The right case studies are a very important part of every Content Marketing campaign. They add weight to white papers, emails and articles. They explain how a customer used a company’s service or product to resolve a problem it had and succeeded in growing its sales or profits.
The 3 Parts of Every Case Study
First – An Overview of the Problem
The company explains the problem the customer had and its cost to them.
Second – The Service or Product the Company Supplied and How It Resolved the Problem
The company explains how their service or product resolved the problem their customer had
Third – The Impact Resolving the Problem Had on the Customer’s Business
The company explains how resolving the problem impacted the customer’s bottom line. They let the reader know how much sales increased or profits rose.
Companies can send case studies to prospects they know have the same type of problem they resolved for their customer. They are also frequently on their website for prospects to read.
There are many great case studies. At the same time, there are . . .
. . . Far Too Many Doing a Very Poor Job.
Let’s look at one example. This is one for a management consulting company, Centurion Consulting. While fictional, you will find many similar ones on the Internet.
Company – Acme Manufacturing
Problem
In 2014 and 2015, Acme Manufacturing started to lose customers. Some were customers who had been with Acme for years. Others were customers who bought once and did not buy again.
Action taken
Acme hired Centurion Consulting. Centurion’s Consultants cane in and worked with Acme’s supervisory and management employees. Changes were made.
Results
Acme started to see its sales increase in 2016. They have steadily increased in 2017. No more long-term customers have been lost.
This study tells you the problem, the action taken and the results. However, how would you rate it?
If Your Company Was Losing Customers, Would This Study Move You to Hire Centurion?
Most probably not.
While very logical, the study doesn’t tell you if the problem Acme had matches the problem your company has.
- It doesn’t tell you how much it was costing Acme.
- It doesn’t explain what changes Centurion’s consultants specifically had Acme’s supervisory and management employees make.
- It also doesn’t indicate how much sales increased and whether Acme would have lost any more long-term customers.
The study just has facts and doesn’t grab you emotionally.
Now Look at the Case Study Rewritten
Company – Acme Manufacturing
Problem
The executive team at Acme Manufacturing was very concerned. In 2014 and 2015, the company’s sales dropped. Initially the drop was small but every passing month the decline steepened.
Acme was not only not making sales they normally would make during that period. The long- term customers they had for years were no longer buying from them as frequently. They were going to their competitors instead. In the 24 months, Acme’s sales dropped $150,000. They had to stop the bleeding quickly.
Action Taken
The president of Acme was a member of a Mastermind group with the presidents and executives of eight other companies. At a meeting, he told them of Acme’s problem. Two told him their companies hired Centurion Consulting to help them correct similar problems. Centurion did a great job in a short period of time.
Acme’s president discussed this with his executive staff. They brought in Centurion to review their operations, identify the problem or problems and recommend changes to correct them.
Centurion moved quickly. Within a week of signing a contract, Centurion sent 10 consultants in to Acme’s offices to review its operations.
Within 4 weeks, they identified the main problem. In the last 5 years, there was more and more competition for the business Acme was after. Acme’s executives grew more and more concerned. At the beginning of 2014, they felt they were under the gun. They required all of their employees to do more.
The employees had to work longer hours. However, pays were not increased. Acme went from a fun place to work to one where the employees were anxious and worried. All they wanted to do was to get their work done and get out quickly. In 6 months, 20% of the employees quit. These were employees who had been with the company 5 to 15 years.
Acme’s customers and prospects picked up on the anxiety and frustration of its employees. Acme stopped providing the service they were known for. Products were not delivered on time. Customers lost business because of the delays.
Centurion developed a master plan to retrain Acme’s executive team, managers and supervisors. The focus of this plan was three-fold:
first, to help Acme’s employees feel valued for the great work they did,
second, to make Acme a fun place for them to work, and
third, to help them realize how important it was for them to provide exceptional service to Acme’s customers.
Because of the loss of business Acme could not afford to give employees pay increases. So, they rewarded them in other ways. Here are some of the ways:
At least once a month they had a party at work where something special was celebrated.
The company also sponsored an outing once a month during June, July and August for the employees and their families.
Every other month from September through May, employees were given tickets to movies, concerts and special events for themselves and their families.
Acme implemented the plan in January of 2016. Within a short time, employee morale started to rise. Within 3 months, most employees were excited about working for Acme. Productivity rose 15%.
Customer service improved dramatically. By the end of 2016, prospects and customers were regularly complimenting Acme for the service they received.
During the first 6 months of 2016, only one long term customer was lost. That one apologized for leaving but they said they had to. Their business had taken a substantial downturn and they had to go with a competitor who offered a much lower price.
During the second half of 2016, Acme added 4 new customers. These purchased because of the positive comments they heard from existing customers about how great Acme was. These four sales totaled $45,000.
Acme’s business has continued to boom. In the first 6 months of 2017, 20 new customers were added and their purchases totaled $215,000.
Results
Because of Centurion’s fast action, Acme’s bleeding was stopped quickly. Centurion recommendations were implemented fully. Employee morale improved dramatically. That led to increased productivity and far more customer satisfaction.
Since January of 2016, only one long term customers have been lost 24 new customers have been added. $260,000 in sales have been made.
The cost of Centurion’s services was minimal when compared to the additional sales Acme made.
Which Case Study Caught Your Attention?
If your company had the same problem Acme did, which one would have prompted you to call Centurion?
Remember . . .
. . . case studies are an important part of your Content Marketing campaigns. You want any prospect reading them to call your company and find out if your company can do the same for them. If the prospect doesn’t do that, you want them to add your company to the list of three or four companies in the final running for the service or product they need.
A case study that does less is not doing its job.
