Case studies that sell

Every month, a local real estate agent drops a flyer into the office mailbox. The flyer comprises a list of addresses and sale prices. The real estate agent calls this a list of "case studies".

They're not case studies. What she's printed is a list of facts. The list isn't even the case study's cousin-once-removed, the testimonial.

A testimonial looks like this:

"Sharon from LJ McRaine convinced buyers that having only an outhouse was a great way to get the steps up on their Fitbits." -- Steven Lewis

A case study is a story. And a story has a beginning, a middle and an end.

Not every transaction is worthy of a case study. You order from Crust. You wait. The pizza arrives. It's a beginning, a middle and an end, but to what purpose?

Case studies are for when you have prospects who aren't sure what you might have in store for them. They want proof that your service works for people like them. This is where a case study comes in. A case study is a risk-free rehearsal of how your prospects will feel if they become clients.

If you doubt that, think about the books you've read or the films you've seen.

I haven't been a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. Even so, I know how I'd feel if a buddy died on a mission. Kevin Costner helped me rehearse that in The Guardian. (Thanks to Kevin, I walked out of the cinema with sunglasses glued over my pink eyes.)

Your case study probably won't make a prospect cry. However, you want them to feel something.

Yes, it's business writing, but it doesn't have to be scrubbed clean of humanity.

Here's how to be businesslike and give your prospect a rehearsal...

9 tips for writing a powerful case study

These nine powerful tips will show you how to write a case study that will move your clients, customers and prospects to choose you.