From the perspective of customer evidence, a quote is a powerful and concise way to showcase impact and value.   

In a world where short and sweet reigns supreme, a quote grabs the attention of audiences with limited attention spans. A quote is easy to consume and to share.   

With just one sentence, a quote from an advocate customer can get you noticed, potentially sway an opinion or influence a purchase. A quote is therefore a powerful ally to sales and marketing teams.

In my experience, one of the questions regularly posed by organizations and teams is “How do I get customers to engage in reference activities?” And it is a very valid one that begs to be answered, in full, by anyone considering a deeper dive into a customer evidence program.

Indeed, for those in sales and marketing responsible for getting customer references, it’s a question that doesn’t ever really go away.  And, with no simple answer to solve this predicament forever, it’s no surprise that collecting customer references becomes an ongoing challenge.

Why is this? Because each customer is different, your organization is different and everyone has different and often conflicting incentives and priorities.

The approach taken varies because each customer is different and each organization is different. However, from my experience working with organizations creating amazing customer evidence there are best practices you can follow to reach your customers and get their buy-in to your own evidence program.

I hope the following recommendations are the start to customer relationships that quickly transform into true partnerships -  for you and your organization.

From my early childhood, I was reading a ton. Since there was no internet back then, I was consumed by the stories delivered through hundreds of books. Luckily, I kept this habit. Only adapted the technology, as there's less time to read the old fashion way. Mostly thanks to audiobooks, my curiosity, hunger for stories and knowledge is being fulfilled. So I thought to share those that were influential to me and hope that you might find some interesting as well.

I want to dedicate this blog post to storytelling. I've realized that the art of storytelling is one of the most significant powers that form who we are, where we belong and how we connect to the world around us. So without further ado, here are some of the great stories that influenced me in 2018 — happy reading.