How We Helped Growth Plays Get Customers Worth $800M+ Over the Finish Line

Growth Plays wanted to shorten the long, complex sales cycles of their enterprise clients with the incontrovertible evidence of case studies—but didn’t have the resources to produce them in-house.

So they decided to partner with Case Study Buddy. 

B2B Marketing
Industry

Growth Plays is a content strategy and SEO consultancy specializing in helping B2B technology businesses plan, build, and refine marketing initiatives that drive huge growth.

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Assets Created:

  • Narrative Written Pieces
  • Snapshot Written Pieces
  • One-Sheets
  • Slide Decks

Challenge

Lacking persuasive assets to expedite closing

John-Henry Scherck, owner of Growth Plays, is a master at helping B2B technology companies create content strategies that deliver explosive growth. Despite his success, attracting and converting new clients still took a lot of time and resources.

His target customers are incredibly niche: B2B SaaS companies with up to $200 million in funding and valuations of $800m or more. 

John-Henry was used to a long and complex sales cycle, with multiple time-consuming touch points—it’s often required to land enterprise clients. Back-and-forth was common, and even after lead gen it took a lot of personal communication to win the trust of decision-makers.

He wanted to cut through that. John-Henry needed an asset that effortlessly and instantly demonstrated Growth Plays’ unique value. And he knew what his clients would love…

“For the clients I’m trying to attract, case studies are the preferred content format. They read them day in and day out,” John-Henry explains.

“I needed to create a case study that hit the same level a leading B2B SaaS company would expect from a best-in-class vendor. One which went beyond the statistics and showed our process, how we work with customers, and how we create meaningful pipelines.”

Managing the process in-house would be the safest way to assure quality, but John-Henry knew that his team was already completely focused on client work. They simply didn’t have the hours to vet a client, obtain buy-in, conduct an interview, and then write, edit, and design a case study.

“By my estimate just managing that process would take a full week,” John-Henry says.

The only other option was hiring a third party. But putting your clients and brand reputation in the hands of someone else? That’s nerve-wracking.

“I was most worried about introducing a team, who I had no prior experience of working with, to one of my most trusted and loyal clients,” says John-Henry.

“My other worry was I wouldn’t be able to find someone who could tell my story in a way that touched on the nuance of what we’re trying to do. The content needed to be honed and specific—and able to convince buyers that I was capable of raising their revenue at breakneck speed.”

John-Henry needed a case study specialist with a proven process. This asset was too important to trust to an amateur; he wanted the best-of-the-best.

“I needed to find a team that could fully manage every step of this huge process, package it up in a format my clients wanted to consume, and take the onus off me,” he says.

His standards were sky-high. He needed a partner that took content just as seriously as he did. Enter Case Study Buddy.

“I needed to find a team that could fully manage every step of this huge process, package it up in a format my clients wanted to consume, and take the onus off me.”

John-Henry Scherck (Founder & CEO, Growth Plays)

Solution

A process that takes the time, stress, and hassle out of case study creation

John-Henry found it easy to choose Case Study Buddy. Two key areas stood out:

    1. Team of specialists: case studies are all they do
    2. Pitch-perfect process:  from start-to-finish they understand how to prep for, create, and distribute compelling customer success stories.

“I’m a big believer in ‘process.’ When Case Study Buddy described theirs, it was meticulous,” he says. “With their proven methodology, there wasn’t a chance the results wouldn’t be what we wanted.” 

After the kick-off call, every last lingering fear dissipated. Case Study Buddy took the time to understand his brand. They delved into Growth Plays’ key differentiators and business growth goals. From the get-go, their expertise and professionalism shone through.

“I immediately got the sense that Case Study Buddy wasn’t putting me through a conveyor-belt process or giving me some generic formula,” says John-Henry.

Before taking the reins, Case Study Buddy asked John-Henry to complete a short project brief. This gave him a chance to share his goals for the case study, clarify which prospects he was trying to engage, and share his side of the story.

That was nearly the last time he had to lift a finger. Case Study Buddy took it from there, delivering:

  • Start to finish project management
Case Study Buddy ran the entire process, from scheduling interviews to keeping
timelines on track. John-Henry was always in the loop so he knew what was coming down the line, but he rarely needed to involve himself with queries and emails.
  • Expert interview that put his client at ease
Case Study Buddy scheduled an interview and conducted a quick and
professional call with his client that was respectful of their time and privacy.
Carefully conceived questions drew out all the juiciest details and the courteous,
professional interviewer immediately put the client at ease.
  • Writing that resonates with his target audience
Case Study Buddy’s copywriter took quotes from the interview + industry research
+ the case study brief to craft an on-brand and engaging case study story.
 
John-Henry had hoped the story would explore the specifics of his team’s process and the rocket-fueled growth they help customers achieve. He wasn’t disappointed. Approvals were quick and edits minimal.
  • On-brand and beautiful final design
It’s hard to beat a good story… unless it’s a good story that immediately draws the
eye and matches your unique brand and personality.
 
That’s what Growth Plays got—an asset that looked like it had emerged from the
in-house art department, except Case Study Buddy handled it all.
 
As John-Henry tells it, “Case Study Buddy’s communication kept me up to
date and made it easy to understand what inputs I needed to provide to
be able to move forward. Even better, I didn’t have to spend a lot of time
going over copy and creative, because it was all such a high standard.”
 

“I immediately got the sense that Case Study Buddy wasn’t putting me through a conveyor-belt process or giving me some generic formula.”

John-Henry Scherck (Founder & CEO, Growth Plays)

Results

Sales process transformed with faster sales cycle and ‘one-call’ closes

John-Henry quickly had his case study in hand. The only question: what to do with it?

He started by baking it into Growth Plays’ sales process. At the end of every sales call and follow-up, his team shares the story via DocSend.

“Having such a professional, buttoned-up case study, shows folks I’m serious, that I know what I’m doing, and that I bring real results to the table,” he says.

They then started using the eye-catching asset across their sales funnel to close more deals and convert opportunities faster. When prospects are warmer and closer to purchase, it’s usually the last push they need to close.

“Our case study plays an instrumental role in showing folks exactly what work we do and proves we can create similar success for their brand,” he says. “We know that leads read it—on every deal we close, we can see they spend a lot of time with the case study.”

After measuring who’s reading the stories and for long, John-Henry confirms that his case study is among Growth Plays’ most-engaged-with content. He loves having it on hand when enterprise-level clients are on the fence.

As for working with Case Study Buddy, John-Henry was floored by just how easy the process was from his vantage.

“I’m pretty particular about how my brand is represented and the language we use to describe our offering,” John-Henry says. “Case Study Buddy articulated that well and brought that energy into the case study.”

Working with Case Study Buddy saved him time and money. They provide such a hassle-free and enjoyable service that he recommends them without hesitation.

“Any company that doesn’t have a fully fleshed out sales operation, or an art department to publish case studies, would get a lot of benefit from Case Study Buddy,” he says.

“If you want to save time, money, and resources—and have a solid case study to support a B2B sales environment—hire Case Study Buddy.” 

“Our case study plays an instrumental role in showing folks exactly what work we do and proves we can create similar success for their brand.”

John-Henry Scherck (Founder & CEO, Growth Plays)

Losing money to long sales cycles?

Case Study Buddy helps you communicate your value faster and win more clients. 

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How to capture video

testimonials at live events

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The Big List of 100 Ways to Use Your Case Studies

If your case studies and video testimonials live only on the customer success page of your website, you’re missing out. You can do SO MUCH MORE with these versatile assets.

Get our actionable guide to using case studies across your sales and marketing funnel (and beyond) to wring out every ounce of value.