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4 Ways to Get Clients to Approve Case Studies

“How can I get my clients to approve and participate in Case Studies?”

This is a question a lot of founders, CEOs, and marketers ask themselves from time to time. 

We at SuccessKit obtain written approvals for B2B Case Studies every month, so we know how to get this kind of content approved. 

If you want your clients to approve and participate in Case Studies, you need to ensure that you’ve already maximized the likelihood they will say yes.

The following factors all influence your likelihood of getting a Case Study done:

  • The value you provide to the client
  • Your client’s relationship with your employees
  • The size of the client’s company
  • The clarity of your Case Study creation process

Read on to understand how to navigate those factors in your favor and improve the odds that your clients will agree to be Case Study subjects.

Bring real value to the client

The happier and more successful your clients are, the more interested they’ll be in sharing their stories about working with you. 

Tip: Make sure you and your client know exactly what success looks like for the relationship. If you can, discuss specific metrics in the sales and onboarding process that equal success. 

Foster positive relationships between your clients and your employees

Participating in a Case Study takes effort from your clients, usually with little reward. Some clients even have to convince their internal legal and marketing teams to allow it. Whether clients are willing to do this often depends on the relationship they have with the people at your company. They have to really want to help you out, and often it is personal.

Tip: If a client with a positive relationship with your team agrees to participate in a Case Study, acknowledge the Case Study for what it really is: a big win for the customer success person that manages that relationship. As a bonus, compensate each customer success person for every completed Case Study. This shows you recognize their hard work and will encourage more positive client relations in the future.

Focus on smaller companies for your Case Study

Generally, smaller companies are more likely to agree to participate in Case Studies. Larger companies are much more likely to have a formal review process when their company name and logo are used. This can hold up your Case Studies’ approval.

Tip: Select a smaller company to be your Case Study subject, especially if it’s your first Case Study. However, whether the company is large or small, you’re more likely to get approval if you define exactly where you’ll use the content. Also, explain that the client will get a chance to review the content before it’s approved or published. Finally, be willing to create an anonymous version if you can’t ultimately get the approval.

Be transparent about your Case Study process

Your clients will ask you, “What will be involved for me?” Vague answers and the potential for weeks of back-and-forth conversations are strong deterrents here.

Tip: Make it clear you have a tight Case Study process that will take a set amount of their time. Explain to your clients if/when/how they will review the Case Study and any expectations on where it will be used. 

Click here to learn more about our own Case Study creation process here at SuccessKit.

Julian Lumpkin

Julian has focused his career on B2B sales and sales management, specifically bringing new technologies to market. After years as an elite sales rep, he began leading teams, specifically focused on coaching sales reps on how to be direct, credible, and respected throughout the sales process. Julian conceived of and designed SuccessKit when running an 18 person sales-team at Axial, a b2b startup, as a way to help sales reps have better conversations by utilizing customer success examples and other content more effectively.

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