Roast my LinkedIn post

Businesses don’t want to delete data. Ever Over the years, I’ve found some key things that help me push past this resistance: - Asking the right questions - Saying the right things - Using the right tools 📌 My 3 fav Qs to ask: 1- How long do you need this data? (No, seriously. Think about it) I don’t mind if you want to keep it but we need to justify it 2- Why would you need it after a year? - Then 2, then 5 Use soft nudges to make them think of scenarios. If they can’t think of any, they drop resistance 3- Is it raw data you’re after or the stats & insights it offers? If it’s just stats, anonymise it 📌 My 3 fav things to tell: 1- Unnecessary storage costs Give them options where that money can be used better instead 2- How it skews your analytics Like if marketing wants to hold on to disengaged/inactive leads - tell them how it increases bounce rates & decreases email deliverability 3- How a breach could expose all this data & make you look really bad Been most effective with finance, HR & sales teams for me 📌 My 3 fav tools to use: 1- Visual maps Map out exactly what to delete, where it’s stored, in what format & what to do - delete/archive/anonymise 2- Automation Softwares can flag what’s nearing deletion. At the very least, set up manual triggers like scheduled emails 3- Pilot program Start with 1 department. Prove how easy it is One team gets onboard, others follow after seeing results The goal? Make them think, give them alternatives & most importantly - simplify the process I’d love to know - how else do you tackle pushback?

Why I Trimmed 40% Data: Extreme Retention? Not the answer. (It burdens efficiency.) Learn how to overcome data hoarding. - 💡 Question Need: “Does this data drive value?” Think critically to justify keeping it. - 🚫 Challenge Duration: “Why over 1 year?” Prompt scenarios, reduce unnecessary retention. - 📊 Clarify Use: Raw data or statistics needed? Anonymize stats to safeguard identity. ✅ Show Costs: "Here's better use of storage budget." Costs drive urgency, visualize the potential benefits. ⚠️ Expose Risks: "Breach potential looms with excess files." This energizes urgency, especially for finance teams. Data wisdom isn't about storage—it’s about smart usage. What's your approach to tackling data resistance?