How to use case studies in the sales process

There are so many opportunities in the sales process where you can use case studies to drive prospects closer to the finish line.

During initial conversations

During initial conversations, you want to show that you understand their problem and that you’ve solved similar problems for others before.

If you have a related case study, highlight it ASAP. If you don’t have an exact match, try to align the prospect’s requirements to a case study, based on commonalities like industry, integrations required in the project, or development work.

  • When a prospect describes their problem and it’s a match: “We solved that exact issue for [Client X]. Their situation was similar because [specific parallel], and our [particular solution] resulted in [concrete outcome].”

  • When discussing approaches: “Based on what you’ve shared, the architecture we implemented for [Client Y] would be ideal. I’ll send that case study after our call so you can see the specifics.”

For keeping the lead warm

Don’t wait for the prospect to come back to you. Start sending them related case studies (and guides / blog posts if you’ve got them). Targeted case studies can also help reignite stale conversations:

“We recently published this case study and I thought of your project. This client had similar concerns about integrating WordPress with their [X legacy system]. You might find our approach valuable as you consider next steps.”

To ‘keep the lead warm,’ you must provide genuine value. By doing so you’ll be gently nudging the conversation forward.

For objection-handling

This is by far one of the best uses of case studies. Use them to resolve prospects’ objections regarding expertise, engagement, timezone coverage, etc. with solid proof.

  • “We have a big stack and multiple brands. Will you be able to handle it?”

Response: “We’ve dealt with this scale before. Take a look at [case study] where we migrated multiple [X conglomerate] brands to Wordpress. In fact, since we also took the opportunity to do website redesigns, they now have cohesive branding across all their entities”

  • “Your timeline seems ambitious.”

Response: “I understand your concern. But this timeline is based on our experience completing [X number of] similar projects. In this case study, you’ll see how we completed the [similar project] in 10 weeks by using our pre-built component library.”

  • “We’re worried about maintaining site performance.”

Response: “Many clients share that concern. This case study shows how our redesign actually improved Core Web Vitals scores by 40%”

  • “We need to ensure our team can manage the site afterward.”

Response: “Take a look at this case study. We included total knowledge transfer through hands-on training and documentation, and since moving to WordPress their internal support tickets have reduced by 60%.”

In the proposal

The proposal is a good place to reassure prospects (this time in writing) that they don’t have to worry about their objections.

Use case studies in your proposals. Don’t just “attach” them, integrate them throughout.

  • In your “Understanding” section: Reference a similar challenge you’ve solved

  • In your “Approach” section: Explain how this method succeeded for a similar client

  • In your “Timeline” section: Use past projects to validate your projections

For example: “As demonstrated in our work with [Client Y] (see [Case Study Z]), our AEM to WordPress migration approach incurs zero downtime while keeping SEO intact.”

This is also a great opportunity to address unsaid concerns. Hey, we’re intuitive animals - even when a prospect doesn’t explicitly say so on pre-sales calls, you always get a “sixth sense” of what they’re doubtful about, right? Take this opportunity to wash away those doubts.

Case studies help immensely in closing deals, yes, but they’re helpers, so use them that way. Always answer the prospect’s questions and concerns first, then use case studies to back your claims.