Hello there,

I've started listening to Keenan's "Gap Selling" audiobook.

I am just 2 chapters in, and it's already been an eye-opener.

The author, Keenan, shares how his football mistakes taught him the importance of understanding the rules of the game for success.

Basically, he played football in school.

He was good at what he did (tackle whoever has the ball).

But he didn't learn the mechanics of the game.

He didn't know all the rules.

He just focused on tackling whoever has the ball - regardless of the situation.

For example, he didn't know (at the time) how touchdowns worked.

And this cost him and his team an important game.

​

And it got me thinking…

Learning the rules of the "game" is also important for us data professionals.

Our game is not just analyzing data.

It's also about "selling" the data. The data-driven recommendations and solutions.

​

We tend to focus on hard and technical skills in our jobs.

We tend to overlook the softer yet very powerful skills like storytelling and sales.

But just like in sports, even if you are a great player, you will only win if you know the rules of the game.

​

Why Gap Selling Matters to Us:

Gap selling is all about figuring out the gap. And selling what fills the gap.

It requires identifying first:

• What's the gap?
• What do people really need?
• What transformation do they want?

And then addressing that gap. Selling the solution to get from A to B.

Isn't this similar to what we do in data analysis?

We try to solve problems with our data. We identify a gap, and we try to bridge those gaps.

But - many of us are not good at selling.

Some of our project proposals can't even get off the ground because we can't sell our ideas.

We tend to focus on features, tools or complex algorithms.

And we tend to gloss over the gaps.

• What does our data really do?
• What benefits will it provide our stakeholders?
• Is it addressing their current needs or pain points?

However, addressing the gaps could make all the difference.

​

Gap Selling Example

So how does gap selling work?

Let's look at an example:

​

Original Pitch:

"We track how different demographics respond to your promotions."

​

The problem with this pitch is we didn't answer the question - "so what?".

So what if we can track responses from different demographics?

Does this address the need?

What gap are we trying to bridge?

Is this what will solve a real, practical problem for our stakeholders?

​

So let's try to identify the gap:

Gap:

Our stakeholders need to better understand how the discount card works.

What makes it appealing to first-year students?

How can we make other students become interested in it too?

​

By identifying the gap, we can change our pitch:

New Pitch:

"Let's find out what makes the card irresistible to first-year students.

We can use those qualities to engage upper-year students too.

Our data can help you do this."

​

The Magic of Storytelling:

In addition to gap selling, we also need to incorporate stories.

Dry facts won't sell ideas.

It won't get us the buy-in and adoption we need.

We need to make our data relatable.

If we can weave real-life experiences when we share information, we can sell our ideas.

Otherwise, all our hard work is for nothing.

​

Storytelling Example:

Take this example: What sticks with you more?

"Sales increased by 50% this month compared to last,"

or

"We doubled our sales from $100K to $200K.

We did this by getting first and second-year students excited about our new discount card.

It's a hit!

Because of this card, students say they are able to stretch their budgets further.

They have provided positive testimonials, and are now even spreading the word to friends." ***

*** backed by data

​

Final thoughts:

Gap selling and storytelling could be a soft skills dynamic duo.

They can help make our work more visible.

They can help make our work impossible to overlook.

​

What do you think?

Til next time,

Donabel