What Number Crunchers Know About You

For ten years we managed an international research organization packed with people that we didn’t understand at all.  They LOVED numbers.  To them numbers are like a crystal ball capable of forecasting the future with amazing accuracy.  Math and it is being used everyday to know what you’re going to buy before you do.

1. Do you know why they they put produce at the front of the grocery store?  I always thought that was backwards because you put it at the bottom of the cart where it can get bruised more easily.

2. Why does Target have 50 statisticians deciphering every purchase we make to decide what to sell to us?

3. Why did a furious father later apologize to the store manager after confronting him with ads sent to his home encouraging his daughter to get pregnant.

4. Is it possible that marketers know more about your family than you do?

5. Do you know what single life event makes us most susceptible to changing our buying patterns?

This is another shameless plug for The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.   I linked an HBR Ideacast interview with the author in my Red Shoes News when I first purchased it.

I have listened to 28 chapters so far and learn something surprising in every chapter.

Yesterday’s big insight was how a 1987 fire that killed 27 people could encourage irreplaceable insights about your management structure.

In case you are interested in any of these books don’t forget the amazon.  Kindle plus Audible for less than the books by themselves.   I The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business on Kindle this morning. It saved me $10 off the hardback price but even better they offer a “Whispersync” tool that allows you to switch between reading and listening on Audible. If you pause while listening it saves that bookmark on the reading page. Even better the audio upgrade was only $3.95 as opposed to buying audio only for $28. My total price for both was less than $18. Amazon Rocks.

I put both Kindle and Audile on my Android phone and listen when I run.  It is a great way to distract yourself from all the heavy breathing and learn something at the same time.

Contact us for more Astonishing Ideas to make your Nonprofit Non-optional or Organization Irresistible.  You will get a free copy of Peer Powered Performance.  120 pages of practical ideas and inescapable incentives for engaging members, eliminating barriers and encouraging experimentation.