Member Article

How to solve the challenge of building case studies for your business

According to Gartner, you’re 2.5 times more likely to secure a sale from a potential customer if they’ve read a positive review or testimonial about your company. And that’s not surprising. When it comes to the point of purchase, particularly if the investment is high, the potential customer needs all the information they can get to make a decision.

They’ve

• identified that what you (and your competitors) sell will solve their problem.
• researched how the product/service works
• ruled out your competitors and think you are most likely to be the best option for them But, even then, they are still taking a huge leap. Without a case study, you’re not giving them any proof that you can actually do what you say you can.

The case study is the final piece of the customer journey and, if put together correctly, will show the problem one of your customers faced, the activity you undertook to fix it and then the improvements the customer saw as a result. It’s compelling stuff.

The challenge lies in the fact that most customers are unwilling to be a case study. Often it’s a matter of them feeling like they don’t have time or they’re wary of how their information will be shared. In other cases, it’s hard to even know who to ask. Here are five tips to help you find that next case study that will drive your sales.

1. Show them ‘case studies’ of case studies

This is a great solution if your customer is wary of what the case study will look like and how it will be used. No one wants to be the first to do something so if you do have another case study on file, share it with your customer. This way they’ll be able to see exactly what is involved, how much information is shared, and how the brand is presented.

2. Consider your timing carefully

Here is an instance where the account handlers in your company can help. Find out from them if the customers you intend to speak to are approaching the financial year-end or have other business priorities they need to focus on. If they’re busy, it’s easy for them to say no.

It’s also important to look at how long you’ve had customers for. Brand new ones won’t have results of your performance yet so look for customers that that have used your product or service for more than six months. They should be able to talk in terms of measurable, significant results.

3. Open up communication with the sales team

There are very few companies that communicate well internally and it may just be the case that your sales team already has a bank of case studies or customer testimonials that they use to close deals over the phone. Ask them to share.

They’ll also be able to provide you with details of any customers who have recently upgraded or extended their agreement with you – they’re ideal candidates to approach as they’re happy customers.

4. Put it in the contract

A very simple step to take is to add a section in every new customer contract that commits them to provide a case study or testimonial. Some customers will spot the section and ask for it to be removed before they commit, but a few will happily proceed with it included.

5. Compromise 

If you cannot get your customer to agree to a case study, there are still other ways they can help you prove the good work you do. A step down from a case study is a customer testimonial and it only needs to be a paragraph or two talking about the great service you provide. While it won’t give potential buyers lots of detail about what you did for that customer, it will include their brand. This will give credibility to the copy and show visitors it’s a genuine and positive review which will stand in your favour.

Try these tactics and you’ll have a bank of case study candidates in no time. The next step is finding a good copywriter with a solid understanding of the industry so they can write copy your client will approve first time.

Hannah Brice is Managing Director of £Upmarketry, delivering smart marketing ideas to help startups and SMEs grow.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hannah Brice .