Even if companies are large enough to have an internal insights/research team, marketers often bypass them. As one marketer told me: "If I ask them a question, they take 4-8 weeks to find the answer." It makes sense. Ain't nobody got that kind of time. Marketers regularly have strict deadlines. If the goal is to deliver something by a given date, then target market research is too often skipped. I get it - faster companies win more. But - nothing worse than running enthusiastically in the wrong direction. This leads to checklist marketing. What you need to optimize for is the speed to “aha moments”. How fast are you able to generate customer and market insights? You should be able to answer most questions within a day or two. Don't settle for less.