Finding Insight explores the transformative power of understanding human behavior, demonstrating how deep insights into relationships can enhance personal interactions and professional strategies. Why was this an important book for you to write?

MS – For a marketer, insights are critical to understanding consumers. However, insights are not limited to marketing. We would argue insights are foundational to any relationship between people. However, we are not formally taught how to uncover insights. This seemed like a glaring gap in the market.

MT – The word “insights” is one of the most abused and overused terms in marketing today. From our viewpoint, the term “insights” has been used so much that it has become colloquial. In doing our research before writing the book, we saw there had only been a handful of books authored on the topic with a primary focus on the “what” and “why” of insight discovery. The goal of our book is to elevate the standard for what a true insight is, provide individuals with the “how” and the level of thinking needed to employ when it comes to the discovery and activation of an insight.

Can you share a personal experience that highlighted the importance of understanding human behavior, which you discussed in the book?

MS – This is why we used personal stories to set up each chapter and section. Insights are about people. The story that has had the most “energy” from our readers for me is “someone is quitting on Monday” which kicks off Chapter 5. This is my story about making the transition from employee to independent consultant/business owner. Second to getting married, it is probably the most important decision and transition I have made to date. This decision was deeply emotional and relatable to so many of us that are balancing work and life. In hindsight I can connect it to the content in the chapter, but at the time I was living and “feeling” it rather than following a process. In reality, we can have processes and tools, but insights are usually felt. I hope this story continues to resonate with others on a personal level.

MT – It’s hard for me to pick just one personal experience. The first story in the book is about my obsession with Mercedes Benz. My loyalty to the brand is rooted in a childhood experience and my belief as a marketer in the importance of delivering an exceptional customer service. I like this story because it illustrates how understanding and addressing specific pain points can lead to lifelong brand loyalty. Another personal experience for me is the story I tell at the beginning of Chapter 6 which is about the importance of gaining others perspectives. “Let’s Get Real” is a story about my faith which again started in my childhood and has largely shaped how I view and interpret the world and human behavior around me. Being paired to co-facilitate a men’s Bible study with someone else who could not be more different than me from a demographic, education, and race perspective really allowed me to see the world and my faith from a different perspective. Remaining in our own shoes to interpret someone else’s world means we will never understand another’s perspective. Rather, we will be stuck in our own judgment, assumptions, and biases. I hope this story will encourage others to let go of their own personal biases and assumptions through seeing the world from the other person’s perspective.

How do you believe your findings can impact the way professionals approach marketing and customer service?

MS – I think we are getting pushed to believe insights are going to come from more analysis and rigor with the advancements of AI and machine learning. While I believe this to be somewhat true, we also need to apply context and interpretation to these findings. AI and machine learning will find patterns—but as we described in the book there are other elements of insights like pain points, perspectives and perplexities. I hope we have given marketers the tools to be critical thinkers in the context of advancements in technology and analysis.

MT – I could not agree more with Melinda’s response here. The challenge with these new forms of data when it comes to finding insights is they tend to be more observational and based on model assumptions. Often, a body of data can create an image or picture of a situation, a person, or a customer, but it does not provide the full texture and context of why the behavior is occurring, so our imaginations or the machines fill that in. In addition, the media and the digital world have a huge influence and greatly contribute to shaping our images, impressions, and stereotypes of others. We live in an age today where we want instant answers and are quick to “google” or search the internet for information, often leading us to biased sources that may not reflect reality or the truth. All these things can lead to a lack of curiosity if one is not careful which Melinda and I believe is a key enabler for finding insights. I would hope that readers of our book will recognize that discovering insights is both an art and a science and it requires elevating one’s level of critical thinking to do it well.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

MS & MT – Good question. We are gathering information from our current readers for Finding Insight to see where the need is in the market. Readers, we want to hear from you!

Author Links: Facebook | Website | Instagram

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/12/elevating-the-standard-for-insight/