Presentation given at Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)'s "Marketing Analytics & Creative Conference" in Cardiff.

1. © Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.
Paul Laughlin, Managing Director, Laughlin Consultancy
The Softer Skills
your analysts need
Why just hiring a Data
Scientist isn’t all you need

3. Background in developing Customer Insight teams
and driving value from insights (‘client side’)
❖ Created & lead customer insight teams for all the major
insurance brands, products and channels used by Lloyds Banking
Group over 13 years
❖ Added over £11m incremental profit annually
❖ Worked with FCA on Behavioural Economics in comms testing
❖ Developed ‘in house’ capability up to a team of 44
❖ Mentored next generation of leaders
❖ Trains & marks for Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing
❖ Qualified Executive Coach with ILM (Level 7)

4. Helping insight leaders maximise value
“Helping businesses make money from customer insight”
Laughlin Consultancy helps companies maximise sustainable value from their
customer insight, for example by growing their bottom line, improving customer
retention and demonstrating to their regulator that they treat customers fairly.

5. Laughlin Consultancy clients have benefitted from
our training, consultancy & coaching services
❖ Helping our clients maximise the value of their customer insight
❖ Our services are bespoke to clients, but include:
❖ “Health Check” diagnostic of your Customer Insight capability
❖ Customer Insight Strategy development
❖ Conduct Risk & Customer Insight training
❖ Consultancy Skills training for analysts
❖ Career paths for customer insight roles
❖ Leadership coaching

6. Relevancy trumps Creative:
The critical role of Targeting in Marketing Effectiveness
slide 6
The New Rules of Engagement
(The DMA)
www.royalmail.com/corporate/marketing/data-services
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Fig. 1.5 - Life events and marketing opportunities
Provides a reason to
engage with the customer
70.3%
32.7%
New sales
opportunity
49.7%
15.7%
Provides an opportunity to
update contact data
44.1%
30.1%
Increased likelihood that
customer might switch
33.1%
11.8%
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7. Customer Insight is a key component
for implementing Customer Centricity successfully
❖ In largest study of its kind, “Insights 2020” talked to over 330 leaders
& 10,000 practitioners across 60 markets.
❖ Analysed commercial performance & digital behaviour.
❖ Confirmed that Customer Centric companies out-performed others
across a range of financial metrics (profit, cross-sell, retention etc).
❖ What distinguished the best performers?
1. Purpose-led, data-driven, consistent customer experiences (across all channels & through
whole customer journey)
2. Embedded ‘customer obsession’ in culture (decision making, performance management &
embracing experimentation)
3. Customer Insight team is a proactive, equal, business partner slide 7

9. 9 Step Analysis Model
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

10. Breadth not Depth

11. Getting a better brief
Question

12. The problem with requests

13. Socratic questioning
❖ Aim is to help client have clarity on
need not just what they want:
❖ Concept clarification questions
❖ Probing assumptions
❖ Probing rationale, reasons &
evidence
❖ Questioning viewpoints &
perspectives
❖ Probe implications &
consequences
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

14. Failing to Prepare is preparing to Fail
14
Question
Planning & Design

15. Design Map
What do we
already know?
What am I
missing?
How could I
fill this gap?
How am I going
to communicate
findings?
What are the
Hypotheses?
You could start at any
point in the cycle but
you should look to
address all elements
in completing your
analysis
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

16. Who
Use / Involvement / Experience
Shopping/Buying
Engagement / Influences▪What characterises the
customer/ segment
−demographics
−stage of life
−attitudes
−behaviours
−dissatisfactions
−routines
−etc
▪What are their chief concerns
in life (attitudinal data)?
▪What are their key needs and
aspirations?
▪What are their circumstances
and what is going on in their
lives that impacts how they
see the category?
▪What motivates them?
▪ What are their preferred channels for
researching and purchasing products
and how does this compare with other
types of products?
▪ How do they make a purchase decision
and what factors are important?
▪ What are their attitudes to advice? What
prompts/triggers them to seek advice?
▪ How do they perceive your brand vs
other brands? (product category and
wider)
▪ How do they become aware of the
category?
▪ What is there attitude to planning for
the future? When do they think
ahead, what triggers this?
▪ When do they reconsider their
choices? What prompts change?
▪ What and who influences them and
their choices? Who do they turn to
for guidance/information/
recommendations?
▪ What competitive product holdings
do they have and why?
▪ When are they receptive to
messages?
▪ What does the segment need and want
when buying your products?
▪ What products are they most likely to
buy and why?
▪ What is the current customer
experience?
▪ What are the key dissatisfactions
(irritations, frustrations etc) with the
current process?
Pricing/Finances
▪ How engaged/informed/involved are
they with regard to competitive pricing?
▪ What products do they hold? How does
this contrast with other segments?
▪ What triggered their purchase? What
stops them buying?
▪ Do they go on to buy something else?
(us or competitor)
▪ What are their goals and to what extent
do they plan their spend (budgets)?
Context questions
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

17. Achieving Stakeholder Buy-In
17
Question
Planning & Design
Buy-in

18. Stakeholder Mapping

19. Technical stages (Data & Analytics)
Question
Data Analysis Insight
Planning &
Design
Buy-in

20. Generating Customer Insights
Question
Data Analysis Insight
Planning & Design
Buy-in
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

21. Converging sources of evidence

22. Agreeing Sign-off and Tactics
Question
Data Analysis Insight
Planning & Design
Buy-in Sign-off

23. Communicating your
analysis effectively
Question
Data Analysis Insight
Planning & Design
Presentation &
Distribution
Buy-in Sign-off
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

24. Hierarchies of communication
❖ Hierarchies of headlining
❖ Short, eye-catching, wording

25. Storytelling
❖ People are engaged by stories
❖ Psychological studies show better attention &
recall (esp. feelings)
❖ Common templates:
❖ “Just imagine, if…”
❖ “Wow! I’m going to tell… about this”
❖ The Burning Platform

26. Tufte’s rules for Data Visualisation
❖ Graphical integrity
❖ Data-Ink
❖ Chart Junk
❖ Data Density
❖ Small Multiples

27. Negative examples of Data Visualisation

28. Checkout Viz.WTF

29. Positive example of Data Visualisation

30. Influencing the Action
needed as a result
Question
Data Analysis Insight
Planning & Design
Presentation &
Distribution
Solution
Buy-in Sign-off
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

31. It’s all about taking Action
❖ Ensuring request is for action
❖ Designing analysis for action
❖ Including recommended actions
❖ Progress updates on action
❖ Measure effect of actions

32. 9 Step Analysis Model
© Laughlin Consultancy Ltd, not to be used without permission.

33. Action orientated learning
One thing I will do
differently as a
result of this
presentation is…

34. linkedin.com/in/paullaughlin
paul@laughlinconsultancy.com
+44 (0)7446 958061
How to keep in touch
customerinsightleader.com
laughlinconsultancy.com
@LaughlinPaul