Editor’s note: Paul Tuchman is president of Outsmart Marketing, a Minneapolis research firm.

Now more than ever, companies are scrambling to maximize their qualitative marketing research dollars. For some shortsighted firms, that means cutting research, delaying projects or skipping entirely the up-front qualitative phase of the research process. But for others, today’s tight economy fosters a new, more creative approach to research.

Here are five questions we’re seeing more clients ask themselves these days. While budget pressures might be the prime motivation, they are the right questions to ask even when the economy isn’t slumping. Getting the most for your qualitative research dollar is always the smart thing to do.

1. How many cities do we really need to visit? The old three-cities-in-four-days marathon has fallen victim to higher airfares, shrinking travel budgets and, most importantly, more critical thinking about the purpose and goals of the research. There’s no one answer to this question, but to maximize your research spending, keep a few key insights in mind:

•   At least sometimes, get out of your own backyard. Too many clients end up listening to themselves - or people who look and sound like them - by doing most or all of their research in their home market. You’ll be amazed how much more you can sometimes learn by going to another market where your company or brand isn’t as well known, or isn’t viewed, for better or worse, as the hometown team.

•   Only go where you know or suspect that usage, attitudes or the competition is different. Since we’re talking qualitative, there’s no real advantage to adding markets and groups just for the sake of bigger numbers. But if your sales data, past research or educated hunches tell you that you’ll hear different things, or get different reactions, in different markets, then by all means figure out the most cost-effective way to includ...