Customer Reviews

Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset

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I bought this book after seeing a presentation Casey Hibbard made for the Copywriting Summit 2008 on-line seminar. I was a bit reluctant because it seems like I've been laying out a lot of cash while in start-up mode for my own business. Since I had decided my niche would be white papers and case studies, I thought I'd better do it.

I'm waiting for the final sign-off on my first case study. The feedback, to date, has been extremely positive. I used Casey's 7-Step Customer-Story System the whole way. My book looks like it's been taken on a camping trip; that's how much I used it. I found it an invaluable source of information with practical hints, tips and advice. I haven't met Casey but I honestly felt like she was sitting right beside me as I progressed my story from start to finish.

If I had to pick one thing that really improved my own game, the chapter about interviewing would be it. I've done loads of interviews in my life so I didn't expect much from that chapter. Her sample questions were so comprehensive I've got enough information to write several articles on the customer.

If you're looking for help writing case studies or customer-success stories this is the book to buy.

Sarah Mitchell

Copywriter/Consultant

Like the author, I have written hundreds of success stories and case studies, often managing the process for my clients. Based on this experience, I found Hibbard's explanations and ideas both accurate and relevant, especially for people who manage customer reference programs.

If you are just starting to write or publish success stories, you will find this book a complete guide. If you already have extensive experience as a reference manager, you will still find new ideas for audiences, content, uses, and the development process. Although the content for writers is good, it assumes that you have some experience in copywriting or corporate communications. And if you are a corporate marketer, you will get a better understanding of the full spectrum and potential of customer stories.

A few minor drawbacks of the book: I would have liked a chapter on podcasts and video stories, since these are becoming increasingly popular as supplements to or replacements for documents. The role of success stories in social media marketing is a key emerging activity that is only briefly covered here. Also, the author has a somewhat wordy writing style, which creates repetitiveness on some topics and distracts from material that could have been more succinctly presented in tables or checklists.

But markup the text and use sticky notes to flag useful pages and you will find this book to be a good learning tool and reference for future projects.

Casey Hibbard has written an outstanding book on a very important subject: How to use the power of compelling customer case studies to engage with larger accounts, shorten the sales cycle and generate revenue. The book is full of actionable advice that can be used by beginners and long time marketers. The many case studies from large and small organizations are especially helpful as is the list of questions that companies can use to elicit the right information from their customers.

Casey obviously knows how to get customers to share their stories and explains how to push the right buttons to motivate them to cooperate. Most importantly, the book is very well written, and covers everything you need to know to be successful in customer case study marketing. If you want to take maximum advantage of you customer relationships, I highly recommend this book.

Christopher Ryan, Author:

How to Create an Unstoppable Marketing and Sales Machine: An Introduction to Fusion Marketing

I have been waiting impatiently for this book to come out ever since I first heard it was in the works last year, because:

* Casey Hibbard is the leading Case Study and Success Story expert.

* Success Stories are great lead generation tools for international sales. They can often be the tipping point you need to get the international sale, simply because stories are so powerful and can translate across cultures.

It took one month for this book to get to me here in France from Amazon.com It was a long wait, and when expectations are high, there is a greater danger of disappointment. This was not the case: no disappointment here. In fact, I got more excited as I read through the book. Stories That Sell spoke to both the writer and the marketer in me.

Stories That Sell goes into detail about the many ways to use the different types of Success Stories - Case Studies, Testimonials and References. Many companies have Customer-Reference Programs to encourage, qualify and track suitable customers. This book gives you ideas on how you can get more Success Stories and in ways suitable for your business.

In addition, Stories Than Sell gives you a road map to help you create your own Success Story Marketing strategy. Casey shows you how to strategically plan your Success Story creation to fit your business (sales) needs. It shows you how to create Success Stories to present a new idea, new product or new benefits.

Stories That Sell is written for both:

* People who write Success Stories

* People who use Success Stories and would like to improve their sales results with better Success Story Marketing

I would like to add that anyone interested in improving their sales should read this book and learn more about Success Story Marketing. This book lives up to its title and shows you how and why Success Stories can become your most powerful sales and marketing asset.

What I Got Out Of It:

I have used Success Stories effectively in previous marketing positions. And yet I discovered things I did not know. I greatly appreciated Casey's advice on how to deal with approval's for Success Stories. After reading this book, I feel that I now have a few more tricks up my sleeve.

As I read through the book, I jotted down ideas for Success Stories for my own business. I came up with 14 new ideas for Success Stories that I had not thought of before... simply because I now have more ideas how to market them and how they can improve sales.

Thank you Casey, for writing this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to facilitate the sales process in national or international markets. And this book is particularly valuable in today's economy where sales are slower.

As someone who writes case studies, I find this to be an invaluable book. It has become THE resource for how to craft a compelling customer story in my business.

Casey has been there and done that. You can tell that she writes from experience. I know that my work has improved since reading this book... so will yours!

I have spent 20+ years in marketing and sales and about four years ago started working with customer reference programs. Casey's book sums up the most valuable marketing asset you can have - your customer success stories! It's an exceptional book with great tip & tricks and examples from professionals on how you can implement this in your company. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works in marketing and sales!

Casey's book has a very precise process and by following her 7-Step process your company will prosper in the marketing department. She has created many sufficient customer stories for our organization that have lead to customer's trust and our company benefiting from that trust. She really has a good handle on how to turn a satisfied customer into a company's best asset as a selling tool. The book is also a great instrument for writers looking to gain knowledge on how to expand their assets.

Casey has outlined a powerful component of brand building that exemplifies situational truth and experiences of customers. 74% agree--including 14% who strongly agree--that they choose companies and brands based on what others say about their customer service experiences, the survey shows. (Society for New Communications Research, May 2008). Case studies are a tried and true technique to building customer interest, awareness and loyalty. This well-laid out detailed 'handbook' is a critical tool for every business owner/marketing director!