How to Get Real Insights from Your Data Analyst as a Lifecycle Marketer
Why most CRM data analysts are an untapped potential — and how to partner for real growth impact.
Have you ever asked your Data Analyst for help and realized…
…you weren’t actually sure what data to ask for?
…Or they sent you a massive dashboard, but you still didn’t know what to do next? Or how to use the data in that dashboard?
…OR the request took 10 days and still didn’t answer your original question?
Every lifecycle marketer’s been there. And this happens because you didn’t think your role might involve decoding SQL queries or that you’d have to develop an intuitition for key user funnels that help you develop good quality hypothesis. Gives you a direction as a lifecycle marketers. And the lifecycle marketers today need that direction to come from data.
If you’re here to drive growth through CRM — you need data to do that.
But without a clear ask, shared context, or aligned goals, your analyst can’t help you win.
The Problem
You’re treating your analyst like a reporting machine, not a strategic partner.
Most lifecycle marketers sync with data analysts when they are in need of a report. They don’t train & educate the analyst on how their industry works. What are the common problems you face while trying to segment, personalise or report on your campaigns.
You ask for “impact of onboarding campaigns” when what you really need is to get them to think with you on: How do I convert users in Week 1? What should be my goal post to have a business impact?
The Benefit of Solving It
When you collaborate right, your analyst becomes a secret weapon.
You stop guessing, start learning, and unlock insights that actually move metrics — not just fill dashboards. I’ve had wins with data analysts where
We realised that dormancy of 7 days is when CRM has the best chance to drive users back to the app. We saw 14 days, 21 days had incredibly diminishing returns. So all the effort spent on creating a long reactivation journey was better spent optimising for quick winback after 7 days.
Why What You’ve Tried Has Failed
You drop vague requests in Slack: “Can I get a churn analysis?”, “Can you help us understand which segments converted the most"?”, etc.
You ask for a funnel but don’t define what “activation” means. While requesting data reports and dashboards - you constantly change definition of users and their lifecycle stages. They are quite often not aligned with the way the business looks at their lifecycle stages.
You wait till the test is live to ask how you’ll measure it.
And now you’re frustrated because the data doesn’t match what you needed.
Here’s How to Solve It
Use this simple 3-part formula when working with your data analyst: