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How do i use multiple customer quotes and case study stats to create a 2 pager sales enablement asset?

Im not sure how i can structure this document, but i have (numbers) on how our product benefited the customer and why they chose us over a competitor and multiple quotes from different customers. What is the best way to tell a story?
Lindsay (Saran) Gatta
Rate Director of Product MarketingJuly 17

I like to use the Care-Do-Impact framework for materials like this. So why should the customer care, what should do they do about it, what is the expected impact they should have if they take the recommended action. That will help the sellers make this case study more action-oriented too. So with the materials you have, think about leading with the strongest customer quote. And closing with the strongest stat. You can always do an additional appendix with the secondary quotes and stats to show it works across multiple customer segments. Another idea is to make 1 template and then scale it out for your top industries or customer segments. It appears you have a lot of material to work with so instead of cramming it all into one single two-pager, how can you get legs out of your assets AND make them more usable for your sellers?

1250 Views
Stephanie Kelman
Shopify Senior Product Marketing LeadApril 17

I love this question because I love using customer quotes and data proof points to craft impactful messaging. You are already in a great position to create a strong sales enablement asset. If it’s only 2 pages - you need to keep things short and succinct. This isn’t the place to write a full case study (but I would do that later if you have time and link to it from this asset). 

  1. What is the big message that you are trying to get across? This should tie back to your main value prop for your product.

  2. Use a single strong data point in your header to drive this message home. Don’t be afraid to be straightforward about the competitor if you have the data to back it up. For example - “Users switched to Product A from Competitor and grew their customer base by an average of 35%.”

  3. Add some sub copy or a short paragraph that describes how users grew their customer base. You can lead this paragraph by stating the problem users are trying to solve, why they couldn’t solve it with the competitor, and then describe how your product helps them solve it. Which features did they use? Are there other qualitative outcomes they experienced too? 

  4. List out additional stats. You can use bullet points to list out these data points in a concise way. It would be really impactful if you used these stats to highlight your supporting value props. For example - increased revenue, time saved, etc. Make sure the stats feel cohesive in terms of theme or metric.

  5. Remember, this is a short, punchy sales asset, not a full case study. Avoid big blocks of text.

  6. Customer quotes - pepper these in after a section of text or a stat to help drive home the message. For example - if you have a customer quote validating how the user grew their customer base, add it after your header/intro paragraph. Customer quotes need to stand out from your text. You can use a different font size and put a box around the quote.

929 Views
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Jeremy Wood
Adobe Head of Product Marketing (APAC)April 19

I think the general rule of thumb about any content creation still applies here. Use a structure/framework that lets you layout all the key details in a logical order. In terms of 'key details' think about the end user and the use of the asset. Who is using this asset and for what purpose? What 'job' does this asset need to do? What are the key objectives of an asset like this one? The answers to these questions will then help you prioritise emphasising the key content that addresses these questions. If the asset is designed to be sent to a customer as a reference (peer) for a given solution/product then it would be good to frame up what the problem was (background), what the other customers were trying to solve (include quotes here from the customer) and how they came to your solution to fix these needs/issues. Then move into the 'solution' provided by your company and outline what that customer(s) deployed. Lastly really emphasise the impact that yoru companies solutions had for that customer and most importantly how it helped solved for their initial issues/concerns (tie it back to the original problem statement!) This is another great place for customer quotes..i.e "After deploying X solutions, we now have great visibility into our marketing efforts and can better track ROI. We have also been able to free up resourcing that was previously bogged down in our old solutions and can use them in other more valuable areas of the business!" So again..1) Problem statement customer was trying to solve, 2) Story behind what was presented to them as a solution from your company, 3) How they implemented those solutions and 4) What benefits they realised from going with your solutions. Quotes interlaced throughout as 3rd party validation (it can't be from you as the vendor..peer to peer references are the only ones with cut through!)

1597 Views
Jennifer Kay Corridon
Yelp Product Marketing Expert & Mentor | Formerly Homebase, Angi, The KnotApril 18

A case study is essentially a narrative that captures a specific moment of challenge or transformation in a business context. Similar to a story, a case study begins by setting the stage with the 'before' scenario, outlining the problem, obstacles, or goals faced by the business. This 'before' moment serves as the starting point, highlighting the context and significance of the situation.

As the case study unfolds, it transitions to the 'after' phase, where the narrative evolves to showcase the actions taken, strategies implemented, and outcomes achieved (ie. lots of juicy data) This part of the story focuses on the transformation or success realized by the business as a result of overcoming challenges or achieving objectives.

You can punctuate the moments of transitions with customer quotes to humanize or make the pieces of the story more tangible and relatable. You can also create a chart or section of your sheet that focuses on big impressive data points.

485 Views
Kelly Kipkalov
Carta Vice President Product MarketingApril 18

Customer quotes are incredibly validating for prospects considering your product. One practice I've seen though is for marketers to build customer stories or quotes that a particular customer uses and loves a product, but they stop short of explaining why. To your point about story telling, these types of basic quotes don't actually help strengthen the overall story you're trying to tell.

All good messaging is grounded in your customer insight and product benefit. So any customer quotes or case studies should ladder up to the customer benefit. If your product helps customers save money, then your quotes and case studies should showcase exactly how your customers use your product to save money, and then quantify if you can, how much was saved. Use your stats as the reasons to believe (RTBs) that your product delivers on the benefit. Then you have one cohesive story.

645 Views
Katharine Gregorio
Adobe Sr Director of Product Marketing, Creative CloudApril 19

Let's zoom out a little first.

I'd encourage you to first answer two questions before writing anything, especially sales enablement:

  1. Who is it for?

  2. What is the goal of the asset you are creating?

Once you answer these two questions then you want to write to support the action you are trying to get the target audience to take.

So for example in this instance, without knowing your specific answers I'd think about

  1. Audience - is this for prospects or current users

  2. Goal - is this to drive new business, close business, expand business, retain business?

Depending on the answers you would then craft the story to deliver on your objective. So for closing new business you might talk about the ROI someone had before and after using your company/product and lead with that. If someone is considering switching to a competitor then you might lead with why the customer you had chose you all over someone else.

I'd encourage you to be crisp and focused on the asset otherwise you risk it being super vanilla and not achieving any objective because it's too general.

1743 Views
Jane Reynolds
Match Group Director of Product & Brand Marketing, Match Group North AmericaApril 18

If you can make it a one-pager, even better. Stick to the most compelling points and focus on quotes that are descriptive versus just complimentary. And ask your sales team! What are the tools that will be most beneficial to them?

458 Views
Jeff Rezabek
Workyard Director of Product MarketingFebruary 27

If you're creating a two-pager sales enablement asset, always assume it will be shared externally at some point, so make it so that if it gets in the hands of a prospect, the branding is the same, and the information isn't confidential.

Without knowing much about your product or audience, I would look for themes and create multiple documents if available. For the customer quotes and case study stats, I've always used those as sidebar callouts. The themes I would look for include:

  • Product - This is the obvious first option. You'll want to create this asset if you have multiple products in your portfolio. Additionally, if you have competitors that aren't in your space but prospects frequently look at both your solution and that one, it's essential to create a product enablement document here, too.

  • Usecase - If your product serves different use cases or jobs to be done, this would be my next enablement asset. Group the case studies and quotes into similar use cases to help your sales team (and prospects) understand how you can help them achieve what they currently can't. If you have information on competitors and how you do it differently, you can add it here.

  • Persona - The final format and structure I'd recommend is to align the document, quotes, and case study on the different personas you serve.

1509 Views
Vineet Antil
Product Marketing Leader | Formerly Box, Postman, YouTube, McDonald's, SamsungMarch 18

Like any other sales enablement asset, a 2-pager asset that incorporates multiple customer quotes and case study stats needs to be clear, concise, and effective. 

Here’s a step by step guide on how I go about creating these: 

  1. Outline the Structure: I always begin by outlining the structure for the document. I divide the content into sections, such as Introduction, Messaging pillars with product benefits & proof points and Call-to-Action (CTA).

  2. Introduction: This where I highlight the key value proposition of the product or service. This speaks to the problem we are solving in a concise manner and sets the stage for rest of the document.

  3. Messaging Pillars: Next step is to highlight the messaging pillars that you would have created that make the overall value proposition come to life. Under each messaging pillar, I share customer quotes that highlight the benefits and successes of using the product or service. Choose quotes that are relevant to your target audience and showcase different use cases or industries. Include the customer's name, job title, and company for credibility. This also where I present key statistics and metrics from case studies that demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of the product. Use visual elements that highlight the data and make it easier to understand.

  4. Conclusion: Summarise the key takeaways, reinforce the value proposition and emphasize why it's the ideal solution for your target audience.

  5. Call-to-Action (CTA): Include a clear and compelling call-to-action that prompts the reader to take the next step, whether it's scheduling a demo, requesting more information, or contacting a sales representative. Make the CTA stand out visually.

Pay attention to the design and formatting. Use branding elements that are unique to your brand to reinforce your brand identity. Break up the text with headers, bullet points, and white space to improve readability. 

Once created and put in use, focus on the usage metrics to understand adoption by the sales team and get feedback that can make it more effective.

172 Views
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