There are 3 main hurdles which you need to overcome in a prospective customer's mind ahead of winning a deal.
- Confidence that your company will deliver
- Belief in your ability to provide the result they are after
- Sure that you are the best choice from all available options
If you don't handle any one of these well you'll end up losing out to a competitor who does.
When it comes to handling those points it's not just what you say, but how you say it.
But the thing is... what you say about your product or service is no where near as effective as what your customers have to say.
And this is what so many companies are forgetting.
A common mistake is to confuse the difference between testimonials and case studies.
The purpose of a testimonial is to provide an endorsement.
Where as a case study is to tell the story of the journey the customer went through to solve their problem or need.
How Case Studies Can Help You Win More Contracts
Just over two years ago I set about re-inventing video case studies.
A key discovery that I made was noticing the lack of a true strategy behind how they are produced.
Let me explain...
The usual approach is to briefly cover the problem and then spend the rest of the video talking about how wonderful the benefits are.
But this approach is flawed because it quickly descends into pitching features and benefits.
Yes, those are important.
But if someone starts trying to sell you... you become aware of that and typically your guard goes up.
One of my favourite adages is...
People hate to be sold to but they love to buy
That adage is really important to bear that in mind because you're likely no different to your customers in disliking being sold to. However, we love to buy things.
Weird when you think about it.
It's the same end goal.
But how you get there is what makes the difference and it has a tremendous impact on your success rate.
The Solution
Ultimately, to land a customer they need to appreciate and understand a series of:
- Educational insights (specific to their problem or need)
- Features
- Benefits
- Sales talking points (to get those all important 'aha' moments)
They have to really appreciate and understand them in order to confidently see your product or service and the ideal fit for their needs.
The solution is relatively simple...
In the case study interview we have to get your customer to cover your:
- Educational insights
- Features
- Benefits
- Sales talking points
Now, in order to do this you've really got to have a detailed understanding of your offering to customers.
When I produce case studies this is where I spend the bulk of my time.
It offers the ability to see elements which you may either take for granted or not be explaining as simply as you could.
Don't worry, we all do it.
As that other saying goes... Sometimes it's hard to see the wood for the trees.
But so long as you can have a clear perspective and a grasp on all of the points which contribute to motivating a customer to buy.
Your customer during the interview will be guided to cover and talk about them in their own words!
This is where the magic lies!
By strategically having your customer cover your necessary educational insights, features, benefits and sales talking points in their own words...
Everything is delivered with the maximum level of credibility and effectiveness.
At no point is the viewer questioning what your customer on screen is saying.
The authenticity of what they have to say can not be beaten.
You can fiddle and manipulate written case studies.
Yet you can't fake a happy previous customer on screen intricately recounting all of those golden touch points necessary to make a sale.
Just a single case study could be all you need to unlock a significant amount of business which you're currently missing out.
And you could well be missing out on that business simply because you're not making use of your best assets...
Previous who you've made a real difference to their lives and business.
People ultimately buy people.
So if you've got customers who are really happy with what you've done for them... let them sell for you.
Get them in front of a camera to tell their story.
It'll give you terrific separation in the market place.
And you'll have the pleasure of dealing with customers who appreciate in advance the value which you offer.
If you don't currently have a stand out case study which plays a major role in your sales and marketing.
Then please do message me to arrange a brief call to discuss taking care of producing the entire case study for you with next to zero effort on your part.
To book a call click HERE.
James specialises in producing video case studies. He is a three-time published author in video production and marketing. As presenter of the Win Clients With Case Studies podcast he has a unique understanding of the latest best practices and techniques.