Method 03
Market observation
Watch buying behavior where it happens—before Claude interviews confirm what you think you saw.
Observation as a primary instrument
Interviews recover language; observation recovers behavior. trylgotdam researchers sit in competitor webinars, skim RFP templates, and read community threads the way ethnographers read a street corner. Claude notes from these surfaces capture what buyers do when no one is asking for a quote.
Start with a watchlist: categories, competitor messaging shifts, procurement portals, and analyst briefings. Log dates. Note when a claim appears across three vendors—that saturation often signals a tired positioning lane your positioning framework should avoid.
Observation surfaces checklist
| Surface | What to capture | Feeds into |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor demos | Objections voiced live; features skipped | Friction patterns |
| RFP language | Mandatory clauses; scoring bias | Contact points |
| Communities | Peer recommendations and horror stories | Claude interviews |
| Support forums | Post-purchase regret signals | Claude synthesis |
From sighting to Claude confirmation
Every observation becomes a hypothesis: “Buyers stall when security reviews arrive before value proof.” Test it in the next round of decision-maker interviews. trylgotdam forbids turning one Reddit thread into a market size claim. Observation guides questions; Claude interviews adjudicate language.
Markets speak in public. Committees whisper in private. Good research listens to both.