The phone was ringing. James looked at his watch, and sighed. 5 o’clock on a Friday, trouble the first thought in his head.

James sighed, feeling rather good.

Now you have praise from a client, what do you do with it?

Having a client who has praised your work is often a rare occurrence for many businesses, and when it happens, it is important to make the most of the opportunity. Good feedback that you can use is very powerful.

The ideal method of using good feedback from a client is a case study. Essentially a story, it works through the problems the client was facing, but more importantly how your solution solved that client’s problem. It instills a personal feel to the situation described through interviews with client’s staff, and key players within your own organization. The great thing is it has no real need to be sales orientated, and written well, can target common objections your sales staff encounter.

There are five key benefits from using case studies:

• They tell a story that prospects can understand
  Case studies can provide a tangible picture of other successes which can remove many objections around trust with your leads.
• They have a long effectiveness life
  Unlike some marketing collateral, case studies have a long effectiveness life. They can continue to be used year after year for the product or service being offered.
• Cost effective
  Compared to most other forms of collateral, case studies are very cost effective and can be used online, in trade magazine or even as information packs sent out with clients
• High conversion effectiveness
  Second only to White Papers, case studies are one of the most effective methods of converting a lead into a client.
• Quick to produce
  Compared to many forms of marketing collateral, case studies are relatively quick to get put together, the biggest issue being interviews with busy people.

For many companies, getting case studies put together can make a real difference to long sales cycles and closing deal. Case studies can assist in shortening the usual sale cycle by addressing prospects concerns more effectively than a sales person could do. Providing easy access to your case studies via your web site can have a positive effect on the quality of the leads.

Case studies are best done by professionals who have interview skills, and can also tell a great story. They also do take around 20 hours to put together, although non-professional writers can take up to 50 hours to put a case study together. From a cost perspective, most companies cannot afford to take key staff out of production for 50 hours, so outsourcing does make better sense.

By using a professional, you can also ensure the case study remains neutral from an emotional perspective. Staff talking to clients about how great they did can often come across as a little overbearing for the client, where as having someone independent ensure the client relationship has minimal undue pressure put on it.

Next time you have a happy client, remember, get a case study put together, you will benefit from increased sales for years to come.