Stop Chopping the Turkey: Modern Research Methods
- Juan Jose (JJ) Ayala
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
I often see market researchers and corporate executives stuck in old habits that no longer serve their goals. I specialize in consumer research and employee satisfaction surveys to help leaders make better choices. Many of the people I work with today still use the same tools they did twenty years ago. They follow old patterns because they were taught that way, not because those patterns still work.
My work focuses on finding out why we keep using restrictive methods when our tools have improved. I look for the logic behind every step in a research project. I want to make sure the way we collect data actually matches the problems we are trying to solve today.
This reminds me of a story I heard about a daughter cooking with her mother. The daughter asked why they chopped the legs off the turkey before roasting it. The mother answered, "Because my grandmother does it that way." They eventually asked the grandmother, who laughed. She said she only chopped the legs off because her moms oven was too small to fit a whole bird. Today, we have much bigger ovens, yet I see so many researchers still "chopping the turkey" just because that is how they were taught. We no longer have the "small oven" constraints of the past, so why are we still using the same restrictive methods?
To get the most out of your research, you should first check if your current steps are based on old limits. Ask your team why they use specific survey lengths or data formats. If the answer is "because we always have," it is time to change. Update your tools to fit the size of your current business needs.
Consumer research brings high value because it clarifies questions and confirms what you suspect. It helps marketers find powerful ideas that lead to better sales. When you stop following old, narrow recipes, you find the space to see the whole picture. I am here to help you stop chopping the legs off your data so you can finally use the full power of your modern tools.
Modern Research Methods
By Juan Jose (JJ) Ayala
Team Percepto, A Consumer Research Insights & AI Adoption Company, February 2026
