Marketing research doesn't have to be scary. And it doesn't have to cost a lot, either! Charles H. Ptacek, president of Charles, Charles & Associates, Inc. technical marketing consultants, explains simple, low-cost ) typically around a few hundred dollars) procedures and activities you can carry out to make better business decisions. These techniques can help whether you're trying to determine your target market or customer, predict new product success, gauge customer satisfaction, problem-solve, determine marketing mix, gather competitive intelligence, or discover new opportunities for your business.