How to earn honest case studies, testimonials and references.

Prospective customers trust other customers more than they trust you. A credible case study, a named testimonial or a reference call can shorten a sales cycle and support your brand and demand efforts. That credibility depends entirely on honesty. Use real customers only, with their permission, saying things they actually said, with results they agree are accurate.

Know the rules

In the UK, advertising rules require testimonials to be genuine, attributable and supported by evidence where they make factual claims. Consumer law also prohibits fake reviews and hiding incentives for reviews. The Advertising Standards Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority publish guidance. A case study that names a person also involves their personal data, so get clear, written consent and let them withdraw it. This is general information, not legal advice; rules change, so check the current guidance.

Step by step

1. Find candidates. Look for customers who are green on health, have reached a measurable outcome and gave positive survey comments. Your success team will know who they are.
2. Ask at the right moment. Straight after a success: a renewal, a milestone reached or a positive review meeting. Ask the person who experienced the value, and check whether their organisation has a policy on endorsements.
3. Offer options. Some customers can give a full named case study. Others can only offer an anonymous quote, a logo or a reference call. Accept what they can give.
4. Interview them. Thirty minutes is enough. Ask: what was happening before; why they looked for a solution; why they chose you; what implementation was like; what has changed, with numbers if they have them; what they would tell a peer considering it.
5. Write it up in a simple structure. Challenge, decision, implementation, results and a quote in their own words. Keep to around 600 words. Lightly tidy quotes for grammar, never for meaning.
6. Verify every figure. If the case study says “cut processing time by half”, the customer must confirm the figure and how it was measured. If they cannot, describe the outcome without the number.
7. Get written sign-off. On the final text, images, logo use and where it will appear. Record the approval and the date.
8. Look after references. Keep a list of customers willing to take calls, ask before each use, and do not overuse anyone. A rule of thumb is no more than one call per reference per quarter.

Referrals

Happy customers often know other potential customers. Ask during good review meetings whether there is anyone they would recommend you speak to. If you offer a referral reward, make it transparent and check it fits the customer’s own policies on gifts and procurement.

A worked example

Ferrylight, a fictional Newcastle tech startup, sells energy monitoring to multi-academy trusts. Its sales team kept asking for case studies, but customers were cautious about public endorsement.

Ferrylight asked its three greenest customers after their annual reviews. One agreed to a full named case study, one to an anonymous quote and one to occasional reference calls. The finance lead in the case study had measured savings herself, so the figures were verified and signed off. The sales team used the case study in every proposal to trusts of a similar size.

Common mistakes

• Inventing or “improving” quotes, or using a logo without permission.
• Rounding up results the customer cannot support.
• Asking unhappy or new customers before they have seen value.
• Offering incentives for positive reviews, or hiding that a reviewer was rewarded.
• Calling the same reference customer every week.

What to measure

• Number of approved case studies, quotes and active references, by segment.
• Share of asks that were accepted.
• Deals where a case study or reference was used, and their win rate.
• Referral introductions received and converted.