--- title: "\"I had no idea!\"" description: When it comes to big data analytics and benchmarking, unexpected revelations are often the biggest benefit image: https://www.peerviewdata.com/hubfs/2017%20images/Product%20Shots%20Group-cropped.jpeg --- [![](https://www.peerviewdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PD%20logo_horiz_gradient.png?width=182&height=80&name=PD%20logo_horiz_gradient.png)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/) # Peerview Data Insights ## "I had no idea!" by [Kirk Enright](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/author/kirk-enright), on Aug 28, 2017 11:12:00 AM Ever been sucker-punched by a problem you didn't even know you had?   Of the many benefits of big data, analytics and benchmarking — alongside [improved growth, productivity, profitability, etc.](https://www.peerviewdata.com/blog/roi-of-big-data-2) — is one that doesn't get mentioned very often: unexpected insights.   These insights could be reveal a strength or opportunity, but it's generally the ones that reveal a weakness or threat that matter most.   This came up recently as we were piloting our [Practice Management, Analysis & Benchmarking Tool](https://www.peerviewdata.com/0) for an East Coast accounting firm. They took a few minutes to upload some client trial balances. We mapped them to our database and then did a Go-to-Meeting to review the results at the firm, practice and individual client level.   *All the clients they'd selected for their pilot showed at least one key performance metric where they were under-performing by a substantial margin.*   "I had no idea," said one of the partners.   While it's not traditionally your job as a CPA to grade or assess client performance, there's probably both a need and an opportunity to do more of that thanks to the fact that most companies are moving so quickly, they don't have time to stop, step back and really look at their performance.   (Plus, it's now easier than ever to get the comparative data you'd need to do that kind of assessment.)   Fortunately for the firm we're talking about here, the next step was to schedule meetings with the clients, show them what the data was saying about their performance, and then help them work through a solution.   *Win-win.*   The alternative?   If this firm wouldn't have analyzed their clients' performance and acted, their clients might have stumbled further and either gone out of business or been acquired on the cheap, in either case costing the firm a lot in lost billings.   *Lose-lose.*   Point being, sometimes the benefit of applying big data, analytics and benchmarking isn't *what you know you don't know*, but *what you don't know you don't know*.    (For more on better serving your clients, see [five additional services](https://www.peerviewdata.com/blog/five-cpa-services) every CPA firm should offer.)   _______________________________ Our Practice Group Analysis & Client Benchmarking Tools are built to give data-driven companies better insights. [Click here to see what they can do for you](https://www.peerviewdata.com/). ![Product Shots Group-cropped.jpeg](https://www.peerviewdata.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2017%20images/Product%20Shots%20Group-cropped.jpeg?width=320&name=Product%20Shots%20Group-cropped.jpeg "Product Shots Group-cropped.jpeg") Topics: [Analytics](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/analytics) [big data](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/big-data) [Benchmarking](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/benchmarking) [CPAs](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/cpas) [Accounting](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/accounting) [Trends](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/trends) [Accountants](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/accountants) [Competition](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/competition) [Warren Buffet](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/warren-buffet) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [Analytics (89)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/analytics) - [big data (86)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/big-data) - [Benchmarking (82)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/benchmarking) - [Accounting (75)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/accounting) - [Trends (75)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/trends) - [CPAs (71)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/cpas) - [Accountants (64)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/accountants) - [Small Business (61)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/small-business) - [Competition (56)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/competition) - [Business Performance (54)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/business-performance) - [Money (54)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/money) - [Planning & Forecasting (50)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/planning-forecasting) - [Customers (48)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/customers) - [People (48)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/people) - [AICPA (47)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/aicpa) - [Accounting Software (47)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/accounting-software) - [ROI (43)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/roi) - [Competitive Analytics (42)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/competitive-analytics) - [KPIs (38)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/kpis) - [Business Intelligence (17)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/business-intelligence) - [Warren Buffet (13)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/warren-buffet) - [Insights (8)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/insights) - [SaaS (8)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/saas) - [Data (6)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/data) - [Employees (6)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/employees) - [Start ups (6)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/start-ups) - [Mark Cuban (4)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/mark-cuban) - [Careers (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/careers) - [Social Media (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/social-media) - [Software (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/software) - [fear (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/fear) - [growth (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/growth) - [Meet the team (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/meet-the-team) - [New Years Eve (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/new-years-eve) - [new year (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/new-year) - [Advertising (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/advertising) - [CMO (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/cmo) - [Disruption (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/disruption) - [FOMO (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/fomo) - [ISBDC (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/isbdc) - [Investors (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/investors) - [Jeff Bezos (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/jeff-bezos) - [KFI Reports (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/kfi-reports) - [Key Financial Indicators (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/key-financial-indicators) - [LinkedIN (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/linkedin) - [Managing Partner (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/managing-partner) - [Marketing (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/marketing) - [Metrics (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/metrics) - [Missing out (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/missing-out) - [Net Working Capital Ratio (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/net-working-capital-ratio) - [Practice Leader (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/practice-leader) - [Startups (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/startups) - [article (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/article) - [asset (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/asset) - [client relationships (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/client-relationships) - [company measurement (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/company-measurement) - [company preparedness (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/company-preparedness) - [finance (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/finance) - [gun fights (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/gun-fights) - [income (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/income) - [investment (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/investment) - [investor index (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/investor-index) - [millennial (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/millennial) - [new years resolutions (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/new-years-resolutions) - [notes (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/notes) - [revenue (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/revenue) - [small company (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/small-company) - [start up (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/start-up) - [westerns (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/topic/westerns) [see all](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/no-idea#) ### Blog Archive - [November 2017 (29)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/11) - [February 2018 (19)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/02) - [September 2017 (18)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/09) - [October 2017 (17)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/10) - [December 2017 (17)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/12) - [March 2018 (16)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/03) - [April 2018 (16)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/04) - [May 2018 (13)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/05) - [August 2017 (10)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (10)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/01) - [March 2016 (8)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/03) - [September 2015 (6)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/09) - [April 2017 (6)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/04) - [July 2018 (6)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/07) - [June 2014 (5)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2014/06) - [August 2015 (5)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/08) - [April 2016 (5)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/04) - [June 2018 (5)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2018/06) - [July 2014 (4)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2014/07) - [July 2015 (4)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/07) - [November 2015 (4)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/11) - [November 2016 (4)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/11) - [August 2014 (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2014/08) - [September 2014 (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2014/09) - [January 2016 (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/01) - [May 2016 (3)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/05) - [October 2015 (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/10) - [January 2017 (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/01) - [March 2017 (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (2)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2017/05) - [September 2013 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2013/09) - [December 2014 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2014/12) - [January 2015 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/01) - [June 2015 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/06) - [December 2015 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2015/12) - [February 2016 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/02) - [December 2016 (1)](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/archive/2016/12) [see all](https://www.peerviewdata.com/old-blog/no-idea#) ### Contact **Peerview Data, Inc.** 1060 N Capitol Ave, Ste 3-101  Indianapolis, IN 46204 Call us: 1-317-238-3234 sales [at] peerviewdata.com ### From Our Blog ### Subscribe to Newsletter ### Connect With Us ![](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/947112218/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0)