<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=349935452247528&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Search
word-map-thumb

The Alternative Board Blog

Effective Customer Case Studies Can Boost Sales

Nov. 5, 2020 | Posted by The Alternative Board
B2B customer reviewing a case study

What do you normally do when contemplating a major purchase? Like most people, you probably make an effort to see and hear what others have to say about the company you plan to buy from, as well as the quality and benefits of the products or services sold. In other words, you seek out first-hand testimonials, or pay close attention to what a customer case study has to offer (in the form of videos, articles, part of a white paper, etc.).

Want additional insight? Download Productivity Hacks for Business Owners 

DOWNLOAD

B2C and B2B customers alike turn to case studies for a better sense of how they, too, might benefit from what you have to sell. Frequently, reading a case study is part of the overall research a prospective customer undertakes prior to making the purchasing decision.

In essence, a case study “revolves around showing people real-life examples of how your product/service satisfied your customer’s needs/solved his problems and ultimately helped them achieve their business goals,” notes Pipefy, a work management platform. A strong case study helps you promote your product or service, but more importantly, it works by “showing your potential customers all the reasons why they should choose to become actual customers.”

Here are tips on how to craft a case study that helps boost sales:

Choose a satisfied customer who’s typical of your client base.

With the proviso that every customer’s story is unique, it’s important to create a case study based on your overall target buyer’s persona. (Of course, you can always produce more than one case study!) Through pinpointed questions to the customer being interviewed, try to emphasize the benefits he or she derived from your product, with less emphasis on the product’s features. Make sure to highlight the pain points your product or service helped to overcome.

Ensure the customer case study offers specifics.

It’s not enough for a satisfied customer to appear on camera and say, “I love the products offered by Company X!” A more effective approach ensures that specific references to your product or service benefits are included.

“Telling [customers] you can cut their processing costs by 25% is one thing,” notes HubSpot. But “hearing that same metric from three of your customers is much more impactful,” and can be that key sales tactic that “converts someone from a prospect to a customer.”

Highlight case studies on your website and in marketing materials.

As noted, prospects often seek out testimonials and case studies in order to better understand how a particular product can help solve business challenges and get desired sales results. The key is making these case studies as visible as possible. Consider these options:

  • Make a big splash by featuring one or more case studies on your home page.
  • Scatter quotes from these case studies on other website pages.
  • Establish a comprehensive archive of first-class customer case studies (like these).

If the case study appears as text, be sure to include a photo of the customer. Also, make sure the website content is professionally designed and easy to “click and view.”

Encourage your sales team to feature case studies as part of their presentation.

It’s often useful for salespeople to include references to case studies as part of their sales presentations to prospects. These case studies boost your company’s credibility and help to overcome “hidden” objections the prospect may be reluctant to share.

Also, as Business2Community notes, case studies “help empower your sales team to focus less on product specs, and more on how and why your product or service adds value, making case studies a powerful tool in your sales enablement toolbox.”

TAB offers a wealth of business success stories, which you can check out here. They provide a first-hand look at what goes into highlighting positive customer experiences and sharing those experiences with “convince me” prospects.

Read our 19 Reasons You Need a Business Owner Advisory Board

DOWNLOAD

Written by The Alternative Board

Related posts

How to Improve Website Traffic Conversion
Aug. 23, 2022 | Posted by Boris Kimelman
Advertising prices are steadily rising and the measurability of advertising tools is eroding. Brands are currently operating in a state of blindness, so it is important for business owners to...
Quick and Easy Way to Maintain an Active LinkedIn Presence
May. 27, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
LinkedIn is a mainstay social media platform for business owners and professionals. No news flash there. But while most of us understand that having an engaging LinkedIn presence can bring tremendous...
Tips For Improving Your Networking Skills This Spring
Apr. 19, 2022 | Posted by Phil Spensieri
Love it or hate it, networking is essential for business growth and success. It’s often the bane of existence for many business owners that I work with. But if done right, you can take the hassle of...
How Social Media Can Drive Product Innovation
Apr. 15, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board TAB
The process of product innovation has, for some time, relied upon a cadre of forward-thinkers within an organization, and/or soliciting input from customer surveys and focus groups. These methods...
When a Business Owner Wears a Selling Hat
Mar. 4, 2022 | Posted by The Alternative Board
If you are like most business owners of small or mid-sized businesses, there are times you must put on your Selling Hat. When you put on that Selling Hat, your mindset needs to change to one of “What...
5 Ways To Manage A Remote Sales Team
Nov. 5, 2021 | Posted by The Alternative Board
Sales leaders have struggled with managing remote sales teams even before the pandemic. Today, with an increasing number of organizations moving partially or fully remote, the need to put practices...
Phone Sales Mistakes Your Team Might Be Making
Oct. 28, 2021 | Posted by The Alternative Board
Cold calls and other approaches to phone sales might not be considered as vital as they once were, but many businesses still rely on this method for customer acquisition. That’s all well and good, as...
How to Lead More Productive Sales Meetings
Oct. 26, 2021 | Posted by The Alternative Board
Sales meetings, like business meetings in general, come fraught with potential minefields. They’re often perceived by team members as a waste of time, too predictable and boring, not long enough or...
5 Surefire Ways to Boost Repeat Sales
Oct. 19, 2021 | Posted by The Alternative Board
Aside from new customer acquisition, repeat sales is the “holy grail” of all company sales departments. Having customers come back again and again for your products or services should be at the very...
Increase Online Traffic by Improving Your Website’s Design
Oct. 12, 2021 | Posted by Emma Carter
  You need a website if you’re selling products and services online. This is an excellent marketing tool that can be used to attract potential leads and customers. However, what if you’re not...