Want to show buyers personal value and drive more sales? Take building business cases seriously. 

“Rather than treating a business case as another opportunity to drive value, sellers often treat sharing case studies as though they were a box you had to check on the way to close a deal,” writes Jack McKissen for LinkedIn.

He believes sellers miss out on the major opportunity that business cases offer. If you aren’t devoting enough effort to them, it may be time to rethink how you use (or don’t use) cases to sell.

How does a great business case drive more sales?

It’s one thing to explain your offering’s features and benefits. It’s another thing to show a buyer how those features and benefits specifically can help them through a financial lens. It delivers a “quantified justification” for making the purchase.

“Your proposal is being considered as an investment and judged on the basis of business impact, so you may be in competition with other potential investments the customer may be considering,” explains Paul Howdle for Infoteam Consulting.

And now, a business case can be more impactful. You’re more likely to encounter multi-​person buying teams, and these larger teams are often working with smaller budgets. This means your offer is being scrutinized more than ever. 

Having a smart business case can drive more sales because it shows the financial benefits of choosing your solution. And it’s something you can reference throughout the buying process, reminding buyers why they’d be making a smart spending choice.

Make sure you create cases unique to the prospect

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is that cases aren’t one-​size-​fits-​all. Granted, your prospects will likely have similar challenges or goals but not when it comes to specifics. 

As McKissen notes, “No matter how similar the problems (or even the buyers) may be, no two situations are exactly alike – meaning sending a single set of results usually won’t work.”

Each business case must be tailored to appeal to the individual prospect and their business in order to have impact. 

Include more than research

While research is powerful, you’ll need more than numbers to drive more sales. Include industry research but also keep the focus on the prospect. Remember, they want to know what’s in it for them.

Over half of buyers say that a top attribute of a seller is providing relevant insight and ideas to help their business, according to results from SalesFuel’s Voice of the B2B Buyer survey.

“Go a level deeper and identify the top business initiatives that your solution would support,” suggest the professionals at InAccord. Alongside each of those initiatives, include specific tactics or use cases for your solution that would help achieve or positively contribute to the initiative.”

Highlight credibility throughout

It’s vital to demonstrate credibility throughout your business cases. You can do this in a variety of ways, including using credibility statements. These are statements that reveal why you are credible and should be trusted. They can mention past clients, years of experience, industry knowledge, etc. 

Make sure to also include voices other than your own. “A case with just one perspective comes off very different than one that includes multiple perspectives,” writes McKissen. “By including different voices, you’re showing that your solution had a wide, positive impact.” 

Include social proof, such as testimonials, reviews, case studies, accolades and recognition, and content features.

Ask these questions

When you think you’ve completed a business case, there are some questions you can ask yourself as a final check-​in. To drive more sales, InAccord recommends asking, 

• Will the buyer be excited to share it internally?
• Does it address the questions executives and other stakeholders may ask? 
• Do you use your buyer’s language throughout, focusing on their challenges and goals rather than just features?

If the answer to those is “yes,” you’re on your way to driving more sales with business cases. And for more tips on selling to high-​level stakeholders, take a look at this advice.

Photo by Tiger Lily