Why Analytical Business Decisions Suck

Scenario: Dude, we gotta write lengthy calculations on the market region, and freakishly analyze each segment, make the greatest decisions in our industry. We’ll be kings. Yay!

It’s what those self-described-holier-than-thou “business experts” have warped our minds:

>Do lengthy research!
>Write detailed marketing plans!
>Understand your target market in extreme detail!
>Do market studies in every freakin’ region in the freakin’ nation!
The Nerdiest Analytical SOB = Bad Business People

In business, people ask themselves something similar to the following:
Will my XYZ product sell?
Should I hire this Applicant Jimmy?
What products need more of our R&D dollars?
What regional markets should I attack?
What partners will help us most in developing service ABC?
Using the shoddy advice of those “business experts,” most people tend to attack similar business questions by going all-logical on its
The Vicious Analytical Cycle, and How It Sucks
1.Analyze the corporate strategy of a particular competitor.
2.Thinks he’s almost done, but not quite.
3.Analyze the market acceptance of Product B in Region G.
4.Thinks he’s almost done, but not quite.
5.Analyze the customer acquisition costs of Product B like a crazy mofo.
6.Thinks he’s almost done, but not quite.
(Cycle repeats.)
Stuck in the seemingly never-ending cycle, Manager Jimmy goes through paralysis analysis — thinking he constantly needs just “this much more” info before he thinks he can make a decision.
Result: He experiences “paralysis-analysis” — then when the whole process emotionally drains him, he concludes the idea sucks without even testing how the real-world responds to it.