Here's a test for you.
If you've written some case studies recently for your business, go and dig one of them out.
Now give a copy to the person in your firm who knows the least about what you do.
Get them to read it.
Once they've done that, ask them what the case study was about. See if what they say matches what you think it was about.
Odds are, it won't.
What's a case study actually for?
That's because most firms think a case study exists just to make their company sound great.
As a result, they end up with something that's too promotional - a glorified advert, in other words. And a bad advert, at that.
Typically, these either just say what you did in a dry way or else they're too full of praise. There are two problems with this.
The first is that hardly anyone is going to make it through your deadly dull prose.
At best they're going to skim it, because they're too busy to give it their full attention.
So God help you if your case study headline is just the name of the client - or if you've peppered it with subheadings such as: "The Challenge", "The Solution" or "The Benefits".
If you think that's going to get a skim reader to stop and pay attention then you must be happy losing sales, is all I can say.
If, despite making your case study as dull as you possibly can, some brave soul does struggle through it, that's when your second problem kicks in.
Why are you treating your prospects like fools?
When your case study is nothing but positive, only an idiot is going to believe it.
Now I'm sure you haven't deliberately set out to treat your prospects as idiots.
But if all you have to say was that everything went swimmingly, then you may as well have written the testimonials yourself and then got a happy customer to sign them off.
Indeed, that's exactly what many businesses do.
But when was the last time you installed some software without a hitch? Or you felt that your lawyer's fees were reasonable? Or you had good service from your bank?
Yeah, exactly. Even if everything did go off without a hitch, no one will believe it.
They won't believe you.
Talk to your customers
The answer is to dig deeper.
Ask really searching questions of your customers.
And also talk to customers who aren't so happy, or who you haven't spoken to in a while. What do they think?
Most businesses are scared to do this, thinking rightly that they will hear things they don't want to. Yet this is essential for three reasons:
Reason #1: You know what your customers actually think
When you give customers the chance to tell you how they really feel - and then listen to the answers - you'll get a more accurate picture of what your product does or does not do for them.
Just listening shows your customers you care. Even if your product isn't the best, this can help keep them loyal.
Reason #2: You can make your product better
When you know what's wrong with your product you can look for ways to make it better. Or if not that, then ways of improving your service.
The things you improve then become selling points you can mention in your advertising or marketing.
And they'll have the advantage of being true - benefits you know are real. Rather than the benefits you hope are real but which probably aren't.
(You know, just like the ones that litter 90% of all business case studies in existence.)
This will sound more credible - making it much more likely your marketing will bring in more customers.
Reason #3: Prospects will believe what you say
When you find some true stories about things that went wrong, you can fix them. This then makes for even happier customers.
They're likely then to give you a testimonial or material for a case study that will be more interesting than the typical dry or overly-promotional types.
More prospects will read them.
And when you're honest about things that went wrong and how you fixed them, your prospects will believe the other claims you make in your marketing too.
Plus, they'll realise you're aware of their problems and that you know how to solve them. They'll realise you listen to your customers and are willing to go further to make them happy.
This is the response most case studies are designed to get but the vast majority never do.
If you've written some case studies recently for your business, go and dig one of them out.
Now give a copy to the person in your firm who knows the least about what you do.
Get them to read it.
Once they've done that, ask them what the case study was about. See if what they say matches what you think it was about.
Odds are, it won't.
What's a case study actually for?
That's because most firms think a case study exists just to make their company sound great.
As a result, they end up with something that's too promotional - a glorified advert, in other words. And a bad advert, at that.
Typically, these either just say what you did in a dry way or else they're too full of praise. There are two problems with this.
The first is that hardly anyone is going to make it through your deadly dull prose.
At best they're going to skim it, because they're too busy to give it their full attention.
So God help you if your case study headline is just the name of the client - or if you've peppered it with subheadings such as: "The Challenge", "The Solution" or "The Benefits".
If you think that's going to get a skim reader to stop and pay attention then you must be happy losing sales, is all I can say.
If, despite making your case study as dull as you possibly can, some brave soul does struggle through it, that's when your second problem kicks in.
Why are you treating your prospects like fools?
When your case study is nothing but positive, only an idiot is going to believe it.
Now I'm sure you haven't deliberately set out to treat your prospects as idiots.
But if all you have to say was that everything went swimmingly, then you may as well have written the testimonials yourself and then got a happy customer to sign them off.
Indeed, that's exactly what many businesses do.
But when was the last time you installed some software without a hitch? Or you felt that your lawyer's fees were reasonable? Or you had good service from your bank?
Yeah, exactly. Even if everything did go off without a hitch, no one will believe it.
They won't believe you.
Talk to your customers
The answer is to dig deeper.
Ask really searching questions of your customers.
And also talk to customers who aren't so happy, or who you haven't spoken to in a while. What do they think?
Most businesses are scared to do this, thinking rightly that they will hear things they don't want to. Yet this is essential for three reasons:
Reason #1: You know what your customers actually think
When you give customers the chance to tell you how they really feel - and then listen to the answers - you'll get a more accurate picture of what your product does or does not do for them.
Just listening shows your customers you care. Even if your product isn't the best, this can help keep them loyal.
Reason #2: You can make your product better
When you know what's wrong with your product you can look for ways to make it better. Or if not that, then ways of improving your service.
The things you improve then become selling points you can mention in your advertising or marketing.
And they'll have the advantage of being true - benefits you know are real. Rather than the benefits you hope are real but which probably aren't.
(You know, just like the ones that litter 90% of all business case studies in existence.)
This will sound more credible - making it much more likely your marketing will bring in more customers.
Reason #3: Prospects will believe what you say
When you find some true stories about things that went wrong, you can fix them. This then makes for even happier customers.
They're likely then to give you a testimonial or material for a case study that will be more interesting than the typical dry or overly-promotional types.
More prospects will read them.
And when you're honest about things that went wrong and how you fixed them, your prospects will believe the other claims you make in your marketing too.
Plus, they'll realise you're aware of their problems and that you know how to solve them. They'll realise you listen to your customers and are willing to go further to make them happy.
This is the response most case studies are designed to get but the vast majority never do.
If you took my little test earlier and got the response I predicted, then take down any case studies you already have on your website. They're not doing you any good.
Instead, go and talk to your customers. Really talk to them. Then go back and try writing a case study from scratch.
Now you'll have something that will get you more sales rather than turn prospects off.
Instead, go and talk to your customers. Really talk to them. Then go back and try writing a case study from scratch.
Now you'll have something that will get you more sales rather than turn prospects off.
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