By Sam Balter
Throughout all four years of college, I never took a math course or looked at a spreadsheet. I had zero interest in data analysis. Nothing seemed more soul-crushing to me than learning what a pivot table was.
Many years and thousands of charts later, it turns out that I actually love data.
For most people, the process of analyzing data is simply not enjoyable. Trying to organize information is tedious, manipulating it to make sense is a Sisyphean feat, and drawing meaningful conclusions from it can feel like staring into a void.
Some people talk about making “data-driven decisions,” implying that if only you understood the data, it would be clear what to do next. The truth is, though, that data is messy and confusing, and it doesn’t always lead to a clear decision.
I’m a firm believer in being data curious: Using data to seek insights, using those insights to take action, and taking those actions to make a change. That’s why we made Talk Data To Me, our new podcast that highlights informative data-driven business trends and compelling stories through engaging conversations with industry thought leaders. We wanted to make the process of seeking insights through data more accessible by talking with experts who can share the stories behind the digits.
So where do we get our data from?
ZoomInfo’s platform allows businesses to utilize data to go-to-market more efficiently.
Thanks to our platform, we have access to:
- Over 95 million company profiles
- 31,000+ technologies
- Over 50M+ daily updates to individual profiles
- Funding events from Series A to Private Equity
- Real-time updates on businesses news and search patterns
While most of our customers use ZoomInfo’s data to learn about individuals, companies, or industries, in this podcast we mined it for real-time insights into the entire B2B ecosystem. We have explored the rapid technology adoption of 2020, shifts in VC funding patterns, the rise of specific job titles, the promotion gap for women, product innovation, and more. And we’re just getting started.
Let’s make a podcast!
For Talk Data to Me, we wanted to flip the script on the traditional business podcast. Most of the time, a guest comes to the show with a specific topic they plan to discuss. Instead, we wanted to bring new insights to the experts and get their take — and help us better understand the trends we were looking at.
Over the course of producing this show, our assumptions were challenged, our biases confronted, and, at times, our interpretations proved completely wrong. This messy process of theory, research, and revision is how you arrive at insights. This is what it means when someone wants to talk data.
Don’t worry: we won’t teach you how to use a pivot table. Instead, we hope to foster your curiosity for data’s unique ability to challenge assumptions and tell a story.
We know that data has something to say. We hope you’ll listen and enjoy the journey with us.
Do you have a (data-driven) story?
We’re always looking for ideas on unique ways we can use ZoomInfo’s breadth of data on businesses, the people who work there, and the tools they use.
If you have something in mind or questions we might be able to answer, we would love to hear from you: editorial@zoominfo.com
