This is part 2 of of my Data Storytelling with Data Dealers blog series. In this series I cover real stories from 5 professionals from 5 different countries who work with data as a part of their role.
Since they deal with data every day,I have coined a term for them Data Dealers.
In my previous blog I shared a real story on how a data dealer managed to turn a contract termination situation in to becoming a trusted advisor for the client. You can read the story here
In this blog I will cover how a data dealer managed to prove a point to a client and achieve a desired outcome.
So, enough from me, lets hear it from a Data dealer
Question: Tell us about a time when you have achieved a positive outcome due to effective data storytelling?
To challenge data driven decisions you sometimes have to be like a secret agent and find what you can’t see.
I am responsible for market research and I work with a team who runs digital campaigns for our clients.
A few years ago, our 1 year contract with a client was coming to an end.
The client has 2 agencies assisting them globally and we are one of them. We were informed by the client that moving forward they would only work with one agency. The selection of the agency will be based on ROI from campaigns run by each agency.
So, we were just anxiously waiting for the announcement.
Sadly, we were informed that the the contract was given to other agency. The team was demotivated and so was I.
I went back home that night and thought, our campaigns were very successful, how much more successful were the campaigns of the competitor agency I wonder? I went back to work then next day at 5 AM and pulled out all the data I had on the campaigns we had run for the client. I created a one page analysis for the client in which
I emphasised on the fact that all the campaigns that we ran were in markets that have never been explored by the client before and we have been hugely successful in acquisition markets.
I was not sure if that was the case with the other agency as well but I felt that there was value in sharing that. We had nothing more to loose anyway.
I asked the account manager to send the analysis to the client.
The same day we got a call back from the client . The client asked for more details supporting our key findings.
A week later, we were given the good news that we had been re contracted for the next 2 years.
I tried hard to find out what was the selection criteria in the first place and why the decision changed but never officially got to know.
However, in one of corridor chats I was told that the initial selection of an agency was made on ROI per campaign from the two agencies and not until we had sent our analysis to the client, the client had realised that the other agency was successful in a retention market ( market that the client had already been in for the last 5 years) and we had been equally successful in an acquisition market ( market that the client had never explored before and takes a lot more work )
So, what is the key takeaway?
As a data expert you have to question the measures of success. We have very set ways of terming something successful
For example, the sales person who converts the most revenue is the one who is most successful, but have we looked at
– What is the profit on that revenue?
– What is the market segment or geography worth?
– Was there anything specific that happened in that market or geography that led to the growth?
Look for the undiscovered.
"I attended your story telling course some time back. And I've enjoyed keeping up my knowledge with your blog. You may not have realised however, that the Whole of Government is implementing Internet Seperation. Hence I'm not able to access the links to read your articles. Could I suggest including a QR code in your emails so that I can use my mobile to scan it and gain immediate access to the article? It would be most helpful"
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