Outbound case studies

An outbound case study earns a conversation by helping a prospect recognize a familiar situation quickly. Keep its first version small enough for the moment, then expand it when the prospect asks for proof or the conversation reaches a decision point. Build each version around the customer's situation, the work that changed it, and the result you can defend. The customer should be the hero.¹ Center the case study on what the customer accomplished and how well the customer performed.²

Choose the story

Choose the story by matching it to the prospect before polishing the prose. The right case study gives you a specific entry point into the account and a reason to ask a better question.

Have marketing focus case studies on the target industry and educate the sales team on its details.³ Target customer reference stories to accounts in a particular segment.⁴ For a role, keep an end-to-end use-case story tailored to that persona.⁵

Before writing, answer these questions:

• Which segment does this account belong to?
• Which situation would make the customer story feel familiar?
• Which role would care about the result?
• What changed for the customer?

Move on when you can explain why the customer's situation resembles the prospect's and which result deserves attention. If the match is weak, keep searching instead of forcing the story into the message.

After landing a customer, create a private, confidential internal case study based on metrics.⁶ This gives you a usable version for internal preparation even when the public story needs more approval.

Compress the story

1

Start with the situation

2

State the work

3

End with the result

1. Start with the situation
2. State the work
3. End with the result

Turn the selected account into a short version that can fit inside an outbound message. Give the reader enough context to recognize the situation and enough outcome to justify a reply.

Keep the case study data-focused. Name the customer's problem and explain how the product helped overcome it.⁷ A customer story can fit into one or two sentences.⁸ Pull the most important one-line result from the case study into an email.⁹

Write the short version in this shape:

• Start with the situation the prospect may recognize.
• State the work that changed it.
• End with the result you can defend.

A case study can range from a low-lift proof point to an in-depth effort.¹⁰ Build the short version first, then keep a longer version available when the prospect wants more detail. The short version should make sense without a long explanation and leave the prospect with a natural question.

Put it into outbound

Message shape

Situation

Proof

Question

Parts of message shape:

• Situation
• Proof
• Question

Give the story a clear job in the message. It should help the prospect see their own situation and create a reason to discuss it with you.

Use a short customer story that reminds the prospect of their situation.¹¹ Let the prospect describe their struggles before you share a relevant case study or solution.¹² That order gives the story something specific to attach to.

For a message built around the asset, send the relevant case study in a separate email without a call to action.¹³ Keep the email focused on the proof itself. Use a question in the surrounding outreach when you want to learn how the situation shows up for the prospect.

A practical message shape is:

• Situation: describe the problem in the prospect's terms.
• Proof: give the short customer story and result.
• Question: ask how closely that situation matches their own.

State plainly why the story belongs in the account, then leave room for the prospect to confirm it or correct it.

Use it in conversation

Give the case study more room after discovery gives it context. Use it to test the prospect's interpretation of the problem, explore related areas, and handle resistance.

Tell short customer story snippets frequently during discovery.¹⁴ Use outcomes from other customer cycles to prompt prospects and explore additional areas.¹⁵ After the prospect describes a problem, you can ask, "I think we can help. Would you like to see how it works and how we implemented a similar solution for another client in a similar circumstance?"¹⁶

If the prospect agrees, walk them through how another customer solved the problem to seek solution agreement.¹⁷ If one account does not cover the whole situation, combine small customer stories in the conversation.¹⁸ Each story should answer part of the prospect's concern and give you a reason to ask the next question.

When you share a longer asset, mark it up and direct attention to its important parts.¹⁹ Do not read the document aloud. Point to the passage or result that answers the issue the prospect just raised, then pause.

The case study will not immediately close the deal. Use it to control the narrative and address objections.²⁰ Continue when the prospect identifies a similarity, names a difference, or gives you a new part of the problem to explore.

What not to do

On cold calls, use a quick snippet.²¹ Earn case studies through the customer experience.²² Center the write-up on the benefits customers experience because of the company. If you center it on your company, attention shifts away from those benefits.²³

Before the next sequence, choose a segment and write the short version in the prospect's language. Keep the longer case study ready for the call. There, test the match, answer an objection, and decide whether the story has earned a next step. This lets you use the same customer proof in email and conversation without asking the prospect to carry the whole case study.