Whether you approach your data seeking enlightenment or to prove a point, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Author of Sherlock Holmes stories Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Unless you’re an omniscient, omnipotent being (or Chuck Norris), you’d better have data to back up your idea or approach. Edwards Deming, encapsulates the data-driven mindset. This quote, which is often attributed to manufacturing guru and statistician, W. While you don’t always have to agree with the data, your understanding will be increased and enhanced by it. Rather than blindly following the most popular or loudest opinion, you should use data to question, inform, and shape your perspective. Marshall McLuhan, Canadian Communications Professor Uninformed Opinions and TheoriesĪ point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight and understanding. When you’re battling for a competitive advantage in business, analytics data can be equally important to your success. The famous French general didn’t even live the information age, and yet he attributed most of his military success to having the right information. Napoleon Bonaparte, French Military and Political Leader If your company doesn’t understand (and remember) what mistakes it has made with its websites, campaigns, or mobile apps, it will keep on making those same errors. In the context of analytics, I’d like to modify this quote a little by substituting “understand” for “remember.” Analytics gives you valuable insights into what is and isn’t working. Extracting value from your analytics investment requires sufficient staff, well-defined processes, a clear business strategy, and leadership support. However, just owning analytics tools isn’t enough. Without analytics, your company is vulnerable. Geoffrey Moore, Author of Crossing the Chasm & Inside the Tornado Without big data analytics, companies are blind and deaf, wandering out onto the Web like deer on a freeway. Consider the missed revenue opportunities and potential cost savings you would be giving up. Sure you need to spend some money on analytics (technology and people), but it’s going to be less than the price you’ll pay if you don’t know how your business is performing. Nielsen, the founder of the global market research company, ACNielsen, framed it. Nielsen, Market Researcher & Founder of ACNielsenĪnother way to look at your analytics investment is to evaluate what it would be like to NOT have information on your digital business. The price of light is less than the cost of darkness.Īrthur C. If you’re not measuring your digital initiatives, how can you manage or optimize them? Now just because you measure something doesn’t guarantee that you will actually manage it, however, measurement is the starting point. Why Analytics?Īt the end of the day, this quote by the late management guru, Peter Drucker, represents why most companies invest in analytics. If you’re evangelizing web analytics or trying to nurture a data-driven mindset at your company, I hope you’ll find these 31 quotes inspiring and helpful. I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes related to analytics and data-some that made it into the book and others that didn’t (now I’m debating why I wasn’t able to squeeze them in). If you’ve read my web analytics book, you’ll know that I used quotes throughout the book to emphasize several points. Often the value of a quote is reinforced by who stated it such as an industry expert, a well-respected figure, or a person of notoriety, but sometimes the quote may be so good that it can stand on its own even if it came from a lesser known or even unknown source. A potent, succinct quote that underlines a key point or supports an important truth can be like gold. Who doesn’t like a good quote? We come across interesting and useful quotes all of the time in literature, news media, entertainment, and so on.