Case Study Builder

Case Study Builder

Overview

A case study is the most versatile proof asset in B2B. It proves your product works in someone else's hands. This skill produces sales-ready case studies: one-page for quick sharing, full version for late-stage deals, always with specific metrics and real quotes.

The golden rule: a case study without numbers is a testimonial. Every case study must answer "what changed, and by how much?"

Authoritative Foundations

• Before-After-Bridge copy formula — Structure the story as the customer's situation before, the result after, and the product as the bridge between them.
• Joanna Wiebe (Copyhackers) — Voice-of-customer copy — Quote the customer's own words for the problem and result; interview transcripts beat marketing paraphrase.
• Nielsen Norman Group — How users read on the web — Readers scan in an F-pattern, so lead with the metric, use subheads, and keep proof in the first screen.

When to Use

• "Create a case study about [customer]"
• "Write a customer success story"
• "Build proof content for sales"
• "Document customer results"
• "Create a case study for our website"
• "I need customer proof for a deal"

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Information Gathering

Collect from the customer:

• Company profile (industry, size, use case)
• Challenge before your product (what was broken, what it cost)
• Solution (how they use your product, implementation timeline)
• Results (specific metrics — "reduced X by Y%" not "improved efficiency")
• Customer quote (in their words, not yours)
• Permission to use their name and logo

Phase 2: Structure

1-Page Summary (for quick sharing):

Copy code
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CASE STUDY: [Customer Name]              │
│                                          │
│ [Customer logo]                          │
│ Industry: [X] | Size: [Y employees]      │
│                                          │
│ THE CHALLENGE                            │
│ [2-3 sentences. What was broken?         │
│  What did it cost?]                      │
│                                          │
│ THE SOLUTION                             │
│ [2-3 sentences. How they use us.         │
│  Implementation timeline.]               │
│                                          │
│ THE RESULTS                              │
│ • [Metric 1 — specific number]           │
│ • [Metric 2 — specific number]           │
│ • [Metric 3 — specific number]           │
│                                          │
│ "[Customer quote — in their words]"       │
│ — [Name, Title]                          │
│                                          │
│ [CTA: Book a demo / See full case study] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Full Version (for late-stage deals):

Add: detailed implementation story, additional metrics, second quote from a different stakeholder (e.g., end user + executive), "what's next" section showing expansion plans, and a comparison table (before vs after).

Phase 3: Writing Guidelines

• Lead with the result. Not "Company X uses our product." — "Company X reduced time-to-close by 40% in 90 days. Here's how."
• Customer's words, not yours. Use their language. If they say "it was a nightmare," say "it was a nightmare" — not "they faced significant challenges."
• Specific over impressive. "Saved $247,000 annually" beats "drove significant cost savings." Specific numbers build credibility.
• One story, one takeaway. Don't try to prove everything. Pick the strongest story and tell it well.

Phase 4: Approval and Distribution

• Customer approval: send draft, let them edit quotes, get written permission.
• Sales distribution: add to CRM, sales portal, pitch deck, proposal templates.
• Marketing distribution: website, social, email nurture, paid retargeting.

Output Format

Two versions: 1-page summary (for email, LinkedIn, quick sharing) and full version (for late-stage deals, website, sales portal).

Quality Check

• Specific, named metrics (not "improved efficiency")
• Customer quote in their words (not marketing language)
• Challenge → Solution → Results structure
• Customer name and logo included (with permission)
• 1-page version scannable in 30 seconds
• Full version has implementation detail
• Customer has approved final text
• CTA present on both versions

Common Pitfalls

1. No metrics. "They love our product" is a testimonial, not a case study. Every case study needs specific, named numbers.

2. Marketing language in quotes. "We leveraged their best-in-class solution" — no human talks like this. Use their actual words.

3. Too many results. 3-4 metrics max. Pick the strongest ones. More metrics dilute the impact of each.

4. No customer approval. Never publish a case study without written permission. Include the approval step in your process.

5. One format for everything. Sales needs a 1-pager. Marketing needs a story. Website needs both. Build both formats.

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
• templates/output-template.md — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
• scripts/check-output.py — local checklist validator for required sections This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand: Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.

Related Skills

• customer-marketing: Customer advocacy program
• sales-enablement: Sales collateral package
• roi-calculator: Quantify results for case studies