Myth: We don’t need more research. We already have so much data, we don’t know what to do with it.

If you’re thinking something along this line, you’re doubtlessly not alone. We very frequently work with organizations of all kinds that don’t know what to do with all of the information they’ve collected over the years, and still keep collecting.

This is true especially these days, when we’re overloaded with ways to reach out to and hear from our customers, members, donors, or whoever our audience is. We’ve been trained to think that information is power, and of course it is – but you have to know what to do with it. You still must use it wisely. Don’t think that just because you have a ton of numbers, it’ll be easy to draw conclusions. You must be aware of the ironies of having too much information. Respect the data!

Maybe this indicates the up-and-coming importance of firms that have experts in analytics. Well okay, they’ve always been important, but now perhaps we’re approaching their time in the spotlight. You know the analytic experts I’m talking about. They’re the ones who analyze down every chunk of information they can find, considering it from so many angles it makes your head spin, but they love it. And they come up with some amazing findings.

Maybe you do indeed already have plenty of information but you need to better understand what it’s telling you. Some firms are learning how to do this and it’s giving them a competitive advantage. As you come to realize this for your organization, don’t disregard the benefits of working with a research firm that has a strong analytics staff. They will be fully capable of providing you with insights culled from your existing data.

I’m thinking this myth is actually PLAUSIBLE. Once you dig out from beneath all of your data, let us know what you think.

Read the first episode here.