Sometimes we really don't know what we're looking for. But we've got an idea. And we've got the right direction. Even when we get the results, we still have to be satisfied that we're headed in the right direction and we can try some further refinements. George Will used to quip, "Perfection is the enemy of the good," but it helps to keep pursuing it... relentlessly.
If I were putting together a survey about supporters of a presidential candidate, I wouldn't expect to find a correlation with pet ownership. But if you throw it in the mix and there's a connection, it's something to follow up on. What is it about pet owners anyway? Does this make sense, now that you think about it? What about cat owners vs. dog owners?
Admittedly, surveys can be quirky and the results can be subjective, but it can be interesting to see what direction the results take you. What helps you connect the dots with your customers? Do you ever let people on your team take a (more) random shot to try to uncover something totally unexpected?
