We live in a world of data.  Data is collected all around us every minute of the day.  Everywhere we go, in our cars, on the bus, through our carrier networks, at work, at school, the shopping mall, and church, etc.  Information about who we are, what we do, and how we do it is constantly being stored.  Data can be overwhelming,

 
We all have heard the numbers lately.  Week after week, almost daily, the media outlets report the percentage of Americans who favor Clinton versus Trump. Today, Trump is leading in the polls, tomorrow Clinton is in the lead, and by the next day they are both running neck and neck. The numbers fluctuate constantly, but this century old method (polling) has been used since the early 1900’s to predict the presidential elections. So are the preliminary reports really

 
To recap the first blog on Blindfolded Decision-Making: I discussed how businesses who use data at the center of their decision-making will ultimately save money.  That is because when you use data to improve on processes and efficiency, eventually you will spend less on resources, times, legalities and more.
In Part 1, I used the analogy of driving a car to illustrate the seriousness of using data in your decision-making process. “Think of using data like driving a car. If a driver’s side view mirrors

 
Data is needed in all aspects of running a successful business. Whether you are operating a small business, such as food truck or one of the top Fortune 500 companies like Exxon Mobile. Data can be used to gauge how well your business is achieving desired results and how far you are from where you want to be.
Recently, I watched an episode of Steve Harvey’s 911 segment in which Steve matched one

 
Oh yes, schools out, but those spring standardized tests results are rolling in.  This is the part where many parents, teachers, school and district officials race to see how their students performed.  How did we do? Did we perform high

 
It’s like the age old battle of the sexes – the boys versus girls, men versus women, and now even quantitative versus qualitative research.  You guessed it, if you didn’t already know, you know now that quantitative and qualitative research approaches are opposites that attract. But, the two together can complement

 
At first thought, many businesses and organizations may feel like they know who their customers are – whoever receives or buys my goods, products, services, or resources, including my employees, board or advisory committee members, and community partners.  But not so fast! That's just identifying them. But what exactly can you say about your relationship with each one? More importantly, what do your customers tend to say about you? The only sure way to learn 

 

You go to the store to buy eggs and at the bottom of the receipt it says, “Tell us what you think,” or “How did we do?” You think to yourself, “I bought eggs for heaven’s sakes.” Like the old saying we’ve all heard before, ‘you can run, but you can’t hide.’ Well nowadays it seems like you can’t run or hide from a flood of calls, emails, text messages, and pop-up windows asking you to take a short survey. Why so many and why all the time? You make a quick trip to the store to purchase one thing. You even go through the self-checkout line to

 
In simple terms, a research consultant is a specialist in the area of conducting field research. Picture the difference between the primary care doctor you go to see for an annual check-up or when you have an annoying cough you just can’t seem to get rid of, versus a visit to a cardiologist for concerns about a more complex condition like heart disease.  A research consultant is trained and prepared to perform this specialized skill needed to carryout research related services. These