Analytics is a marvel. We can look into how our prospects behaved. What they did. When they did it. It can help us design how we engage people in a more relevant way. Notice I said 'help'.

I was working with a client whose product ranged in price from the tens of thousands of dollars to millions and had a many months (if not years) sales cycle. Their technical people got a taste of the potential to track and analyze the behavior of their prospects. They started to see things like:

• The prospect engaged with this content

• The prospect moved through the site following this path

• He/she has a history of clicking on similar topics

They got excited. They saw the potential to connect the dots from user engagement to a sale. In fact, I think they were convinced they could gather and analyze the data and revolutionize the sales process. They built an analytics dashboard. They ported data. Analyzed it. And theorized based on what the ones and zeros showed them.

Was that valuable? Yes. Understanding how the prospects behaved is important. And can even lead to predicting how they will behave.

But what they missed is that this problem can't be solved exclusively from behind a computer. Because that data could not reveal why prospects behaved the way they did. That was still a bit of a mystery. Oh, they could postulate. But it was a leap from the hard data they had to the fuzzy realm of human decision-making.

So what was missing? A laughably simple input.

The power of stories

I'm a bit of a geek about the technology and data. So part of me understands the tech group's drive to solve this problem. But there's another side of me that loves the beautifully irrational nature of humans. How they can say one thing and do another. How they can make seemingly illogical choices that confound all the data wonks.

What the tech group was missing was input from the people who could give context to prospects' decisions. The salespeople.

The salespeople hear and see firsthand the seemingly irrational decisions. They can tell you what prospects are thinking and feeling. That's the stuff that doesn't show up in the data. But it is crucially important.

Sometimes it's more powerful than the data itself.

People are messy decision-makers. If we get a peek into the emotions and motivations, it can spark the inspiration that can lead to a more relevant and engaging experience for prospects.

Data is important. But maybe it shouldn't lead the conversation about how we should design the engagement for prospects. In fact, I'd argue that we should start with the discoveries that come from getting belly-to-belly with prospects. From hearing their fears, hopes, and dreams. That's the stuff that is the real driver of decisions, anyway. Then, let's use the data to validate what we're hearing.

We could create a relevant engagement by understanding what they do. Or we could create a magical experience. One full of the surprise and delight that comes when we truly understand why.