Casey Hibbard's Stories That Sell Blog

Customer Success Stories Make Splash with the Media

I've been following the U.S. Olympic trials for swimming this past week. The new Speedo swimsuit seems to be making a bigger splash than the athletes wearing them.

That's because the suit itself has so many success stories tied to it. Since Speedo introduced the suit in February, more than 40 new world records have been set by athletes wearing it. It's seen as such a competitive advantage that athletes are considering defecting from current sponsors to wear it. Wow!

In interviews for magazines, newspapers and on TV, reporters ask about the suits and swimmers just rave.

Here's a CNN clip on the LZR Speedo suit.

In this case, the product and athletes' success were so noticeable that the suit spoke for itself. Speedo doesn't need to create its own formal case studies. But it just goes to show you the power of compelling stories tied to a product or service - especially in generating media coverage.

I'm always on the lookout for real examples of customer success stories in action. Feel free to share whenever you come across one.

Share Your Promo Plan with Customers

When you're trying to get customers to agree to be featured in a customer story, details sell -- especially details about how the customer will gain exposure too.

I was on a brainstorming call this morning with a client that's trying to feature several big-name customers in case studies.

The question: How does the client approach each of these customers in a way that will maximize the outcome? First, how do you encourage the customer to agree? And second, how do we get the company to agree to publicizing details that will make the story stronger?

Giving customers a clear plan for how you will leverage a customer story is key here. With representatives from sales, marketing and PR on this call, we were able to come up with all the ways that the case study will be used. In turn, the company can provide an overview to the client regarding how it will be used in sales opportunities, for marketing activities like trade shows, and pitched to specific publications.

Share this joint promotional plan with the end customer, and ideally the customer's own PR team beforehand.

It takes some advance planning and prep, but the end result is worth it: a public case study featured a well-known company by name.

These are a few of my favorite leads...

The typical ghost story begins, "It was a dark and stormy night..." While it's now become cliche, it's a good lead sentence because you want to know more. The scene has been set, encouraging the reader or listener to continue.

 

The same goes for the lead on a customer success story or case study. How you open your story either grasps the reader right there, or loses him/her.

 

That's why I encourage writers and companies to move "About" sections to the end of customer stories and begin with engaging copy from the first sentence. It's no different than reading a feature story in a magazine or newspaper.

 

Here are a few of my own favorite leads from customer stories. I'd love to hear some of yours.

 

Tennessee is more than 600 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. But as far as HR Widget Company was concerned, the Chattanooga-based company's HR department was struggling to navigate a phenomenon it called, "The Bermuda Triangle."

 

 

For a few weeks out of the year, Bob Smith's job keeps him up at night.

 

 

NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens uses it, as does former Boston Marathon winner and current running coach Alberto Salazar. From pro sports teams to college athletics to children and adults with injuries or disabilities, therapy pools have been the answer for low-impact training, and faster recovery and rehabilitation.

 

What are some of your favorite leads - either your own or those you've seen? Please share!

 

Adding Interest with Video Testimonials

You can capture and leverage customer successes in dozens of different ways. Video testimonials are a nice complement to longer success stories and case studies.

Add video testimonials to gain attention and enhance credibility on your web site. Put them right on the home page. They pique interest and encourage visitors to learn more with other resources on your site.

I like the way Parature does this. The customer service software company features screen shots from video testimonials scrolling across the top of its home page. You can click on each one to hear what that person has to say.

Keep these sound bites short, and give visitors the option of watching more of an interview or reading the full story.

Customer Results: The #1 Way to Start a Sales Conversation

Jill Konrath's (author of Selling to Big Companies) blog post today drives home what you have to communiate when selling anything: stress results.

Jill writes:

Statements about your company and what it does are NOT value propositions. Period. They are not value propositions.

If you want to get decision makers "at hello", you need to clearly articulate the results the customers can expect from using your product, service or solution. That's results, spelled
R-E-S-U-L-T-S.

If you really want to "get them at hello," then make sure you:

Talk results.
Decision makers don't care about your products or services. They only care about the results they'll see. Stress that and you'll catch their attention. Omit those results and you've lost them.

Get real.
Refer to actual client successes and include measures or statistics. Success stories from other companies in their industry are especially compelling. By giving specific examples, you really pique their curiosity.

When selling, don't just use a case study in a packet of collateral. Weave in salient results from other customers at every opportunity - in voice mail messages, emails, letters, and every conversation.

Have a great weekend!

Customer Successes in Advertising: AT&T's "Small Business Moments"

While reading Fast Company magazine, I came across an AT&T ad featuring a customer success story. The ad's headline read "Chad Harris' Small Business Moment."

It went on to highlight, in a paragraph, how the business owner seized an opportunity with his smartphone and AT&T Small Business Solutions. He checked inventory, got pricing and submitted a bid - all from a remote jobsite - and won the job. The full-page ad also features what looks like a stone monument of Harris with his smartphone in one hand and a shovel in the other.

It's attractive and engaging - and a great example of using customer success stories in advertising. The ad encourages readers to read about more of these moments online.

In advertising, you can capture customer success stories in short snippets like this or in longer advertorials. But no matter which length you choose, it has to tell a story. AT&T succeeds in telling this story in 5 sentences.

I'm always on the lookout for great examples of using customer stories in sales, marketing and PR. Anytime you run across one, let me know!

This Headline Could be Better

Titles and headlines can make or break a marketing piece. It's the first thing a reader sees on a customer success story.

Admittedly, it's something I could use help with. I struggle with trying to pack too much into a short space.

So, I just signed up for a class offered by WhitePaperSource called "Writing Compelling Titles and Headlines." It's the first class I've seen that covers this exclusively, so there should be some great insight. And it's taught by an authority on headlines.

If you write regularly, you might want to check it out too.

Where Do You Find Customer Successes?

It can be tough to find customer successes within your customer base. Online customer forums help organizations uncover those stories, says Alexandra Tursi of Kelliher Samets Volk.

Her recent blog post, The Upside of Online Buzz, recommends online forums to learn the good and the bad about customer experiences. But sometimes the good is really good - and worth capturing.

Utilize customer forums to engage in honest conversations with users of your product. Often, you’ll be delighted to discover how customers are using your product or service. This also opens the door to gaining genuine insight into a product or service’s successes or failures. From a public relations perspective, this is also a good way to show that a company is listening to valid complaints or questions and responding. A benefit to all in the end. Our client Concept2 has been doing this for years and it's helped the PR team find wonderful customer stories that have turned into media hits.

Don't Leave Customers in the Dark

I've had a week filled with customer permission and approval issues. It's often the toughest part of the case study process.

With one client, it became apparent that we needed a way to clearly communicate the details of the customer story process to the company's customers to assist with permission and approval. Before moving ahead, featured customers need to know what's involved and what's in it for them.

We decided to create a one-sheet with the basics...

- What this is - a story highlighting the relationship between vendor and customer, and benefits

- The process

- How much of the customer's time it takes

- How it will be used

- How it benefits the customer - this part might vary by customer, but it's important to identify it for them

Then, be ready to send a sample story as well so everyone knows what to expect and what the end result looks like. Consider creating a similar one-sheet as you approach customers.

A Tribute to the PPD

I have to admit I'm impressed. A client provided a detailed PPD - Product Positioning Document - for a project. I rarely see such organized documentation.

The PPD doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves. It answers all the questions I would typically ask my client about a product in order to start success stories or case studies:

• A description of the product
• The market situation
• Audience - types of industries and types of individuals
• Value proposition
• Pain points
• Differentiators
• Benefits
• Competitive overview

Such rich information! This way, I don't have to track down my busy contacts on the phone before getting started on customer stories. Plus, when everyone works off the same doc, there's consistency all around.

When I'm ready to interview a customer, I know what type of information I'm after to ensure the story matches up with my client's goals.

Once created, the PPD saves time for all. If you're an organization, try to provide this information to your case study writer. If you're a writer, try to get these details out of your contacts.