Jun
19
Wouldn’t it be nice if you never had to market your services again…ever. Imagine, prospects would just show up on your door and say, “I am ready to do business with you, here’s my credit card, let’s get started.” Time to wake-up from Fantasy Land.
Prospects usually don’t just show up and say “Let’s get started…” oh sure, it can happen, but usually a prospect will need a good reason to do business with you. So what reason do you give your prospects? A fantastic way to convert prospects into clients is to prove you can help them. Prove that you are the expert to work with. Prove that you can and do get results. One of the best ways to prove it and show results is the case study.
If you’re not utilizing case studies, you’re really missing out on a powerful sales and marketing tool. A well done case study can prove to your prospect that you are indeed the expert to hire. Any small business owner can and should develop case studies for several reasons:
Case studies are a very effective and non-threatening way to market the results you can and have achieved with your clients.
Case studies are very believable, because you’re not selling yourself…the results you and your client achieved are selling yourself.
Case studies are very easy to create. And, the only cost involved is the paper they’re printed on.
To develop a compelling case study for your services, follow these steps:
First, look over your client list. Choose 3 to 5 clients that have achieved outstanding results as a result of you working together. Choose the businesses that have really benefited in a profound way. The bigger the results, the more proof you are giving your prospects that you are the right choice.
Second, fire up your word processor and begin writing. The first section of a case study is the problem or background. What was the client’s situation before you came on to the scene? What did they struggle with? What did they want fixed or changed? What was it that made them need or want to hire a business like yours?
For example: John Doe suffered from severe migraine headaches. Most of the time his headaches were so painful that he would have to take the day off and stay in bed. He had visited his doctor several times and was given a prescription to help with the pain, but the headaches just kept getting worse.
After the problem or background, the next section of a case study is the process. Spell out exactly what you did for the client to address and fix the problem you just described.
The first step in eradicating John’s headaches was to do a complete neurological physical examination. We also took a close look at John’s diet, including what he ate and drank and any allergies he may be suffering from. Lastly we did a thorough blood chemistry to check for any irregularities that may be triggering the migraines.
Next are the results. This is the meat and potatoes of your case study. Don’t hold back, spell out in detail exactly what the client got, how things improved and how satisfied they were. If you have hard data or statistics… even better. This is the prove it of the entire case study, so make sure it’s compelling.
It was discovered in John’s blood chemistry and allergy testing that certain fruit juices that John drank for breakfast every morning were the leading cause of his migraines. Many people do not realize they have food allergies and most of the traditional medical community fail to look for subtle allergies in helping diagnose the root cause of problems such as migraines.
After a small tweak in John’s diet and a 2-week detox regimen, John’s headaches disappeared. It has been over six months since we saw John. Since then, he has not suffered from a single migraine or even a mild headache.
Had we not conducted our thorough blood chemistry and allergy testing on John, his migraines would have never been properly diagnosed.
Last, wrap it up with a call to action. You have just told a story of a client with a problem or issue, what you did to solve it and what the results were, now its time to get the prospect to call you so you can show them how you can achieve the same results for them.
Do you suffer from debilitating migraines like John? Have you tried prescription medications with no luck? If John’s story sounds familiar AAA Alternative Health Clinic can help. We have helped over 1100 clients rid their lives from migraines and other common health ailments. We get to the root cause of your problem and then eradicate it completely. And, our services are a fraction of the cost of traditional medicine. Give us a call today for a complementary consultation.
That’s it! Those are the very simple, yet very powerful steps of a great case study. Obviously the examples I used are just something I pulled out of the air, but you get the idea. The main thing to remember is illustrate the story of powerful results. Powerful results are what really motivate a prospect to act.
Yep, case studies are a fantastic marketing tool and a must for your marketing toolbox. Give The Case Study a try. They really are an easy, powerful, persuasive way to prove to your prospects you really are the expert in your field.
Jeanna Pool is an Author and Marketing Consultant who helps solo-small business owners attract more clients on a consistent basis. Visit Jeanna’s website at www.MarketingThatWorks.com for practical marketing tips you can use to improve your small business marketing.
June 19, 2008
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