Data isn't everything

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Data isn't everything

Being human makes the difference in sales.

The difference between winning and losing.

Selling is not all about the data.

Though many believe it is. Or wish it were.

Data is hugely important. But it's not everything.

John C. Bogle was the founder of The Vanguard Group and creator of the index fund.

As one of the most successful investors and business leaders in the past 100 years, Bogle relied on data to help him make decisions.

But he didn't believe that data was everything.

He wrote "I firmly believe that to presume what cannot be measured is not very important is tantamount to blindness."

Bogle warned about the dangers of trying to measure things that are inherently immeasurable, "things like trust, wisdom, character, ethical values, and the hearts and souls of the human beings who play the central role in all economic activity."

It's the same in selling. And buying.

You can try to ignore the impact of "things like trust, wisdom, character, ethical values, and the hearts and souls of the human beings" on how you sell. And on how buyers make their decisions.

But that would be tantamount to blindness.

"...we place far too much trust in numbers. Numbers are not reality. At best, they are a pale reflection of reality. At worst, they're a gross distortion of the truths we seek to measure."

Good selling,

Andy