Blog

Removing hassles from segmentation and list building

We tried so hard to avoid the last-minute fire drills. Policies in place. Backup plans ready. Backups to the backups? Check! And yet, every few weeks…KABOOM! Colleagues would show up at my office door with an urgent communication request, their faces always red and their breathing heavy after the midday sprint from some other corner […]

02-07-23

Data Talent: A Powerful Weapon for Good or Evil

Revenue teams in the professional sports sales, higher education, and entertainment have a mountain of data at their fingertips. Some of this data is valuable. Some isn’t. Because “data analysis” is not included in the job descriptions of most revenue leaders, these industries have looked to a new breed of data talent to help vet […]

01-03-22

Replace sales and fundraising KPIs with data science

Six reasons nimble business leaders move away from outdated measurement practices of sales KPIs Many sales and fundraising leaders rely on KPIs – key performance indicators – to measure, predict, and ensure success. Ironically, these often perpetuate tiered success levels in which too many salespeople or fundraisers fail to meet their potential. The problems with KPIs stem from […]

12-30-21

Parallels Between Sales and Fundraising

Leveraging Insights From Corporate Sales to Accelerate Data-Driven Success in University Fundraising This journal article examines the parallels between sales and fundraising. It examines analytics teams at large corporate sales organizations and university fundraising organizations. In addition, the article compares the overall missions of each organization type, specific roles, responsibilities, priorities, and challenges faced by […]

12-29-21

Too Much Sales Data? Yep, it’s a thing.

Too much sales data can be costly and distracting The big data revolution has been quietly growing for decades. Now, nearly every sales leader understands that there is untapped power in their data. However, as teams have jumped headfirst onto this bandwagon, too many of them have ignored some basic realities of selling. The end […]

12-23-21

Data Strategy versus Data Hoarding

Data strategy and the fan experience When we first began working with pro sports teams, I attended a trade show session hosted by a highly regarded sports data guru. As a proponent of data strategy, I listened in. His speech enthusiastically promoted a technical product set that offered a data-driven approach to understanding the “fan […]

12-21-21