Seth wrote:

Paul just sent over this video of a dance tribe forming spontaneously
at a music festival.

My favorite part happens just before the first minute mark. That’s
when guy #3 joins the group. Before him, it was just a crazy dancing
guy and then maybe one other crazy guy.

But it’s guy #3 who made it a movement.

Initiators are rare indeed, but it’s scary to be the leader.
Guy #3 is rare too, but it’s a lot less scary and just as important.
Guy #49 is irrelevant. No bravery points for being part of the mob.

We need more guy #3s.

What Seth is saying is so true.

When I first watched the video I thought guy #1 was just
showing off but to my surprise one guy does decide to follow
his lead.

But what is most remarkable is when guy #3 gets up, the
avalanche of followers that quickly appears is astonishing.

Watch for yourself.

I agree with Seth, we do need more #3 type guys.

Young or old, rich or poor, everyone loves a good before and after story. And the great thing is, you can use this important fact in your marketing efforts to boost sales cycles to warp speed.

Everyone loves a before and after story, they effortlessly smash through the endless clutter of marketing materials that constantly bombard prospects’ attention every day.

Because before and after stories are not perceived as sales pitches but a way to feed the mind important and interesting information.

How can you cut through the clutter with a before and after story?

By producing case studies.

If you have never considered producing a case study and would rather stick to producing testimonials, brochures and the standard website text, then let me give you a list of reasons why case studies are so powerful, even more powerful than the materials I mentioned put together.

You see, case studies can…

• boost marketing efforts
• help sales teams close bigger deals
• provide a compelling testimonial
• add value to any website
• increase credibility
• provide buyers with real-word perspective
• enjoy high readership

I couldn’t stop at seven reasons, there are more…

• People remember stories
• Third party endorsement tool
• Work better than a brochure or website

Plus, many trade journals would give their hind teeth to get their mitts on any ‘eye candy’ material such as case studies, plus it’s a fantastic publicity tool for those sharp companies who go down the case study route.

Case studies can be recycled too. Into…

• Press releases
• articles for newsletters; and
• put in a direct-mail pack in place of a brochure.

So, before you overlook the humble case study to produce yet another brochure or testimonial, consider producing a case study instead.

You’ll be glad you did.