Here’s a piece that was published in August 2020 by Entrepreneurs’ magazine The Circular:

How to use Case Studies to win new business

Selling is hard, right?

You are an entrepreneur. Sales are your raison d’être.

You want to make money. And you want to serve your customers with your knowledge and expertise.

But selling can be scary.

You often feel like you are forced to ‘be someone you’re not’ in the process.

And then when you pretend to ‘be someone you’re not’ you lose the sale.

It’s a bummer.

No actually it’s worse.

It’s absolute agony to see your business slowly going down the pan because you’re not making the sales you need and want.

BUT it doesn’t have to be this way – NOT if you know how to use the Hidden Heroes in your business.

Who are your Hidden Heroes…?

Drum roll please….

Your Hidden Heroes are the people who buy from you, refer you and generally feel that you are part of their team.

Your Hidden Heroes are your biggest fans!! They may even feel like they wouldn’t have a business if it wasn’t for you.

In short, your Hidden Heroes are your most delighted customers – and if you aren’t using their success stories to showcase WHY your prospects should work with you, then you are leaving serious money on the table.

Make your customers’ success work for you

Your customers’ success stories, also known as Case Studies, are THE essential element in helping your prospects move quickly through their sales journey with you.

This is because:

• Case Studies are amongst the top 3 pieces of sales collateral that purchasers look for.
• They help your prospects visualize what working with you is like.
• They are relevant and relatable because they are told in your customers’ voice.

Once you’ve produced a Case Study you can reuse it everywhere – in your sales proposals, on social media, in email and ad campaigns, in your prospecting correspondence, on your website, in your brochures…

The list goes on.

And since your reputation precedes you, you can relax and ‘be yourself’ in sales pitches. This feels so much easier than trying to ‘be someone you’re not.’

Pretty soon Case Studies can become THE way you communicate your B2B product or service to win new business.

The Skinny: how do you produce a compelling Case Study?

1. Choose your most delighted customer
2. Ask them to take part in a Case Study (Maybe give them an incentive or a token of gratitude – coffee vouchers and cupcakes work well!)
3. Identify the questions you want your customer to answer
4. Plan a formal, structured interview session. This must be professional and thorough – you don’t want to have to keep going back for clarifications.
5. Record the interview
6. Write up the narrative – in your customers’ words
7. Bear out the Value Propositions that you most want your prospects to grasp
8. Insert into your branded Case Study template
9. Publish widely – including in your sales presentations. Don’t just have it gather virtual dust on your website.
10. Rinse and repeat

Frankly it’s a no-brainer.

Your delighted customers are your greatest asset and working with you made them Heroes in their own business.

Your sales job will be SO MUCH easier when you inspire your prospects with stories of your existing Customer Heroes’ success.

What are you waiting for?

EC Circular Magazine, August 2020           Juliet Platt, 01793 727994, www.casestudywriter.co.uk

 

BIO

Juliet Platt is the UK’s B2B Case Study Writer. She writes Case Studies that reflect the genius of busy, brilliant (and occasionally shy) professional service providers. With a background in coaching, journalism, and IT project management she has all the skills and qualities to ask the right questions and write the stories of your customers’ success.