How to Sell Advice

Unsure what to put in a case study? 

The key is remembering to think like a prospect. What do they want to see?

1. That you've helped people like them

2. That you actually do things they want done

3. That you get results they are looking for

4. That you can get results for them specifically, too

The first step before you begin is knowing what kind of clients you want to attract. There's no point in doing a case study on clients you have no desire to replicate.

Like attracts like.

Once you have a clear vision of the clients you want to attract, it's time to write.

Here's what I normally recommend:

1. The client's situation before they hired you - where they started (which should resemble your prospect's situation) 

2. The things you actually did - clients want to see you can do the tactical things they already want. Remember, clients self-prescribe solutions. They come looking for tactics. This list shows you can do all of what they want and much more. Include photos/screenshots/examples if you can.

3. The results you actually got (and why they matter) - Clients have a desired future state in mind. Maybe they need more revenue or maybe they been better performance tracking for their investors or key stakeholders. Combine the results you got, whether financial, analytical, subjective, or otherwise with the reason they mattered. 

4. A client testimonial - this is the bow on the package that ties it all together. Their words describing the nuance and specific things they liked about working with you. Try to make it outcome focused but allow room for benefit-driven and emotional language. 

Sean D'Souza of Psychotactics has a list of questions you could ask (below). 

But don't feel you need to copy them verbatim. The key is uncovering the before, during, and after in their own language, and then seeing how they describe you and the benefits of working with you. 

Here's what Sean recommends you ask (with his explanation below each):

1) What was the obstacle in your mind/hesitation before buying this product/service?

We ask this question because the customer always has a perception, hesitation an obstacle. No matter how ready the customer is to buy your product/serv­ice, there’s always a hitch. The hitch could be money, or time, or availability, or relevance—or a whole bunch of issues.

And when you ask this question, it brings out those issues. And it does something more. It gives you an insight into issues you may not have con­sidered, because the client is now reaching into their memory to see what could have been the deal-breaker. And there’s always an obstacle; always something you may not have consid­ered. So when the customer brings up this obstacle, it presents an angle that’s unique, personal and dramatic.

2) What did you find as a result of buying this product/service?

This question is important, because it defuses that obstacle. When a client answers this question, they are clear about why the purchase was worth it, despite the obvious obstacles.

3) What specific feature did you like most about this product/service?

Now you’re digging deeper. If you ask the customer to focus on the entire product/service, the answer gets waffly. It’s therefore important to focus on one feature/benefit that the customer liked most about the product/serv­ice. This brings out that one feature in explicit richness and detail.

Having already got one big feature, you can now go a little wide, and see what else the customer found useful. You can substitute the word ‘three’ with ‘two’ or simply remove the number. The number allows the customer to focus on ‘two’ or ‘three’ things, and then give you those ‘two’ or ‘three’ things that were useful.

You may not think this is an important question, but psychologically it’s very important. When a customer recommends something, there’s more than your product/service at stake. The customer’s integrity is at stake too. So unless the customer feels strongly about the product/service, they won’t be so keen to recommend it. And when they do recommend it, they’re saying to prospective buyers: “Hey, I recommend it, and here are the reasons!”

By this point, the customer has said all he/she has to say. But there’s never any harm in asking this question. The questions before this question kinda ‘warm up’ the customer, and sometimes you get the most amazing parting statements, that you simply can’t imagine.

And this detailed construction of testimonials brings us to a very interest­ing observation.

I definitely recommend reading this full article for more info, and listening to his podcast for more great marketing tips: https://www.psychotactics.com/six-questions-testimonials/ 

That's all for now! Did this help? Let me know what you do differently if you have other ideas.

Until next time

Yours,

—k