case-study-builder · diff
git:20260225.733acad to git:20260308.5724749
122 added, 124 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: case-study-builder
description: Turn client wins into formatted case studies for proposals, social proof, and sales conversations. Use when someone needs to document results, build credibility, or create reusable proof assets.
---
# Case Study Builder
- Everyone wants social proof. Nobody makes time to create it. You finish a project, the client's happy, you move on — and six months later you're in a sales call with nothing to show.
-
- This skill fixes that. Give me the raw details. I'll produce three formats you can use immediately.
+ Here's what I've learned about social proof: everyone wants it, nobody makes time to create it.
- ---
+ You finish a project, the client's happy, you move on. Six months later you're in a sales call wishing you had that case study written up. Sound familiar?
- ## Context Loading Gates
+ This skill fixes that. Give me the raw details of a win, I'll turn it into three formats you can actually use.
- **Before generating anything, collect all 8 fields:**
+ ---
- | Field | What to Collect |
- |---|---|
- | 1. Client | Industry, company size/stage, named or anonymized? |
- | 2. Before | What was broken or painful? Any numbers? |
- | 3. Actions | What did you specifically do? Scope, timeline, role |
- | 4. After | **REQUIRED: at least one specific number** |
- | 5. Timeline | How long to achieve the result? |
- | 6. Quote | Direct client quote if available |
- | 7. Naming | Can we name the client, or must we anonymize? |
- | 8. Use case | Where will this be used? (proposals / website / LinkedIn) |
+ ## Mode
- **Outcome Extraction Protocol — enforced on Field 4:**
+ Detect from context or ask: *"Quick writeup, full case study, or full asset package?"*
- If the user says "results were good" or "things improved," stop and ask:
- > "I need at least one number to make this credible. Pick one:
- > - Revenue change (e.g., 'closed 3 new clients worth $15K')
- > - Time saved (e.g., 'cut from 10 hours to 2 hours/week')
- > - Lead volume (e.g., 'went from 0 to 5 inbound leads/month')
- > - Rough estimate is fine — it doesn't have to be exact."
+ | Mode | What you get | Best for |
+ |------|-------------|----------|
+ | `quick` | 1 format: paragraph summary for proposals | Fast social proof, proposal inserts |
+ | `standard` | 3 formats: proposal blurb, social proof pull-quote, sales story | Active pitching, LinkedIn, website |
+ | `deep` | 3 formats + blog-ready case study + FAQ variant + campaign assets | Content marketing, SEO, sales enablement |
- **Do not draft until Field 4 has at least one number.**
+ **Default: `standard`** — use `quick` if they say "just need something fast." Use `deep` if they want to turn the win into a marketing asset.
---
- ## Phase 1: Situation Analysis
-
- Before drafting, reason through:
+ ## What I Need From You
- 1. **Result strength:** Is the outcome a Tier 1 (hard metric), Tier 2 (soft metric), or Tier 3 (proxy)? This determines how confident the language should be.
- 2. **Hero check:** Is the story told from the client's perspective, or yours? Client = hero, you = guide.
- 3. **Tension check:** What made this hard? Without a challenge, there's no story — just a list.
- 4. **Format match:** Which use case did they specify? That determines which format to optimize.
+ Tell me about a client win:
- **Tier system for results language:**
+ 1. **Who was the client?** (Can we name them, or do we anonymize?)
+ 2. **What was broken before you showed up?**
+ 3. **What did you actually do?** (Scope, timeline, your role)
+ 4. **What changed?** (Results, outcomes, transformations)
+ 5. **Any memorable moments?** (Breakthroughs, pivots, "aha" moments)
- | Tier | Type | Example | Language |
- |---|---|---|---|
- | 1 | Hard metric | "Revenue +40%" | State directly |
- | 2 | Soft metric | "Team finally aligned" | "For the first time in years..." |
- | 3 | Proxy metric | "Enabled Series A close" | "Contributed to..." |
- | 4 | Directional | "Noticeable improvement" | "Significant improvement in..." |
+ Don't worry about making it sound good. Just give me the facts. I'll handle the storytelling.
---
- ## Phase 2: The Hero Principle
-
- **The client is the hero. You are the guide.**
-
- Before writing, flip the framing:
+ ## The Three Formats
- ❌ Wrong: "I built a content system that generated leads."
- ✅ Right: "Sarah went from scrambling to fill her pipeline to getting 3 inbound inquiries per week — all from a content system we built in 6 weeks."
+ Every case study needs three versions. Here's why:
- Every format should be written from what the CLIENT experienced, not what YOU delivered.
+ ### 1. The Two-Liner (For Proposals & Bios)
- ---
+ When someone's scanning your proposal, they don't want a story. They want proof you've done this before.
- ## Phase 3: Generate Three Formats
+ **The formula:**
+ > [What you did] + [scale/scope] + [for who] + [result or timeframe].
- ### Format 1: Two-Liner (Proposals & Bios)
+ **Example:**
+ > Led the rebrand of a $4B healthcare organization with 150+ locations. 18-month engagement covering brand strategy, messaging, and market positioning.
- **Formula:** `[What was done] + [scale/scope] + [for who] + [result or timeframe]`
+ That's it. Two sentences. Paste it into proposals, email signatures, your LinkedIn About section.
- ```
- [Strong action verb] [what was delivered] for [specific client descriptor].
- [Outcome metric] in [timeframe].
- ```
+ ---
- **Example:**
- > Built a full content system for a Series B SaaS founder with no marketing team.
- > 0 to 3 inbound leads/week in 6 weeks.
+ ### 2. The Story Version (For Conversations & LinkedIn)
- ---
+ This is for when you need to sound human. Sales calls. LinkedIn posts. Podcast intros.
- ### Format 2: Story Version (LinkedIn & Sales Calls)
+ **The structure:**
- **Structure — 4 paragraphs, 150–250 words:**
+ **Set the scene:** What was happening? What was at stake?
+ > "They were one of the largest medical groups in the Midwest — $4B in revenue, 150+ locations. But their brand hadn't kept pace with their growth."
- ```
- **Set the scene:** [Their situation when you arrived — 2-3 sentences with stakes]
+ **Show the complexity:** What made this hard?
+ > "Healthcare branding isn't simple. You're not just talking to patients — you're navigating physicians, insurers, employers, and community stakeholders."
- **Show the complexity:** [What made this hard — 2-3 sentences]
+ **What you did:** Actions, not features.
+ > "I led the rebrand over 18 months: positioning, messaging architecture, visual identity guidance."
- **What happened:** [Specific actions taken — no feature lists, just moves]
+ **What changed:** The outcome.
+ > "By the end, they had a unified brand that worked across all their service lines and stakeholder groups."
- **What changed:** [Outcome — the number + the transformation]
- ```
+ Four paragraphs. Tells a story. Makes you memorable.
---
- ### Format 3: Full Case Study (Website & Portfolio)
+ ### 3. The Full Case Study (For Your Website)
- ```markdown
- # Case Study: [Client Name or Descriptor]
+ This is the deep version. For your portfolio page, downloadable PDFs, or when a prospect wants to dig in.
+ **Structure:**
+ ```
+ # Case Study: [Client]
+
## The Challenge
- [2-3 paragraphs: situation, stakes, what wasn't working]
+ [2-3 paragraphs on the situation and problems]
- ## The Approach
- [Phases or steps — what happened and in what order]
+ ## The Approach
+ [What you did, broken into phases]
## The Results
- [Metrics, before/after comparison, named outcomes]
+ [Metrics, outcomes, before/after]
## Key Details
- - Client: [Named or "A [descriptor] company"]
+ - Client: [Name or anonymized]
- Industry: [Sector]
- - Timeline: [Duration]
- - Scope: [What was delivered]
+ - Duration: [Timeframe]
+ - Scope: [Deliverables]
## What Made This Different
- [Unique angle, unexpected obstacle, or pivotal insight]
+ [The unique angle or challenge]
- ## Client Quote
- > "[Testimonial — or placeholder if not yet collected]"
- > — [Name], [Title]
+ ## Client Quote (if you have one)
+ > "[Testimonial]"
+ > — Name, Title
```
---
- ## Phase 4: Self-Critique Pass (REQUIRED)
+ ## The Results Hierarchy
- After generating all three formats, evaluate:
+ Not every win has hard numbers. Here's how to frame different types of results:
- **Two-liner:**
- - [ ] Does it have a specific number? (Not "improved results" — a real metric)
- - [ ] Is it 2 sentences or fewer?
- - [ ] Would someone scanning a proposal stop and read it?
+ **Tier 1: Hard Metrics** (Best)
+ - Revenue increased 40%
+ - Reduced costs by $200K
+ - Grew pipeline from 10 to 50 qualified leads
- **Story version:**
- - [ ] Is the client the hero (not the author)?
- - [ ] Is there genuine tension — something that made this hard?
- - [ ] Does the closing paragraph include the key metric?
+ **Tier 2: Soft Metrics** (Still Valuable)
+ - "First time the entire team was aligned on messaging"
+ - "Clarity that hadn't existed in 5 years"
+ - "Process now runs without me"
- **Full case study:**
- - [ ] Does the Results section lead with numbers?
- - [ ] Is the Challenge section specific enough that a similar prospect recognizes their situation?
- - [ ] Is the client quote (or placeholder) present?
+ **Tier 3: Proxy Metrics** (When Direct Data Missing)
+ - "This approach was later adopted company-wide"
+ - "Enabled them to close their Series A"
+ - "Team went from confused to confident"
- **Flag any failure:** "The story version has no tension — add one obstacle or unexpected challenge before the 'What happened' paragraph."
+ **Tier 4: Directional** (Minimum)
+ - "Significant improvement in..."
+ - "Noticeable lift in..."
+ - "Positive feedback from..."
+ Something is always better than "we did good work."
+
---
- ## Phase 5: Distribution Plan
+ ## When You Can't Name the Client
- | Format | Best locations | When to use |
- |---|---|---|
- | Two-liner | Proposals, email bios, LinkedIn About section | Any sales context |
- | Story | LinkedIn post, podcast intros, sales call opener | Weekly content |
- | Full case study | Website portfolio page, PDF download, RFP response | Late-stage buyer research |
+ Anonymize with enough detail for credibility:
+ - "A $4B healthcare organization"
+ - "A Series B fintech startup"
+ - "A Fortune 500 CPG brand"
+ The specifics (revenue, industry, company stage) do the work even without the name.
+
---
- ## Output Structure
+ ## Questions to Jog Your Memory
- ```markdown
- ## Case Study: [Client Descriptor] — [Date]
+ If you're struggling to remember the details:
- ### Situation Summary
- [2-sentence analysis from Phase 1]
- Result tier: [1/2/3/4]
+ 1. What was the situation when you first showed up?
+ 2. What were they most frustrated about?
+ 3. What was the hardest part of the project?
+ 4. What surprised you?
+ 5. What would have happened if you hadn't done this work?
+ 6. Did they ever say anything quotable?
---
- ### Format 1: Two-Liner
- [Final copy]
+ ## What You Get Back
- ### Format 2: Story Version
- [Final copy]
+ All three versions, ready to use:
- ### Format 3: Full Case Study
- [Full markdown]
+ ```
+ # Case Study: [Client]
- ---
+ ## Two-Liner
+ [Ready for proposals]
- ### Self-Critique Notes
- - Two-liner: [pass/issue]
- - Story: [pass/issue]
- - Full: [pass/issue]
+ ## Story Version
+ [Ready for conversations]
- ### Distribution Plan
- [Where to use each]
+ ## Full Case Study
+ [Ready for website]
- ### Next Step
- [If no quote collected → run testimonial-collector]
- [If strong story → suggest LinkedIn post from story format]
+ ## Usage Notes
+ - Where to use each version
+ - Talking points if asked follow-up questions
+ - Any restrictions (NDA, anonymization)
```
---
- **Cross-reference:** If a client quote was captured here, run `testimonial-collector` to properly format and score it for your testimonial library.
+ ## Common Mistakes I'll Help You Avoid
+
+ ❌ **Making yourself the hero.** The client is the hero. You're the guide.
+
+ ❌ **Vague outcomes.** "Improved their marketing" means nothing. Get specific.
+
+ ❌ **Skipping the struggle.** The challenge is what makes the outcome impressive.
+
+ ❌ **Feature lists instead of story.** "We did X, Y, Z" doesn't land. "Here's what changed" does.
+
+ ---
+
+ **Need help turning your wins into case studies?**
+ → [Book a strategy call](https://brianrwagner.com)
---
*Skill by Brian Wagner | AI Marketing Architect | brianrwagner.com*