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We hear the objections all the time:

"We're not ready to endorse your product at this time."

"Our executives won't sign off on it."

"We don't want to tip our hand to our competitors."

"We don't do case studies with our vendors."

Excuses like those are a veil for not executing. Even as social media brings clients and vendors together to "engage in the conversation," you'd think that case studies would be easier to develop. But they are no less challenging than before.

In the face of hard resistance from clients, most B2B marketers manage to publish only a smattering of case studies.

Yet a few B2B companies stand out. Several interviewed for this article have strategically produced dozens (in one case, over 100) client case studies. Their success with case studies is not due to their products' superiority, but to their straightforward and calculated techniques for getting clients on board. As a result, their sales teams benefit from broad collections of case studies and first-class reference programs. This article reveals their secrets.

A Tale of Two Companies

Chapter 1: NormalCorp, a Familiar Story

Jennifer is a marketing director at NormalCorp, a midsize B2B company. Her CMO, knowing the value of case studies, tells her she needs to produce 20 good ones this year. Jennifer starts by emailing the sales team and asking for customers who would "be willing to talk." To her delight, she gets an overwhelmingly positive response from most of the reps: "Of course, they'll talk. They love me and they love us!"

But as Jennifer starts to reach out for interviews, she realizes things are a lot more clear-cut than she thought. Reps are busy; many are lackadaisical in their screening and don't arrange interviews. Clients are busy, too. They want to know the questions ahead of time. They respond with questions that indicate they are unfamiliar with the process: "What magazine will the case study be printed in?" and, the most dreaded of all, "Let me check with Legal."

After months of cajoling and rescheduling meetings, Jennifer ends the year with six case studies and a few more in the works. What's worse, the case studies don't represent all of the most lucrative target markets. Some stories are good, but others are less than compelling. Still, after all the trouble, Jennifer (and her boss) are relieved to have gotten what they have. The sales reps, however, are less than impressed.

Chapter 2: BetterBiz, an Exemplary Tale

BetterBiz is NormalCorp's competitor. Rob, its marketing director, receives a pipeline report indicating that a prospect in the healthcare industry, looking to buy BetterBiz's mid-tier product, has just been upgraded to an "A" opportunity with a 90% probability to close. Contracts are being drawn up, and the prospect's executives will be in-house on Friday.

"Bingo," Rob says. "Sales needs a story for the mid-tier line in healthcare." Rob calls the sales rep to learn about the deal. "The CIO has been our strongest advocate," the sales rep says. "She'll have some great quotes." Rob also contacts his director of professional services, who will be in charge of implementation. He will keep Rob informed about the new client's launch plans, and how they will measure success. Rob also touches base with Legal, making sure they have the standard client reference and case study language in the contract to set expectations that this is a normal part of the client/vendor relationship. From Rob's colleagues in PR, he receives a list of healthcare-industry publications that the new client will want coverage in. He briefs his boss (the CMO) to be ready to discuss opportunities with the prospect at a Friday meeting, including the user conference in April.

Ten weeks later, the prospect has become a customer. Rob has stayed informed about the implementation and knows how BetterBiz's product has benefited the client's company. He has also arranged an introduction with Jo, the client's director of corporate communications. He calls Jo, practitioner-to-practitioner, to discuss how to publicize the success of the project. His plan: pitch an article to three healthcare pubs, submit an abstract for a healthcare conference, and present the article as a case study at next fall's BetterBiz user conference.

The Clear Winner

Sound familiar? NormalCorp certainly understands the value of case studies—that is, the value to NormalCorp. But no one thought about the value to the client. Jennifer approached the process like many companies do, as a one-time, ad hoc project; accordingly, each client was essentially asked to do a favor for NormalCorp's marketing department.

On the other hand, Rob isn't pitching a case study; he's rounding up members of a team—aligned throughout his company and the client company—touching the legal, PR, services, and executive departments. He positions the case study not as a favor that the new client grants to BetterBiz but as one item in a benefit-laden customer program.

Balance the Bargain

For you as a B2B marketer, case studies have tremendous benefit. They position your company as a safe and credible vendor. Few sales support tools are more powerful.

But for your clients, the value is not so apparent. You are asking your clients for a big favor: a public endorsement. In return, they may perceive nothing but competitive, legal, and branding risks. That's hardly a good bargain.

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Secrets of Case Study Winners: How B2B Marketers Can Create Successful Programs

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul McKeon is the president of The Content Factor (www.contentfactor.com), a content-generation and information-architecture firm based in Atlanta. Reach him via 770-457-2489 ext. 227 or pmckeon@contentfactor.com.