I would say that your friend has given you some pretty good advice. If you are launching a new service or product, you need to know who you are targeting. More importantly, you need to know how the people you are targeting can be found.
For example, if you try to target a specific part of America, you have to understand how the people in that region interact with companies. If you are targeting a specific age profile, you need to work out how to target them best.
Is it through the mail? Local advertising? Social media? What works best?
That is why an international market research specialist, like Kadence International, can be a difference maker to your success. You need a company that understands that not every market is the same and that not every demographic follows the same rules. By hiring a professional who understands what is at stake and who understands how even moving from one city to the next can produce different results, you make it much easier for your market research to be useful.
You should always be looking to hire as many supporting services as you can, though. They will be essential in ensuring that your business can grow properly and that you can add more to your services. It also will ensure you can avoid wasting money targeting the wrong people in the wrong ways.
In general, then, you should focus as much as you can on hiring a market research firm. It is a very useful addition to the services you hire and can be a godsend in creating more accurate marketing.