How open should your case study be?

A client of mine recently asked me “How honest should I be in my case studies? What if my competitors read them and steal my approach?”

Interesting.

We are no longer in the age of corporate moratoriums on information sharing.

We live in the digital age where the internet is the ultimate show-room for all our skills, talents and know-how.

One look around any up-to-date internet site will reveal how much businesses are prepared to give away in order to win their prospects’ interest, conversion and allegiance. Expertise and authority are powerful persuaders in the marketing funnel.

Mix this up with a delighted customer’s endorsement of your product or service in the form of a great testimonial or case study and you have an awesome sales tool.

Not only that but an authentic case study will tell it from your customer’s perspective, using your customer’s language – which is likely to be the language that makes sense to your new prospects too.

So which is better?

To win business on the basis of your openness and generosity,  your customers’ enthusiasm and their ability to talk the same language as your prospects?

Or to defend yourself against your perceived competition – and run the risk of no one really getting to know anything about what you have to offer?

It’s an open and shut case.