Illuminating the Future:

Leading Lights: Casey Hibbard, Author of Stories that Sell

“Customer stories open doors to big accounts, expand opportunities with existing customers, help organizations land financing or grants, secure stories in major trade media, teach sales reps the value of solutions, reinforce for employees why their work matters, and support hiring,” writes Casey Hibbard in her new book Stories that Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales and Marketing Asset. In the book, Hibbard introduces an approach she calls Success-Story Marketing to guide organizations through the process of creating and capitalizing on their customer stories.  I spoke with her recently to learn more about her system and the payoffs it can deliver.

What’s changing in today’s marketplace that places a premium on these stories?

There are a couple of things going on.  For one, the nature of trust has changed. Now, so much of what we do happens online and we are less likely to see the customers face to face.  It’s a lot more global.  It’s more competitive. And people are more skeptical of marketing messages. Buyers are now looking for real experiences. That’s what they trust above all else. If there is no real experience to back up your marketing messages, then it’s a hard sell. Finally, the challenges in today’s economy make it even more important to help buyers validate their position for purchases.

So they want to validate their investments to a greater level.  This always happens in downturns, of course. There’s greater emphasis on justification and validation.

Exactly.  You always need to do it but it just seems that, if anybody is going to invest in anything right now, they have to know that the investment will ultimately pay off and they’ll get something in return.

What do you think are the chief hurdles that have prevented companies from fully capitalizing on their customer success stories?

A couple of them. One is just the fear of asking customers to participate in the creation of a success story. They don’t want to ask their customers because it seems like a favor.  Or their customers say no. They’re not willing or able to participate.  But I think most of the time marketers are not approaching it from a win/win perspective.  They tend to ask their customers, “Would you be willing to do a case study for us?  We’d really appreciate it.” What they should be saying is, “We have this great joint-marketing opportunity.” You have to make it clear to customers what’s in it for them. “We’ll highlight you for your best practices,” you might say.  “You could be featured in a trade publication.”  You have to sell it to them based on what they consider important.

Why haven't marketers put more effort into capitalizing on their success stories? It seems like the payoffs would be pretty obvious.

Compelling Insights Build Brand Equity

Too often, B2B marketers fail to recognize that their own thought leadership is essential to market leadership. The top companies - Microsoft, SAP, Accenture, Cisco, IBM - recognize this fact and tend to invest heavily in thought leadership activities.

They invest in market-clarifying research, give powerful and compelling presentations, write insightful positioning papers, profile their clients in interesting ways, author books and articles, and distribute newsletters that deepen relationships.

Clients and prospects look to them for vision, perspective and a strategic framework for future growth and opportunity. They are not simply buying software or technology; they are buying ideas. They are not simply investing in a consulting methodology; they are investing in the company that provides it.

Unfortunately, many firms tend to treat thought leadership as a side issue that requires no substantial investment or thought. While they don't realize it, these firms are stripped bare by their web sites.

When prospects begin to compare competing solutions, they have rapid access to resources that demonstrate thought leadership - and they are starting to expect it. Companies that fail to demonstrate industry leadership in the realm of ideas look thin and insubstantial.

This is a strategic mistake. Market leaders recognize that they must take a proprietary perspective toward thought leadership. They must make it their own and tell it in their own voice. They must communicate their ideas in multiple arenas and formats -- and they must constantly reinforce their positions.

As one marketing executive recently noted in a conversation, it's about building equity in one's brand. By developing rich and compelling insights and branding them as their own, companies position themselves not only as product or even solution providers, but as advisors, coaches and consultants. They give their prospective buyers a reason to believe and the confidence to invest.