Data is like your car navigation system. It can't always be trusted to get you to where you want to go.

1. The Dangers of
Data-Driven
Decisions
Learn from HubSpot's mistakes

2. Lisa Toner
Senior Manager, Acquisition
HubSpot Academy
Twitter: @lisatoner13
Linkedin: /in/lisatoner

3. Let’s use data tomake adecision together.

4. • Business owner (Founder)
• Small business, 1-5 employees
• Industry expert, no marketing experience
• 44, Married, 3 kids (20, 16, 11)
Goals:
• Deliver on past sales
• Generate new sales
• Keep the business running
Challenges:
• Lack of marketing expertise
• No time or budget for marketing
Loves HubSpot because:
• Helps him generate leads
• Free marketing education
Meet Owner Ollie

5. • Professional Marketer (VP, Director, Manager)
• Mid sized company (50-200 employees)
• Small marketing team (1-5 people)
• 42, married, 2 kids (10 and 6)
Goals:
• Support sales with collateral and leads
• Manage company communications
• Build awareness
Challenges:
• Too much to do
• Not sure how to get there
• Marketing tool and channel mess
Loves HubSpot because:
• Easy to use tools
• Learn marketing best practices
• Easier reporting to sales and CEO
Meet Marketing Mary

6. Which persona ismore appealing for HubSpot to
target?

7. How about that LTV:CACfor Ollie?

8. Sowho did HubSpotgo with?

9. Sowho did HubSpotgo with?
MARY

10. Datashould inform your decision, it should not makeit.

11. Datashould inform your decision, it should not makeit.
Data can’t predict the future.

12. Danger no.1: Reliance on data stifles
innovation

13. Danger no.2: Data can be easily manipulated.

14. Danger no.3: Vanity metrics cover up the bigger picture

15. Danger no.4: Data in silos is deadly for businesses

16. Let's take a look at some of
HubSpot's Mistakes

17. When we used a topless man in our ads to sell
sales software …
Never compromise your brand
values for click-bait

18. When Marketing won, but Sales lost.
Marketing
Hit a milestone for most
leads generated in one
month, EVER!
Sale
s
Missed their monthly
target for the first time in
15 months.
In the same month:

19. When we relied on qualitative data alone to decide a
new website design.
CVR on Academy website
L a u n ch e d n e w we b s i t e
Traffic to Academy website
L a u n ch e d n e w we b s i t e

20. So how can
you avoid the
dangers of
data-driven
decisions?

21. Become data-informed

22. 1.
Know what data is
important, and what's not.

23. 1. Quality over quantity - Look at what happens after theclick
2. Don't sacrifice brand image for superficialmetrics
3. Understand if you need qualitative data or quantitative data, or both.
4. Connect your metrics with business goals and tie activities back to revenue
growth where possible
5. Create aSLA(Service level agreement) between Marketing & Sales
6. Don't let alack of historical data prevent creation of newdata
Protips:

24. 2.
Leverage multiple data
types to inform a decision.

25. There are many ways to collect data to answer different questions

26. 1. Understand the variety of data types available to inform yourdecision.
2. Always start by narrowing down the problem, question, or goal that
you're trying to answer.
3. Never start by choosing atype of data that will answer yourquestion,
e.g. "Let's run asurvey to find out if people want thisfeature".
4. Bydetermining agoal first, you can pick the most appropriate method
to answer the problem, question, orgoal.
Protips:

27. 3.
Resist the urge to BS

28. 1. Don’t focus on the “good” data that makes you look good. Focus on
the metrics that show what part of the business requires attention and
go fix it!
2. Look at all data with a healthy dose of skepticism, always.
3. Focus on the metrics that have real business impact, forget about
Facebook Likes and impressions!
Protips:

29. Dataislikeyourcarnavigationsystem.
Sometimesyouneedit,sometimesyoudon’t,and
sometimesittellsyouto
driveoffacliff.

30. Trustinyourdriverintuitionand
don’tbeafraidtooverrulethedata.

31. Thank you!
TWEET ME! @LISATONER13