But they are just one way that a customer can serve as a reference for a business. Customer case studies pull major weight among your marketing and sales materials. 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 >>

know, customers are busy and often ask you to put something together for them to approve. (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. Choose your customers carefully. 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 >>

Similar trends in your business? When it comes to customer success stories and case studies, real research comes few and far between. Not many have tried to measure the impact of stories on the sales process. Yet, Eccolo Media is about as close as anyone gets. For the past three years, the organization has spearheaded a B2B Technology Collateral Survey , basically asking buyers of B2B technology what marketing materials they consume during the decision-making process. It’s just really good stuff! Clearly, they want detailed stories. The rest download/print them to read. MORE >>

Not everyone "gets" the value of what we do, and how it can enhance their business. That is, anyone who listens to this interview will discover ways that they, too, can improve their business through your successful experience. By Bill Metcalf. Note from Casey Hibbard: While I'm out on maternity leave until the end of July, this blog will feature a summer guest blogger series with content from experts in marketing, organizational storytelling and writing. One of the most powerful tools in any marketing arsenal is raving testimonials from your happy clients. It’s embarrassing. MORE >>