How to ask effective case study questions for better results

Key quotes:

• "This is because, when executed well, case studies can be extremely effective for driving real business impact (I’ll get to this a little later)."
• "Now that we’re clear on why case studies are important to sales and marketing efforts, let’s dive into how you can turn yours into awesome, engaging resources that get you more business by telling stories."
• "But also keep in mind… You want to make your case study interesting and tell the customer’s story from a compelling angle, but you also want to make sure it applies to your target market."
• "It also helps if the client in question has solved (using your product) many of the same problems that are common to your core target market."
• "Here is a loose framework to follow: Let’s break this down a little further: Your case study is a story, a written work of art."
• "And your job as the storyteller is to craft an engaging narrative that tells the story of how your client triumphed over the evil forces using your product or service."

Key quotes:

• "To unlock the most important kernels of information during a case study interview, try adding these five key case study interview questions to your list: This question can help to identify the problems the customer faced that drove them to look for a new solution."
• "Finding out why a customer was dissatisfied with their prior solution will help to build a compelling “before and after” narrative for the case study."
• "A good follow-up question is to ask about the requirements and features the customer was looking for in a new solution."
• "Asking how they found your company will also be a good indicator of how future prospects can find you and how your ideal customer prefers to look for solutions."
• "A case study writer can transform this kind of information to make the company look like the top competitor in its market."
• "This question will help you or your writer determine exactly how the solution is being used by the customer and which areas of the business it affects most."

Transcript: Hello everyone welcome to the video lecture series at Watson School of Business the title of the presentation is how to analyze a case study I am dr. Pradeep rajala program director and associate professor of marketing now an interesting fact about this presentation or video is that this is the first formal lecture for walks and students so it's quite interesting that the lecture is happening even before all of you have arrived at the campus and the program has begun so in that sense this lecture will always remain in the chronicles of the school's history now what exactly is the purpose of this video I have four objectives in mind one I would like to use this opportunity to welcome all of you to walks in School of Business number two I would like to give a brief introduction to the pre-programmed docket and then start off by explaining why case study analysis is an integral part of management education number three I will take you through some of the important steps of case study analysis at a 50 thousand feet level at a pretty broad level and then finally I will end the video with some... See more →

Transcript: One of the biggest concerns of the common student these days is how to attempt the case study based questions in Business Studies I have always seen the common student looking for a magic wand which would help them in this regard so I take this opportunity to guide them along as what should be the right approach to attempting the case study based questions instead of reading the case study first read the related questions first and then start reading the case study this will help you to connect with a given case study better secondly after you have finished writing and ansel read the same question again to ensure that you have answered it completely and not list on any sub part of that question before moving on to the next question to understand this let's take a few minutes whilst it try to attempt the question given below identify the following principles of management and state any one effect of the violation party in a company there are separate departments for finance marketing and production Part B the workers and management should honor their commitment without any prejudice towards one another party there should be no discrimination... See more →

Key quotes:

• "(And you can forget the yes/no questions right now.) The result will be a customer success story that’s authentic and convincing."
• "Of course, the number of questions you ask your client will depend on how long and in-depth your case study is going to be."
• "These are 9 questions you should be asking your customer (at a minimum) to create effective case studies."
• "This kind of detail (told through your customer’s own words) will be invaluable when it comes to constructing your success story, particularly in the opening section when you need to set the scene and make your audience care about the client in question."
• "Specifics, like the way your customer uses your offering and integrates it into their business, add even more credibility to your success stories."
• "All case studies rest on the quality of the questions you ask your customer."

Key quotes:

• "Prospects who already know they need a solution to their problems read the case study and see how your company has helped others, thus moving these leads closer to becoming customers."
• "That said, case studies are a different animal than other inbound marketing content, such as blogs and e-books."
• "Don’t stress out: Case studies aren’t difficult if you take your time, are diligent about gathering information and writing the content, and ask the right questions."
• "And we can help with the questions: Here are 22 to ask when you are conducting interviews for your case study."
• "You might already know the answers, but ask anyway: You may get a deeper explanation from your interview subject and something quotable you can use in the case study."
• "(Note: I am using product, solution, and service interchangeably throughout these questions; simply use the term that best applies to your company during the actual interviews.) If a client has agreed to be the subject of a case study, it obviously is happy with the service you provided."

Key quotes:

• "Similar to asking your clients for a testimonial, asking for a case study can sound daunting — but it’s actually a standard practice."
• "With that in mind, it’s time to start collecting the information that will form the foundation of your case study."
• "As the person who provided the work, you may feel you have all the details to write a good case study."
• "This means something different for every business and every case study, but ultimately you’re looking for take-aways, practical advice, or a sense of revealing “how they did it” to your readers."
• "With the case study finally on paper, it’s time to get the client’s approval."
• "If you have a regular stream of new clients and you plan on making case studies part of your main marketing content, you may want to consider going with the blog instead — and be sure to add on as much value as possible."