What's new with customer stories and where are we headed? That's the question I recently asked Erica Hansen, director of customer engagement at Projecline. The fast-growing marketing services firm has built a solid reputation by assisting companies like Microsoft with customer references and evidence. I've followed the firm and gotten to know a few folks via social media the past few years. With five offices in the U.S. and London, they see a lot, and I wanted to hear their view on what's happening with customer stories. Hansen shared five trends she's seeing in customer storytelling: 1. MORE >>

(This week, we lost a treasured filmmaker, Nora Ephron. This post is a tribute to her.). If you've seen Ephron's classic '80s comedy, When Harry Met Sally , you know the most famous scene. Friends Sally (Meg Ryan) and Harry (Billy Crystal) are talking over sandwiches in a deli. To prove a point, Sally pretends – very loudly – to be experiencing a particularly, ahem, pleasurable human experience. But the punch line comes from a woman at a nearby table. Swayed by what she thinks is Sally's endorsement of the sandwich, she tells the waiter, " I'll have what she's having." MORE >>

It's no wonder that customer case studies are a staple in marketing and selling technology products and services. Technology is complex, pricey and usually requires decent time to ramp up. On top of that, it demands ongoing support when something goes awry. The customer case study uniquely demonstrates that a technology works well in a customer's environment and the experience has been positive. But what really needs to go into a technology case study to satisfy the audience's questions and concerns? Decision-makers have to know the details. What and who was involved? Was there training? MORE >>

Customer case studies pull major weight among your marketing and sales materials. But they are just one way that a customer can serve as a reference for a business. Customer stories fall under the bigger umbrella of customer reference activities, which can involve anything from taking a phone call from a prospect, speaking to an analyst or agreeing to a press release. Smart companies manage their customer references, and even smarter ones manage them well to ensure every reference is maximized – without overusing precious customer contacts. Good metrics can be hard to come by. MORE >>

In an organization, a single, powerful story can help land new business, get PR, win awards, train new sales reps, and reinforce the company's vision among all employees. Yet so many stories go unrecorded - and lost as people leave the company. You need a process for capturing them, and a place to do so. just learned about Zahmoo , a simple, cost-effective way for organizations to collect and keep their stories. Created by fellow story practitioner, Shawn Callahan of Anecdote , the web-based tool looks about as easy as it gets. It lets you. Share, rate, comment on and reuse stories. MORE >>