data

The 5 Step Scientific Method for Startups

science-catRemember science fairs?  The excitement that comes from standing in front of a tri-fold board and explaining the meaning of words you don’t even know to strangers who walk by is…exhilarating, right?

Having a “method” to the madness that is the startup/my life has become an important task. That doesn’t mean I shy away from crazy and irrational decisions – but it DOES mean I very often (but not always) analyze the data prior to making a choice (side note – be open to always collecting new data points!). read more

4 Critical Tips for Avoiding Decision Paralysis

Businessman Forward PathIndecisiveness is futile- but making impactful and important decisions can be difficult.  I know.  Trust me.  We are often forced to make decisions without complete information.  Any mathematician (like myself) loves to make decisions based on formulas, data, and concrete assumptions.

Unfortunately, life and business don’t always present challenges that way (you know – with all that data presented nice and neatly for you).

How can you ease the process? (and stop wearing the finish off your wood floors from pacing) read more

5 Audacious Motives for Investing in a CRM

iStock_000041800086_SmallIt’s time consuming to setup.  It’s expensive to get started.  And nobody really wants to do it.  But the perils of not spending the time and money on a CRM (Customer relationship management) system can be more devastating than the initial pain.

What may be your motives for taking on this fruitful challenge?

You don’t want to navigate blindly

Can you get accurate forecasts by sticking your finger in the wind?  If so, kudos to you!  But for the rest of us, seeing what is coming through the pipeline (numbers and dollars) is essential for accurate planning. read more

Drowning in Data, Starving for Information

Hand of drowning manData. Big data. Analytics.
Your new favorite buzz words.

Hopefully by now you have begun collecting data inside your organization (and if you haven’t, please start now). But since starting to collect it, what have you actually done with it? Is it sitting on a hard drive because you are not sure what to do next?

Are you still making all your decisions based on your gut feeling, “experience”, and business politics?

Let’s take your data and make magic.
Here are four easy ways to make use of your data and look like a data rock star. read more

4 Reasons Excel (and Gmail) is NOT your CRM

Keeping tabs on customers both through the sales pipeline and as paying clients can be the difference between having a successful company and one that flops. Everyone is quite familiar with the motto – 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact. So why do only 10% of people make it to the third contact?

Too much data.

The amount of data you are (or should be) collecting on potential customers (and current clients) can get extremely overwhelming after just a few weeks of having your product in the market. read more