Hey, I really need some help here. I was just in a one$-$on$-$one with Christian and things were going well. But then he asked me$,“$How will you, as a strategist, uncover the next insight for our business?$”$ I mumbled something incoherent and got through it$,$ but I could sure use your expertise to help me out next time. How would you answer that question?

Ouch. That$’$s not a fun experience, but I think I can help. Next time, tell Christian that you will use the following decision$-$making framework: question $($question everything$),$ analyze $($look at the data your questions uncover$),$ re$-$position $($make adjustments to the subject of your questions$),$ and test $($see if your adjustments work$).$

Ouch. That$’$s not a fun experience, but I think I can help. Next time, tell Christian that you will use the following decision$-$making framework: question $($question your audience$),$ define $($organize demographic and psychographic data from those you questioned$),$ extrapolate $($make general statements based on the information you have collected$),$ and test $($test your conclusions with a small market segment$).$

Ouch. That$’$s not a fun experience, but I think I can help. Next time, tell Christian that you will use the following decision$-$making framework: question $($identify a business question that needs to be explored through analytics$),$ curate $($collect and organize data needed to explore your question$),$ analyze $($determine which insights help answer your question$),$ and optimize $($translate your analysis to recommended actions$).$