Top 6 Elements of a Great Customer Reference

You work hard to acquire a new customer.

You work hard to make sure your new customer successfully deploys your solution.

A Customer Reference ensures you extract maximum value from all that hard work!

So what are the Top 6 elements of a great customer success story or reference?

1. Metrics a. Metrics are the true indicator of value. It doesn't matter if it is a $, % or a multiple, without some kind of metric the reader is left underwhelmed. 2. Quote from customer a. Including a quote, which explains the value of your solution, in the words of the customer adds believability to the story. As a society we are becoming more and more reliant on peer reviews to guide our decision making. 3. Challenges faced a. Remember the intended audience of your reference is buyer who is experiencing the same problems as your customer. Be specific, generalising the challenges or problems solved too much will reduce credibility of the solution.

4. Benefits gained a. The benefits must link to metrics. You want the reader to be able to quickly calculate the value they could achieve from your solution, if they were to also become a customer. 5. Situation: Company description, industry overview a. Provide some context. If your reader is not from the same market segment you want them to be able to resonate with the macro context of your customer and, hopefully, extrapolate to their own situation. 6. Image/graphic & logo a. Whilst I am a believer in content over presentation, a well presented layout including some images creates a notion of professionalism for the reader. Including a logo is especially valuable if your customer is a recognisable brand in their sector. The logo can be reused in other marketing materials as well.

Remember: ensure you seek and receive written approval before publishing anything! After all that hard work it would be a shame to damage the working relationship with your customer by publishing something without approval.

Now that you are armed with the top 6 elements of a great customer success story, next time you are reading a customer reference search for the metrics. If you cannot find any measurable value, ask yourself, "would this reference inspire me to do business with this company"?

To contact us for a complementary 15 minute review of your current customer references, click here.