Case studies offer a compelling and informative way of highlighting project successes and customer wins as well as the professionalism and expertise your company has demonstrated in getting the job done effectively. As end user endorsement is always more powerful than a company promoting itself, they represent one of the most persuasive sales tools available.

A case study typically describes a real situation involving a decision, challenge or an opportunity that an organisation has faced. It outlines how the challenge was addressed, how the chosen solution was implemented and the benefits that have subsequently been achieved.

Yet despite their obvious advantages, many organisations fail to take advantage of the opportunities case studies provide.

Most have great examples of customers who have purchased their products and who would be happy to endorse them. However, they rarely have the time or the in-house skills to write these references up into full-length case studies.

Often everyone is too busy focusing on the next sale to take the time to collect the persuasive client endorsement stories, which can help turn that next sales meeting into gold.

Nevertheless, in recent years, demand for high-quality case studies to support a company’s sales strategy has grown significantly. Customers are increasingly pressurising suppliers to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits that a particular solution can bring.

In recognition of this growing need, this article examines the benefits of case studies, outlines how to write a compelling success story and demonstrates why it may make sense to outsource this task to a consultancy with the expertise and resources to deliver first-class results.

Planning a Sales Case Study

Broadly speaking, technology case studies fall into two main categories. Those written to meet the brief of a particular magazine or other publication and those intended for use as collateral, to aid sales teams in their battle to close deals with potential customers. In this article, we focus on the latter.

Before you begin writing a sales case study, it is essential that you carry out the necessary preparation. There are two key steps: interviewing and research.

Interviewing should never be carried out cold. Before picking up the phone, it is important to do the necessary research into the story so that you go into the interview fully prepared.

However, it is also vital to ensure that your interviewee is as well prepared as possible. A good way to do this is to organise the interview and a list of key questions to send to the interviewee several days in advance.

Ideally, you should carry out interviews with at least two and possibly three individuals. Firstly, you will need to talk to the project manager who made the sale, primarily about the implementation process itself. Secondly, you should call the primary contact at the end customer to find out the key benefits the company has gained from the new solution.

Depending on the nature of the story, you may also need to talk to a contact at the supplier’s partner or reseller, particularly if they have actually installed the system themselves.

The Writing Process

As case studies focus on a problem the supplier company has solved, the writer needs to be very careful in how he presents that problem. Anything that suggests weakness in the client’s customer will not represent either organisation well.

Ideally a sales case study should start with a short executive summary, which contains a condensed version of what is to follow: covering the challenge, solution and benefits. This approach helps to provide clear signposting for the reader enabling him to appreciate the structure and content of the case study more clearly.

Within the main body of the story, the following areas need to be addressed:

The challenge: i.e. the “pain” the customer was experiencing, why they needed a solution. Within this section, it is often valuable to paint a picture of the marketplace within which your company operates and the industry factors which drive it.

Your focus should be on the specific business challenge faced and what the company was hoping to achieve by implementing a solution.

The solution: what was the answer? This section should examine the sales process, look in detail at the chosen solution and carefully explain exactly why it was chosen. Cover not just why the system was selected but why a solution from this particular supplier was chosen.

How were the challenges addressed? This section should show how the chosen solution specifically addressed the challenges being faced.

The benefits: what is the situation now? How is it better? This is arguably the most important section of the case study. It should describe the benefits you are now experiencing following the implementation of the chosen solution. It should then outline how the current solution compares with the previous system used.

Future plans: Has this solution led to any further developments? Wherever possible, the case study should include reference to your ongoing strategy and should seek to link this with your use of the system itself.

Tips on Style

There are certain rules of thumb to bear in mind when developing a sales case study, which are not always relevant when writing for a specific publication.

Structure: This should be more linear and chronological than in case studies targeted at specific publications and should NOT use a news hook (which risks aging the story).

Sentence length should be short and a straightforward narrative style avoided. Single-clause, punchy sentences should be used throughout;

Acronyms don’t necessarily have to be spelled out. A judgement on this issue should be made depending on the intended audience;

Reduced formality of style, e.g. using ‘it’s’ rather than ‘it is’ where appropriate;

General tone can include more client key messages and other subjective statements that would be out of place in editorial copy;

Consumer copy should focus on the human interest angle as much as possible;

Present tense should be used for all benefit statements, e.g. ‘The solution delivers improved productivity and continues to reduce operating costs.’

Taking the Outsourcing Option

Whatever story you have to tell, the crucial skill is in telling it accurately and effectively, with all the relevant facts and details that will paint a picture for your potential customers of just how capable a company you are. Your piece will then become an effective tool for increasing sales opportunities.

As we have seen, developing a case study is relatively straightforward, however, it can be a particularly time-consuming process. The good news is that there are a number of organisations such as Whiteoaks that, using experienced and expert teams of writers can supply a professional service tailored to your requirements. The end result will be a powerful set of sales tools and ultimately increased revenues for your company.

About the author

Gill Craig is co-founding director of The Whiteoaks Consultancy. She has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and PR roles in-house, at ad agencies, direct marketing houses and PR consultancies. She is a full member of the UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and was Wessex Businesswoman of the Year in 2004