Stories that Sell Blog
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. . .
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. . .
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. . .
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. . .
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,. . .
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.. . .
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. . .
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 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. . .
When a One-Page Success Story is Plenty»
Right now I’m creating a series of success stories for a telecom company. In discussions with them, it made sense to keep them to one page each. So how do. . .
Snazz-Up Case Studies with Industry Photos»
Photos make customer stories much more engaging. But it can be tough to get quality shots of actual customer sites or consistent-looking head shots of customer contacts that are spread. . .
Legal Release Form: Going the Way of the Dodo?»
I’ve noticed an interesting trend the past year as I manage customer case studies for my clients. Increasingly, companies are eschewing a legal release form once used to get customers’. . .
Whatever You’re Selling, Details Sell»
I recently learned personally just how important details are in marketing and sales. Preparing to move to Boulder, CO, I’ve been looking at housing online. I found I was much. . .
The Ever-Important “Saved” Interview Questionnaire»
I was reminded again today just how important it is to have a written set of interview questions saved for each product/service I develop customer stories for. A hospital contact. . .
Storytelling for Causes»
I’ve long thought that nonprofits/causes should tell more of their success stories as they pursue donors, sponsors, grants, volunteers, etc. Kivi Leroux Miller wrote a great post this week, “Five. . .
How Do You End a Case Study?»
I’m back after a refreshing little break and am ready to talk customer stories! Recently, I’ve been thinking about the ways that you can “end” a customer story. There’s no. . .
What Do You Want Your Story to Be?»
One of Seth Godin’s blog posts today had a really insightful observation about stories in business. We’re not talking specifically about customer stories here, but about what you want the. . .
Turn Case Studies Back to Customers – Quickly!»
In managing customer stories, I’ve noticed an odd phenomenon: Customers often mirror the level of urgency of the vendor company in reviewing and approving their stories. Here’s what I mean:. . .
How About Suggesting ROI to Featured Customers?»
I just wrote a customer story where the interview subject was somewhat reserved. His company hasn’t used the software for all that long, so he spoke conservatively about the benefits. . .
Why Customer Stories are a Website Must-Have»
Here’s a little Friday reminder about the importance of case studies on your website. A colleague forwarded an interesting article this morning that appeared in MarketingProfs. “Creating Your Company’s Own. . .
