Research and monetization
John Kotowski recently spoke on Better Done Than Perfect regarding his approach to helping SaaS companies optimize their monetization models. It's notable that research is his first step in his process. Research can not only make a better product, but also better monetize the product. The research target isn't exactly the same as UX research - users vs. buyers - but in both cases if you're not starting from place of knowledge, you're starting from a place of weakness.