Thirdside

What Thirdside does

Thirdside is a specialized B2B qualitative market research and consulting firm founded in 2010 by Ron Carson and headquartered in Apex, North Carolina. The company conducts human-to-human executive interviews on behalf of B2B clients, with a service portfolio centered on four offerings: Win-Loss Analysis, Customer Churn Analysis, Customer Experience Research, and Voice of the Market / Messaging. Its core technical approach combines custom-built interview frameworks (the 'Just Ask' methodology, the 'What's the Fix' closing technique, and the ICP Verification Framework) with AI-assisted analysis layered on top of human-conducted interviews, positioning AI as a scale tool and human interviewers as the credibility and accuracy layer. The firm claims 40-60% participation rates and 73% higher candor rates versus internal customer conversations, citing a 2,000+ interview cumulative base built since 2010.

Thirdside generates revenue through professional services engagements sold directly to enterprise revenue leaders (CROs, CMOs, sales and marketing executives). Pricing is quote-based, with typical comprehensive research programs ranging from $25,000 to $40,000, structured as project-based work or multi-year retainers. The customer base spans technology (Google, LinkedIn, Cisco, Looker, Walkme, Kony, Codility), healthcare (Kaiser Permanente), professional services (BCG, Guidehouse, Navigant), financial services (Temenos, Datasite), automotive (Rivian), sports (NBA), and media (Fast Company). Distribution is consultative and direct, supported by content marketing (blog, ebooks, guides), a regional workshop series, and podcast appearances by the founder.

The firm operates as an independent, founder-owned boutique with a 1-10 person team and no disclosed external funding, parent company, or M&A activity. Geographic reach is claimed across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Quantified client outcomes cited in marketing materials include Gross Revenue Retention improvements of 8-10 points within 6-12 months post-engagement and recovery of 25-40% of preventable revenue loss within one quarter, though these are self-reported figures rather than independently audited.

Name

Thirdside

Legal name

Thirdside

Website

https://thirdside.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thirdside is a boutique B2B qualitative research firm founded in 2010 that runs human-to-human executive interviews for win-loss, churn, customer experience, and messaging engagements. It serves enterprise revenue leaders across technology, healthcare, financial services, and professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Apex

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Qualitative Market Research Services: Thirdside generates revenue through consulting engagements for win-loss analysis, churn analysis, and customer experience research. Services are sold as project-based or ongoing retainer engagements to B2B companies seeking independent customer insights. Pricing is quote-based based on project scope, number of interviews, and analysis requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thirdside is a specialized B2B market research and consulting firm that conducts qualitative human-to-human executive interviews to uncover the true reasons B2B companies win or lose deals, why customers churn, and how to improve customer experience. The firm's core offerings include Win-Loss Analysis, Customer Churn Analysis, Customer Experience Research, and Voice of the Market/Messaging services, delivered as custom consulting engagements led by experienced former sales and marketing leaders.

Product overview

Thirdside is a specialized B2B market research and consulting firm that offers a portfolio of qualitative customer research services centered on human-to-human executive interviews. The core offerings are Win-Loss Analysis (for new customer acquisition and deal intelligence), Customer Churn Analysis (for understanding customer attrition), Customer Experience Research (for retention and expansion insights), and Voice of the Market/Messaging (for refining go-to-market positioning). The company differentiates itself by using experienced sales and marketing professionals as interviewers rather than automated surveys, claiming to achieve higher response rates and more candid feedback than traditional survey-based approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Win-Loss Analysis Qualitative research service that uncovers the true reasons B2B companies win or lose deals, including analysis of long-paused and no-decision opportunities. Uses human-to-human executive interviews conducted by experienced sales and marketing professionals to capture qualitative data that CRMs miss.
• Customer Churn Analysis Research service that identifies the hidden factors driving customer attrition by interviewing churned, at-risk, and current customers to uncover the small events and friction points that accumulate over a contract lifecycle. Aims to help B2B companies find and fix the events driving customers away.
• Customer Experience Research Qualitative research spanning the customer journey from acquisition through onboarding to retention and expansion, providing insights into customer pain points, decision-making processes, and opportunities for improvement beyond superficial metrics like NPS and CSAT.
• Voice of the Market / Messaging Research service that helps B2B companies refine their messaging and positioning by uncovering how buyers perceive their value proposition compared to competitors and identifying gaps in market understanding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% higher candor rates in third-party interviews vs internal customer conversations
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Klue: Competitive intelligence and win-loss analysis platform serving B2B revenue teams, combining software with analyst services. Directly comparable to Thirdside in target customer (B2B sales/marketing leaders), use cases (win-loss, competitive intel), and outcome orientation.
• Kompyte: AI-driven competitive intelligence and win-loss analysis platform serving B2B companies. Comparable to Thirdside in its focus on surfacing competitive and buyer insights for revenue teams.
• Crayon: Competitive intelligence platform with win-loss and customer feedback capabilities, targeting B2B marketing and sales leaders. Closely comparable to Thirdside in addressing blindspots in competitive positioning and buyer messaging.
• DoubleCheck Research: Specialty win-loss analysis firm serving B2B tech and SaaS companies. Comparable niche boutique consulting model focused on interview-driven win-loss intelligence for revenue leaders.
• Chadwick Martin Bailey: Custom market research and B2B customer insights firm offering qualitative and quantitative research services. Comparable boutique research model serving B2B clients with custom interview-driven insights.
• Primary Intelligence: Win-loss analysis and customer feedback research firm serving B2B technology companies. Closely comparable boutique competitor offering similar win-loss and churn research methodologies.

Broad incumbents

• Forrester Research: Global research and advisory firm offering B2B customer experience, market research, and technology research subscriptions. Overlaps with Thirdside's customer research and messaging work but serves as a broad portfolio incumbent rather than a niche specialist.
• Gartner: Largest global research and advisory firm covering IT, marketing, and customer experience topics. Provides broader research subscriptions and advisory that overlap with Thirdside's qualitative insights work for enterprise B2B buyers.

Emerging players

• Force Management: B2B sales effectiveness and revenue transformation consulting firm serving enterprise clients. Comparable in serving enterprise sales leaders and addressing revenue blindspots, though focused on sales process rather than buyer research.
• Heinz Marketing: B2B sales and marketing consulting firm offering pipeline, demand generation, and customer research services. Partially comparable to Thirdside as a mid-sized consultancy serving B2B revenue leaders with adjacent research capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InfoThirdside
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thirdside-solutions-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thirdside