How to Make B-to-B Data Dance

Data Analysis: A Discovery Process. To successfully use data in direct marketing, Maxwell says you need someone who knows how to "mess around with customer data to find interesting patterns. Most companies don't have anyone in their organizations who can make that data dance." She believes it's visionary to hire someone who can do these things with a PC—to bring someone in to start digging, not knowing what that person's going to find. "It's a leap of faith. You can't predict the ROI from hiring that person until you give him or her some time."