B2B: How To Persuade Customer To Be Profiled in a CASE STUDY?

13 replies
Greetings Warriors!

What advice can I offer a client as he calls his customers to seek permission to profile them in a case study?

I'm guessing that if customer is really happy with the product they may just want to share for the sake of sharing... same way I feel when I get something I really like.

BUT is there any other particular sort of incentive, benefit or approach I can recommend to my client as he contacts customers seeking their permission to be profiled?

All best,
Scott
#b2b #case #customer #persuade #profiled #study
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by saleswriter101 View Post

    Greetings Warriors!

    What advice can I offer a client as he calls his customers to seek permission to profile them in a case study?

    I'm guessing that if customer is really happy with the product they may just want to share for the sake of sharing... same way I feel when I get something I really like.

    BUT is there any other particular sort of incentive, benefit or approach I can recommend to my client as he contacts customers seeking their permission to be profiled?

    All best,
    Scott
    A couple ideas:

    1) explain to the customer how giving permission benefits him.
    2) appeal to the customer's ego.

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author saleswriter101
      Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

      A couple ideas:

      1) explain to the customer how giving permission benefits him.
      2) appeal to the customer's ego.

      Alex
      Thanks, Alex!

      Could you (or anyone) elaborate on #1? What benefits are there for the customer?

      One benefit, I guess, is exposure for the customer when the study is published... but that does assume a match between my client's target market and his customer's target market... like if my client is a software vendor and his customer is a truck parts company... not really a market match there... and perhaps not much of a "market match" in most cases actually (I base this on the couple dozen assorted case studies I've read lately).
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  • Profile picture of the author mccflo99
    Hi Scott,

    I've found that a solid 20-30 page report that outlines some advanced content directly related to the product they just purchased works well in soliciting testimonials.

    For example if the original product is a Dyson Model 105-Z vacuum, the report could be called Advanced Floor & Carpet Care With The Dyson 105-Z. If it's an information product called Better Trout Fishing, the report should be Advanced Trout Fishing.

    This makes it hard for people to say no to being included since the report is positioned as the "Advanced" part of their course. They feel like they're missing a piece of the puzzle if they say no.

    It's also important to take the pressure off of them and say that it doesn't matter if they have positive or negative things to say, you just want to include them in the case study and they get the free report regardless of their opinion.

    Chris Elliott
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  • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
    Originally Posted by saleswriter101 View Post

    Greetings Warriors!

    What advice can I offer a client as he calls his customers to seek permission to profile them in a case study?

    I'm guessing that if customer is really happy with the product they may just want to share for the sake of sharing... same way I feel when I get something I really like.

    BUT is there any other particular sort of incentive, benefit or approach I can recommend to my client as he contacts customers seeking their permission to be profiled?

    All best,
    Scott
    Hi Scott,

    Oh my goodness.

    You shouldn't have to "seek their permission" of anything. They should be giving it willingly.

    If your Client is over delivering, your Client's customers should be singing your Client's praises from the high heavens.

    For instance:

    Many of you have seen the gracious things people say about me. They are all true. And I am grateful for their kind words beyond measure.

    Those posts are not an accident. They're not random. And they are also not premeditated or contrived.

    At the end of a consult, you know what I ask?

    "If you got value just now, would you do me a small favor? Would you go out to the Warrior Forum and say something nice about me?"

    In the vast majority of posts, they say things that touch my soul and as I have been told, others as well.

    I am so grateful. They gift me because I gift them first.

    The key?

    I over deliver every single time. I give them my best work and I hold nothing back. And Clients are grateful as well.

    Now, if your Client is struggling getting customers to say nice things about them, to be a case study, it only means one thing:

    Your Client isn't delivering enough value.

    So double-back, forget about persuading or selling them on the idea, and make them want to "gift" your Client with their kind words.

    Have your Client invoke, provoke, reciprocity.

    The way to do that is over deliver.

    - Rick Duris

    PS: I have a Client. His name is Bill.

    Bill is one of the most outstanding of Microsoft network engineers. Highest of caliber.

    Every couple of months he calls to have me interview one of his Clients. I pick his Client's brain clean for the better part of a couple of hours. I'm constantly amazed. They always paint a halogen-bright halo around Bill and his team's skills.

    All is transcribed word-for-word and posted.

    Why do his Client's do it? They want Bill to succeed. They want to contribute to Bill in the sincerest of ways.

    If your Client's customers are unwilling to do that, something is wrong. Fix that part and you'll have all the testimony and case studies you can handle.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zentech
    Go for the ego. Always to the ego.

    Having studied Eastern philosophy and psychology for ten years full-time, I can assure you that the ego is the single most powerful motivating force for the majority of human beings. Like it or not, that's the reality.

    When I mentor people spiritually, I address the ego in terms of reduction and management. But business is not spirituality, no matter what some slicksters may claim. In business, the ego is is by far the fattest cash cow on the farm, and unless we learn to harvest that cash cow, we will starve.
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  • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
    Originally Posted by saleswriter101 View Post

    Greetings Warriors!

    What advice can I offer a client as he calls his customers to seek permission to profile them in a case study?

    I'm guessing that if customer is really happy with the product they may just want to share for the sake of sharing... same way I feel when I get something I really like.

    BUT is there any other particular sort of incentive, benefit or approach I can recommend to my client as he contacts customers seeking their permission to be profiled?

    All best,
    Scott
    Hi Scott,

    I was thinking through your request.

    Would do us all a small favor in order to help you? Share with us what industry, market or niche the Client is in.

    Is it a product or service they are selling? Your Client's customer, are they in the same general market or are they all over the map?

    For instance, my network engineer I referenced in an earlier post, he has a about 10 insurance agencies he services their computer networks for.

    I have talked with several of them and I am sure if Bill created a book about insurance agency computer networks written by and large by the insurance agency owner, he'd do well with it.

    So what business is your Client in and who are their customers?

    Answer that, and we can help you more. Otherwise, I suspect you are only going to get generic advice.

    - Rick Duris
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    • Profile picture of the author saleswriter101
      Thanks so much everyone!

      Rick, your advice is dead on and your enthusiasm is very inspiring and instructive..

      mccflo99, thanks for such a specific example..

      Mike, "success stories".. yes! I can see how describing them that way would make a huge difference to the customer..

      Zentech, I like how you nail it: "...unless we learn how to harvest that cash cow (the prospect's ego), we will starve." And while ego may be most applicable in terms of seeking a testimonial.. I have heard several top-flight copywriters state that greatest human motivator is avoidance of pain.. consider this: if ego were the greatest motivator wouldn't many more people be in attractive physical shape (to feed their ego desire be beautiful)? Instead most people are not in great shape.. they follow the bigger motivator of avoiding the pain of regular physical work-outs.. No doubt ego is a HUGE motivator and must be part of any marketing effort from the ground up.. does it stand head and shoulders above at least one other (pain avoidance)? Not always, it seems to me.

      Rick, Here's my story, or the story on this thread, at least...


      I'm preparing to offer my services as a B2B copywriter... I'm creating a sample case study... I also want get down, as clearly as possible, the process of doing a case study... from initial client inquiry.. the research and writing of it.. and the editing and finalizing of the project. (So I have no specific client industry to point to.)

      In researching B2B copywriting sites I came across one that looked particulary good: Healthcare Case Studies-Healthcare Copywriting

      Part of their case study process, they explain at the bottom that page is to... "Help you select the best customer to profile, and guide you through the process of securing their permission to cut down on lost time."

      So... just trying to be prepared to help my (as of yet, unknown) clients as much as possible.
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      • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
        Originally Posted by saleswriter101 View Post


        Rick, Here's my story, or the story on this thread, at least...

        I'm preparing to offer my services as a B2B copywriter... I'm creating a sample case study... I also want get down, as clearly as possible, the process of doing a case study... from initial client inquiry.. the research and writing of it.. and the editing and finalizing of the project. (So I have no specific client industry to point to.)

        In researching B2B copywriting sites I came across one that looked particulary good: Healthcare Case Studies-Healthcare Copywriting

        Part of their case study process, they explain at the bottom that page is to... "Help you select the best customer to profile, and guide you through the process of securing their permission to cut down on lost time."

        So... just trying to be prepared to help my (as of yet, unknown) clients as much as possible.
        Hi Scott,

        ok, I get it now. Thank you.

        The BEST way to do what you are trying to accomplish is to niche yourself.

        Focus on a SPECIFIC industry. Do not try to be all things to all businesses.

        Being all things is a recipe for disaster. Do that and you will starve long term.

        Do the first few gigs for free just to get a roster of Clients who will say nice things about you and your work. Make sure you enjoy the industry, and the people and it lights your fire.

        Here's why I say what I say...

        1. Years ago, in the 90's, I wrote for like 15 magazines every month. I was prolific.

        The editor's biggest challenge?

        Getting quality pieces from their writers. Most writers didn't understand the business. And when the editors discovered me and saw I could write, they latched on for the ride. I was on the back page in almost all of them. The most coveted of pages.

        And if I wasn't on the back page I had an ongoing column someplace in that magazine somewhere. The nicest thing was that I would deliberately design my piece to boost response and circulation.
        They loved that.

        I'd create controversy. I'd slaughter sacred cows. I'd stake my claim... I'd say something fresh and new, or restated such that people knew I was not a writer who understand the business. I was a systems technician who knew how to write.

        In other words, my words were trusted.

        2. If you're trying to be all things to all people, your work will be mediocre and the editors and Clients see right through it.

        It will be a yawn.

        You want those case studies published as FEATURE articles. 1000 to 2000 words. You can not demand it, but an editor is ALWAYS looking for promising writers who understand the business.

        For instance, when you do your features, you want to get the pictures of your Clients on the cover of the magazine. THAT'S how good you want to be. Now you're getting somewhere.

        But no matter what, the hardest part of doing the work is getting them published. And not just online. But offline. It's the coolest thing when your Client creates glossies of your work based upon a magazine article.

        3. So pick your passion and run with it. Reach out and do a few gigs for free, just to create some good will, then you can point to your success. And get your work published.

        - Rick Duris

        PS: One last thing: Religiously attend the tradeshows for your market. Do not skimp. You'll never know who you'll run into. And more importantly, people will share case studies and you propose you write about them and get them published on their behalf.

        How cool is that?

        At these events enthusiasm is high and it's a great way to make friends in the industry and share your work. And people will call you.



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  • Profile picture of the author mccflo99
    Hi Rick,

    I wouldn't call the advice that I gave "generic." What I shared has worked in several industries and increased customer feedback dramatically in both Fortune 500 companies and small town businesses.

    Also, you say "your Client's customers should be singing your Client's praises from the high heavens." In a perfect, warm and fuzzy world, this would be absolutely true but experience has shown me that no matter how good the product is, and how happy the customer is, only a small percentage will ever go out of their way to voice a positive opinion. This is why incentives are essential if the goal is to increase customer feedback.

    You're also using your free consults with people on Skype as a comparison to the quality of a paid product which isn't really an accurate comparison. When people get something free, expectations are low so impressing them isn't hard. Not to mention the fact that you've admitted asking these people to come post on the warrior forum afterwards. When people pay for something, expectations are extremely high so meeting and exceeding those expectations to the point of voluntary public opinion is certainly much more difficult.

    Chris Elliott
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    • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
      Originally Posted by mccflo99 View Post

      Hi Rick,

      I wouldn't call the advice that I gave "generic." What I shared has worked in several industries and increased customer feedback dramatically in both Fortune 500 companies and small town businesses.

      Also, you say "your Client's customers should be singing your Client's praises from the high heavens." In a perfect, warm and fuzzy world, this would be absolutely true but experience has shown me that no matter how good the product is, and how happy the customer is, only a small percentage will ever go out of their way to voice a positive opinion. This is why incentives are essential if the goal is to increase customer feedback.

      You're also using your free consults with people on Skype as a comparison to the quality of a paid product which isn't really an accurate comparison. When people get something free, expectations are low so impressing them isn't hard. Not to mention the fact that you've admitted asking these people to come post on the warrior forum afterwards. When people pay for something, expectations are extremely high so meeting and exceeding those expectations to the point of voluntary public opinion is certainly much more difficult.

      Chris Elliott
      Hi Chris,

      Point taken about the word "generic." And I apologize. I meant no disrespect to you or anyone else.

      I just think when somebody struggles securing testimonials or referrals, there's a way of overcoming if we knew about the specifics of the business so that we could contribute better/more.

      ----------------

      For instance, the dentist Paddy Lund.

      He engineered in to his agreement with his new patients, they were required to give him 3 referrals of people of like caliber. That was engineered into transaction from the start.

      Obviously if case studies are useful, that could be engineered in from the start.

      But it depends on the type of business.

      ---------------------

      Another for instance:

      Years ago, my company built a system for a manufacturing heat treater in Chicago. Engineered into that agreement, they agreed to be a published case study in a heat treating magazine.

      But there was a caveat.

      I could only sell the systems like it to only people THEY referred to me. In other words, they wanted to be my salesman. And they wanted to control who got the system, because it was considered a strong competitive advantage.

      ---------------

      And one more for instance:

      I worked with a marketing consultant. He wanted to do a seminar. We needed fresh case studies in order to knock it out of the park.

      We crafted a letter to his list and said if you send us a case study of specifics on how you applied the strategies and tactics you learned from him, we'll combine them all into a book and you'll receive a free copy.

      It was a form of reciprocation for doing the case study.

      The resulting book was an amazing composite of all sorts of marketing ideas. We got over 1500 responses of 502 were strong enough to be considered a true case study.

      As opposed to just a testimonial. The book was a huge success and we ended up selling it for $1000 to people who did not contribute.

      -------------

      Here's the point I was trying to make (and obviously fumbled

      I just wish we knew more about the Client's business. That way, the advice would be better than "You have to over deliver on the value." Which upon review is just too "generic" for my taste.

      ----------------

      So those are a couple of examples of some of ways to approach Scott's challenge. I don't know the Client's business, but if we did and if we knew the type of customers they sold to, it would make it easy to develop a strategy specifically tailored.

      And Scott would look like a genius to his Client with the brain power at work here on this thread. Including yourself.

      - Rick Duris



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  • Profile picture of the author mccflo99
    Apology accepted Rick. No hard feelings at all.

    Chris Elliott
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
    Originally Posted by saleswriter101 View Post

    BUT is there any other particular sort of incentive, benefit or approach I can recommend to my client as he contacts customers seeking their permission to be profiled?


    .
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