i have seen companies hiring marking research agencies to anticipate consumer / customer reaction to their products, which cost then a fortune... often the loads of data which these agencies deliver in return is also too much to handle, once I saw a consultant recommending a 7 point questionnaire and asking one employee to sit down and call a few hundred customers in a week to get the response. That was much cost effective and pragmatic as well. This might be one thing where consultants can play their part.