How to navigating research budget cuts

You walk into the budget meeting.

You’ve got the data.

You’ve got the research.

But before you even finish your pitch…

Leadership says: "We don’t have the budget for this right now."

Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth: There’s always budget.

Companies spend money on what they see as critical.

So why isn’t research seen as critical?

Most researchers ask the wrong question in budget meetings.

The cost of not fixing this problem

When research teams fail to secure budget:

❌ Marketing spends millions on campaigns that miss the mark.

❌ Product teams build features no one wants.

❌ The company makes blind decisions—and loses money.

And for you?

🚨 You waste time justifying your value instead of doing high-impact work.

🚨 Your team gets seen as a cost center instead of a growth driver.

🚨 Your influence within the company shrinks.

If the cycle continues, insights teams then struggle for a seat at the table.

A research team that changed everything

A few years ago, I worked with a frustrated insights team.

They delivered valuable research, but every budget meeting ended the same way.

"Sorry, we don’t have the budget this year."

Then they changed one question.

Instead of: ❌ “Can we get more budget for this research?”

They asked: ✅ “What’s the cost of NOT doing this research?”

Everything changed.

Leadership weren't thinking about the price of the research.

They were thinking about the risk of ignoring it.

They secured funding immediately.

A global retail brand tested this exact approach in their Q4 budget meeting.

Instead of pitching research as a ‘nice-to-have,’ they framed it as a 2.5M revenue unlock.

Using this method, they secured 40% more research funding, without any pushback.

How you can secure more budget

If you want more budget for research, stop asking for it.

Instead, shift your positioning:

Don’t show data. Show business impact.

→ Instead of: "Satisfaction dropped 12 points."

✅ Say: "This could lead to $3M in churn."

Tie research to revenue, risk, or savings.

→ Instead of: "We need to understand customer behavior."

✅ Say: "This could unlock a $500M market."

Ask the question that makes leaders think.

→ “What’s the cost of NOT doing this research?”

This one shift turns research from a cost to an investment.

Your next step

Are you wanting more strategies on building your influence as a researcher?

I break them down every week in this newsletter.

📩 Next week: I’ll show you a simple script to make executives act on your insights.

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