Quick Tip: 7 Powerful Words to Use When Asking for a Case Study

BY Joel Klettke

June 8, 2016

When asking for a case study, one sentence might make all the difference.

Real quick – what’s the BIGGEST reason clients say no to being featured in case studies?

There are plenty of reasons to choose from, whether they…

Think it will take too much time
Don’t want competitors to know what they’re doing
Haven’t been measuring results accurately over time
Aren’t sure what information they’ll be asked for
Are nervous about giving feedback

And so on.

But the real, root reason most clients don’t give you an emphatic “YES!” when asked to share a case study or customer success study can be boiled down to one word:

Control.

Clients HATE being in situations where they don’t have control over how they’re portrayed, what’s said and who gets to see it.

When being asked to share a story, they’re fearful that they’ll say something wrong and embarrass themselves or put their company in a bad position. As such, there’s a very natural reflex to protect themselves and their information from harm by saying no to anything that robs them of control.

There are a lot of ways to work past this fear with clients: Showing them the process, giving them examples of other stories that have been published, sharing what’s in it for them and more.

But there are seven simple words – one sentence – that you can start using immediately to improve the likelihood they’ll say yes:

“Nothing will be published without your approval.”

That sentence gives your client power. It shows them they still have control.

They know they’re going to be able to see and review a draft before anything goes live. They understand that they get a say in what is said and how it is shared.

And when you’re dealing with someone who’s nervous about making a fool of themselves, those words can make all the difference.

If you’re having trouble getting your clients to buy into being featured, ask yourself – “What am I doing to show them that they have control?” and see if those seven little words can help you make some progress.

Pssst – need more help getting buy-in? Case Study Buddy can help. Drop us a line!

Author

Joel Klettke

Founder

Joel founded Case Study Buddy to bring companies an end-to-end partner in tackling the challenges of case studies and testimonials. He's passionate about seeing B2B companies systematize, scale, and reap the rewards of customer success stories.

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