Why it’s good to blow your own trumpet

When it comes to customer service, we all know the age old adage that “customer is king”. If you have satisfied customers, case studies and testimonials make for easy and cheap advertising: shout about the happy ones!

One of the most persuasive means of communication with your prospects is to show them that other customers are endorsing you. Just as when you are shopping online for shoes, electrical gadgets or even holidays, you immediately look at the reviews on Amazon or TripAdvisor. Prospective customers want to see what kinds of experiences other people have had with your products or services. When they read about the positive impact your business can have on customers, it will inspire confidence and trust.

Case studies will typically give some background information about you and your customer, cover the challenges they faced, detail the strategies and solutions you provided for them to help resolve their issues and finally, demonstrate quantifiable results.

A case study needs to be more than just a description of what the customer has bought from you; it needs to be written in such a way as to spell out the positive impact that you had on their business, giving a third party endorsement of your brand. Finally, a direct quote from a customer can add authenticity and also reinforces credibility.

However, it is often hard to ring up a client and ask them to tell you how wonderful they think you are! Additionally, in our time-short business culture, it is not often at the top of the priority lost. That is where I come in…

I frequently produce case studies for my clients: I take the brief, by asking the right questions, and then write up the draft. There are invariably several parties involved in the sales process, other than the end user, who may all need to provide input for each case study, so I have to seek everyone’s approval. This all takes time, effort and a tenacious attitude, but I have the expertise and experience to manage this process effectively.

So, if you are still not convinced, check out some of the recommendations on my LinkedIn profile. It’s not in my nature to blow my own trumpet either, which is why I asked my clients to do it for me.