Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, is credited with the proverb: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Unlike many sayings that lose their import over time, this simple admonition from centuries ago continues to reverberate with meaning today, especially in the business world.
When it comes to your clients, which would you prefer—clients who are clueless about how your services can help them, or clients who understand the vital nature of your services to their own operations? The answer should be obvious. Better informed clients are those who will be more likely to see the need for your services. Thus, if you spend the time to teach your clients to fish, in the proverbial sense, you are more likely to see your own sales increase.
White papers, white label case studies, and other pertinent research about a client’s business can be among the most effective ways to educate your clients. White papers have been used for years by governments and large corporations. The two main goals of these reports are to: 1) synthesize all of the relevant information on a topic, and 2) propose a course of action based on the information. No major corporation enters into a merger or acquisition without first developing a white paper on the subject. Similarly, governments rarely enact sweeping legislation or engage foreign policy initiatives without the benefit of a white paper to guide them.
Most likely, your clients have the same needs for white papers. Taking the time to gather the pertinent information about your client’s business and then developing the range of possible responses can make the case, better than any other technique, that your client needs your services in order to be competitive in today’s market. White papers have distinct advantages: 1) they can be copied and disseminated throughout your client’s company; 2) they stand alone and speak for themselves; 3) they demonstrate the depth and breadth of your knowledge about your client’s business; 4) they present you and your company as being professional and detail-oriented; and 5) they are designed to direct your client’s thinking toward the benefits of the services that you can deliver.
White papers are time and labor intensive to produce. It is certainly less costly to develop generic marketing materials or send a sales rep to call on a client. A white paper requires research into your client’s business, analysis of your client’s needs, and intelligent solutions for meeting those needs. However, the pay-off for investing in the development of a white paper can be tremendous. If the white paper is well-written and on-point, it should be irrefutable to your client that he or she needs your services.
Another similar endeavor that can help educate your client, and ultimately drive sales for your company, is the white label case study. Here, you describe in detail how your services worked for another one of your clients. You provide, in writing, a brief overview of the other client’s operations, describe in detail how you worked with this client, and summarize the impact that your services had on the client’s bottom line. The purpose of the case study is to make your new client see the similarities with the other company and reach the conclusion that your services will be beneficial to his or her operation as well.
Case studies, like white papers, require both an expertise on your part and an acceptance that there is a higher, upfront cost to this method of educating your clients than traditional marketing techniques. However, the efficacy of case studies and white papers cannot be underestimated. You are providing your clients with more than just general information about your services; you are demonstrating to your clients exactly how your services will benefit them.
One key to white papers and case studies is the professionalism of their presentation. These are not intended to be glossy advertisements. They should be far closer to scholarly reports that draw on your clients’ intellect to reach the conclusion that they need your services. They also need to be solidly based on facts. You are attempting to educate your clients, not engage in propagandizing. The “wow” factor should not be in the look of the white paper or case study, but in the inescapable conclusion that you have the services to meet your clients’ needs.
Another key is individuality. No white paper or case study should be used with multiple clients. Each should be designed with one client’s specific needs in mind. Clients are less likely to take your presentation seriously if they feel you have just been cutting and pasting from presentations to other clients.
Similarly, you must keep in mind that a white paper or a case study, in order to be effective, must have an unbiased approach. You are educating your clients at this stage, not selling them. If the white paper or case study has done its job, then the follow-up by your sales team should be less about convincing the client that s/he needs your services, and more about directing your client to the appropriate package of services.
In many cases, your clients are unaware of your services and how these services can benefit them. You could rush in and simply try to hard-sell them on your services. However, taking the time to educate your clients—showing them that you understand their operations and have creative and innovative solutions to helping them make their business grow—will benefit you in the long run. You will have demonstrated your interest in and dedication to their business, and you will have respected their intelligence, not insulted it. Like education in any other form, it may cost more at the start, but the pay-off at the end will be indisputable.
White papers and case studies show that you want to work with your clients as partners, helping them to learn more about the nature of their own businesses.
