The Case Study Ask: Five Things Your Customer Needs to Know
The more facts you give someone, the better armed they are to make a decision – like when you ask a customer to be featured in a case study or success story.
Typically, a sales or account manager asks the main customer contact if they would be willing to do a case study.
If it’s a solid relationship, the customer will likely say yes.
But in most cases, there’s a lot more that follows the simple ask.
How do you set up the request for success?
Start by giving them the facts. When your contact expresses interest, follow up with an email with the details.
Include these key points:
-
The benefits of this joint marketing opportunity for all parties
-
What’s involved – who and how much time is required for the interviews and review phase
-
How the story will be used – website, one-on-one sales, PR, newsletters, etc.
-
If they will need to sign a release form
-
One or two samples of your other customer stories
Document this in an email so that your contacts can easily forward it on to others.
Customer at risk of saying no?
If you’re concerned at all about the customer declining your request, deliver these facts on a call or in a face-to-face meeting instead and include key decision-makers (likely those beyond your main contact).
Giving customers all the details also helps prevent surprises later on. Everyone already knows what to expect.
What other facts have you found help customers make the decision?
Fortune 500 Companies: Celebrity Endorsers of B2B
If you sell consumer products like skincare, sunglasses or video games, a celebrity endorsement can be a powerful thing.
In the B2B world, you can still tap a famous individual – but it’s not necessarily wise. Accenture recently had to drop its endorsement of Tiger Woods.
When selling B2B, Fortune 500 companies are usually the celebrities we want and need to endorse our products and services. Celebrity – whether it’s Lance Armstrong or IBM – carries a lot of prestige today.
"Today it’s more important than ever to associate your business, your product and yourself with celebrities – and even make yourself into a celebrity – to rise above the competition," states Jordan McAuley, author of Celebrity Leverage.
I recently read McAuley’s book and while it’s mainly focused on leveraging celebrity individuals, some of his ideas can help you get B2B endorsers on board:
Open the door
McAuley recommends starting out with a small request, which he calls the "foot in the door technique."
"When someone first complies with a small request, they are more likely to later comply with a larger request," McAuley states.
Personally, I’ve seen that work well for companies trying to get their biggest customers to publicly share their story. Start with a testimonial or reference call before approaching them about a case study, press release or speaking opportunity. Ease them into a deeper relationship.
Know your endorser well
If you sell consumer products, you have to know if celebrities have children or about their lifestyle habits in order to target effectively.
In B2B endorsements, homework is just as important. If you want to feature a customer, know what their current goals and challenges are as company. Then approach them with a pitch that ties perfectly into a message they WANT to communicate publicy. Align your goals with theirs and it’s a much easier sell.
Set up a velvet rope
Exclusive nightclubs create an air of limitation as if only the rich, famous and beautiful are granted entry.
You can do the same in B2B marketing. Limit access to a program, event or promotion by numbers or by timeframe.
For example, limit a special event or webinar to a small number of participants. Or, give your audience a hard deadline by which to sign up for a special offer.
Many people don’t act without a sense of urgency or exclusivity.
What have you found effective in getting "celebrity" endorsements for your business or industry?
Podcast: Case Studies to Build Trust and Sales
How do you make the most of a customer’s success story? What if you can’t name a customer? How do new FTC rules affect case studies?
Get answers to these questions and others on a 25-minute podcast where RainToday.com interviewed Casey Hibbard, "Using Case Studies to Build Trust and Facilitate Sales."
- Ways to use your customer case studies
- How many and how often to create case studies
- What makes a successful case study
- What if you can’t name customers?
- Examples of professional services firms using case studies successfully
- Why you shouldn’t make people register to access cases
- How to ease customer permissions and approvals
- What the new FTC rules mean for endorsements
Listen here. It’s only available to non-members of RainToday.com until Feb. 24.
Awards Get Customers to Tell Their Stories – Fast
It can be really tough to get customers to go public with their stories.
But the prospect of winning an award gets customers on board – fast!
Your products and services are helping customers do innovative, progressive things. Why not submit those examples for industry awards where you both get some of the glory?
Just last week, I helped a client capture two of its best customer success stories to submit for two different awards programs in my client’s industry.
And get this…Both featured customers are major, nationally known companies.
My client’s customers were all over the idea, even mentioning how excited they were in the interviews. Plus, the prospect of an award deadline got the customers to MOVE quickly.
Somehow, submitting for awards doesn’t require (in most companies) the usual PR/legal approval that customer case studies do, but you still get a positive story out publicly- if you win.
If the entry wins, everyone benefits:
- The individuals at your customer companies receive praise internally for their efforts.
- The customer company receives positive press.
- You, as the vendor, receive attention for being part of award-winning efforts. You can then turn around and publicize that every chance you get.
-
Moreover, once your customer has won an award, they’re often more likely to allow you to publish that tale as a case study or success story.
2010 Action Steps:
- Search online for awards relevant to your industry and mark them on your calendar.
- Select some customers that you’d like to submit.
- Capture their stories well in advance.
- Fill out the award application for the customer.
- Get the customer’s approval of the award submission.
- Go back later and ask if you can simply put that information into a public case study.
If you win, tell everyone!
Any great success stories to share about submitting customers’ stories for awards?
When You Need 2 Versions of the Same Case Study
A sales rep I’m assisting with a case study has two objectives: sell network management software to other U.S. divisions of a major account, and sell to other companies like the featured customer.
The customer contacts are willing to be much more open about what they share with other divisions in the same company than what they’ll divulge to the public and competitors. So why not create two versions of the case study?
Version 1 of the case study, for internal-only use, has frank discussion about the challenges this customer faces in managing its network. The internal-only version also doesn’t have to go through the same rigorous approval cycle as the public customer story.
Version 2 of the case study, for external audiences, has less detail about the customer’s internal issues and practices.
That allows this sales rep to have the story he needs–quickly–for a big meeting with multiple divisions of this customer company, and then what he needs to penetrate the industry.
It’s a little extra work, but it’s worth it to reach the right audiences with the right information.
Order from this site and get TWO bonuses!
Companion ebooks to Stories that Sell!
Get the most out of Stories that Sell with The Marketer's Toolkit AND The Writer's Toolkit. These additional resources provide proven tips to help you succeed with success stories.
Recent Comments