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You have collected all your data.
The real challenge begins when you struggle to provide value to your company from this data.
What if a simple six-stage framework could help you pinpoint millions in hidden revenue or cost savings?
In this video, we use the Horde Flow system to build a concrete plan. This plan shows you how to prove your value. This guide is for leaders who want to trust their data, prioritize efforts, and drive real business impact.
The Horde Flow system is a diagram. It helps those with an analytical mind understand how a business functions or flows. This system has six stages. At each stage, as an analyst, you can do one of two things: find opportunities to increase revenue or find opportunities to decrease costs. Your main purpose as an analyst is to increase revenue or decrease costs. This is how you provide value to the business.
Effective Questions for Data Analysis with Horde Flow
Effective Questions for Data Analysis with Horde Flow
We take the Horde Flow principles and do an exercise using them. The six stages are: Marketing, Customer Journey, Sales, Customer Evaluation, Resources, and Ops Efficiency. Underneath each stage, you will have two columns: increase revenue and decrease cost.
For example, in the Marketing stage, customers notice your business. We want to think about areas where we can increase revenue. We ask business questions for data analysis like:
What early indicators show a lead will have a high lifetime value?
Are we positioning ourselves to command premium pricing?
These analysis questions examples aim to increase revenue for the organization.
We also consider cost decrease examples. You can ask questions about data analysis like:
Are we overinvesting in low retention channels?
Is our spending aligned with our customer acquisition cost (CAC) benchmarks?
These examples of data analysis questions focus on decreasing costs. Thinking about what are good analysis questions for each stage helps you find ways to do both.
This approach helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed by data and gain clarity on what truly matters.
Watch the Video First
Watch the Video First
Watch the full video to see how this system works and apply it to your data efforts:
Industry-Specific Business Questions for Data Analysis
Industry-Specific Business Questions for Data Analysis
The power of asking the right data business question for analysis extends across industries. Here are more analysis questions examples tailored to different business types, showing how business analyst questions to ask can drive value everywhere:
For Ecommerce Businesses
For Ecommerce Businesses
Increase Revenue:
What traits separate high-LTV customers from low-value shoppers?
Which ad audiences are most likely to become repeat buyers?
Are campaigns that highlight user-generated content outperforming others?
Decrease Cost:
Are we wasting ad spend on traffic that never returns?
What signals tell us a channel isn’t aligned with long-term value?
Why are some campaigns generating lots of clicks but no sales?
For SaaS Companies
For SaaS Companies
Increase Revenue:
Which onboarding actions signal a high likelihood of future purchase?
Are users who engage with tutorials seeing faster results?
What changes improve time-to-value in the first 48 hours?
Decrease Cost:
Which onboarding steps are skipped most often and provide no ROI?
Why are we offering live demos to users who never activate?
Which segments are over-supported without returning value?
For Construction Businesses
For Construction Businesses
Increase Revenue:
What signals show a lead is ready to commit to a bid?
Which follow-ups are driving signed contracts?
Does offering 3 bid tiers increase close rate on mid-size jobs?
Decrease Cost:
Which proposals take the most hours but never close?
Why are we offering site visits to non-serious leads?
Are we spending more sales time on low-profit jobs?
For Marketing Agencies
For Marketing Agencies
Increase Revenue:
What results drive clients to expand their services or budget?
Are reporting dashboards increasing trust and retention?
Does walking through the data live lead to better satisfaction?
Decrease Cost:
Which reports take too long to build and aren’t reviewed?
Why do clients ignore email updates but respond to Slack?
Are we spending more effort on clients with stagnant ROI?
For Retail Stores
For Retail Stores
Increase Revenue:
What staff behaviors lead to faster checkout and happier customers?
Which loyalty members use support the most but also spend more?
Can we predict when more staff are needed to upsell during busy times?
Decrease Cost:
Where are we scheduling too many team members during slow hours?
Why are restocking tasks overlapping with customer-heavy windows?
Are staff spending time stocking products that rarely sell?
These are just a few examples of data analysis questions.
Each industry has unique challenges and opportunities.
To get more structured questions to ask for data analysis specific to your business, download our worksheet.
Want more industry-specific questions and a complete guide for all stages?
Download our full worksheet by joining the newsletter today!
How to Ask Analytical Questions for Impact
How to Ask Analytical Questions for Impact
Learning how to ask analysis questions helps you uncover hidden opportunities. You need a pen and paper for this exercise.
Alternatively, you can download a sheet from the video link below.
This sheet helps you structure your data analysis questions to ask. It guides you to think about why why analysis questions that reveal root causes.
These are vital for root cause analysis questions to ask. This framework helps you lead with purpose and make confident decisions.
To gain access to this sheet, you simply join the monthly newsletter. You also get access to all my resources and future ones.
I only send an email once a month. I am not trying to spam you. The worksheet also includes example questions and brainstorming questions for each stage.
When you complete the worksheet, you will have questions and a direction for analyses with purpose.
Document what you find beforehand. For example, note how much was being spent.
After the analysis and after you find opportunities, write down what you saved or what increase in revenue these analyses brought.
This will come in handy when a business asks you what kind of value you provided to them.
You can now attach that value to a dollar amount. This provides a quantitative measurement you can share with them.
This helps you win recognition and advance your career.
Download the Worksheet
Download the Worksheet
To help apply this system, we created a simple worksheet. It helps you write down key questions for each stage, then list ideas to increase revenue or cut costs.
The worksheet includes:
A breakdown of each stage
5 revenue-focused analysis questions per stage
5 cost-saving analysis questions per stage
A blank space for your own questions and findings
Watch the Video Explaining the Horde Flow System
Watch the Video Explaining the Horde Flow System
The Horde Flow System is a tool to help analysts focus. It shows where to dig and what questions to ask. It keeps your work tied to business outcomes.
FAQ's
FAQ's
What is the main goal of data analysis for a business?
The main goal is to find ways to increase revenue or decrease costs. This provides clear value to the business.Funnels show how leads move through a pipeline. The Horde Flow shows how value flows, or leaks, across the whole customer lifecycle. It includes marketing, sales, onboarding, customer experience, operations, and more.
How do I turn data insights into action?
The framework helps you connect data to business outcomes. It guides you to ask "so what?" and "now what?" questions. This turns reports into clear, actionable plans.
What kind of questions are in the worksheet?
The worksheet includes example data analysis questions to ask for each of the six Horde Flow stages. It also has brainstorming prompts to help you generate your own specific questions.
Do I need to be a data scientist to use this framework?
No. This framework is for business leaders. It helps you ask the right business questions for data analysis without needing technical skills. It helps you trust the data you have.
How does the Horde Flow system help with data analysis?
The Horde Flow system provides a six-stage framework. It helps you identify specific areas in a business where you can ask questions to find opportunities for revenue growth or cost savings.
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