«Return to Blog List When Customers Won’t Give Up Measurable Results for Case Studies
The proof is in the numbers.
If you ask companies what’s most important in their customer case studies, 9 out of 10 would likely say measurable results.
But drawing metrics out of customers can be agonizing. You ask a question. The customer hems and haws and doesn’t provide a concrete answer. You ask it a different way. No go.
What’s a case study writer to do?
Find Your Inner Sleuth
I’ve been tapping into my inner sleuth lately. Perhaps it’s all the mystery and pirate-themed books I’ve been reading recently with my toddler, but I find the treasure hunt for alternatives to customer-provided measurable results can actually be fun.
In the absence of customer-supplied results, you have to look for other data points that tie into the story you’re telling. Your best source: the featured customer’s web site.
The customer’s website may reveal insightful details about revenue and profit growth, changes in market share, growth of company divisions, customer satisfaction ratings, and more.
IF you can tie any of the metrics publicly displayed on a customer’s website with your story, then you’ve got a metric you can drop in.
Let’s look at a couple of examples…
An Italian Public Aerospace Company
The featured customer – an Italian aerospace company – needs information about industries and global regions in order to plan strategically as it grows beyond Italy and Europe.
The website indicates that “55% of its revenue now comes from outside Italy.” Great stat because my client provides information to help this company make decisions about new geographic markets.
While it’s not a result that we can tie exclusively to work with my client, it does indicate that the customer is moving toward its goal of being a global company.
A French Automotive Supplier
For a recent case study, the featured customer is a leader in automotive innovation, something that my client assists with.
We didn’t have a direct measurable result, but the company was recognized for the first time in an important ranking of the top 100 global innovators. Very cool. It’s a strong data point to support the story’s theme.
Where to Hunt
Where do you find this information? Search customer websites for information such as…
- Revenue growth
- Profit growth
- Changes in market share
- Rankings
- Awards
What if the featured customer is not a public company and doesn’t share financial information publicly?
Look at other indicators of progress such as releasing new products, opening new locations, moving into new markets or winning awards. Find numbers when you can and resort to qualitative information when you have to.
Be creative, be resourceful, and you’ll get a more hard-hitting case study.
