer to the wrong question is the real danger.
11. 10

    What He'd Change and Advice for Research Teams

    • His magic-wand fix: add behavioral and transactional signals to close the gap between what customers say and do.
    • One piece of advice: ask the right question before chasing the right answer, and challenge your own assumptions.
    • What he'd do differently: learn how businesses decide, spot weak signals early, and get comfortable with AI sooner.