What Selling the Special Taught Me About Selling Anything: The Case Study Constructor Story

Back when I was building my lil flower biz Film & Foliage I was also waitressing at a busy restaurant in town.

We had a nightly challenge: sell the most specials and win a bottle of wine. Simple. Fun. Who doesn't like wine?

The kitchen would scrawl the special on a piece of docket paper —maybe a slow-braised lamb ragu, a seafood risotto, or a perfectly blistered, woodfired flatbread with whipped ricotta and honey. We all had our own section to take care of, the doors opened at 6pm, we copied the special on our notepads and the race was on.

At first, I did what most of the staff did; I’d rattle off the dish, list the ingredients, and add a “It’s really good, you should try it!”

I’d get a few nods, the occasional Sure, why not? But mostly, I’d watch people skim past it, turning back to their safe, familiar orders.

It was fine. But fine didn’t win wine..

So I switched things up. Instead of just telling people about the dish, I started showing them.

I leaned in like I was letting them in on a secret. “Oh, I had this earlier, and the sauce is unreal. So rich but not heavy. We served it to a table earlier, and they actually stopped mid-bite to tell me how good it was. It’s been the favourite tonight.”

Suddenly, instead of maybe selling a special or two, my tables were ordering them without hesitation.

So I leaned in harder. If I saw a diner hesitate, scanning the menu, I’d say, "Look, I’m just gonna be honest, last night, we ran out of this dish before service even finished. It’s that good. Let me know if you want me to reserve you one."

And that was it. They were sold.

It wasn’t about pressure or sales tactics, it was about making it real for them.

Instead of a name on a chalkboard or a list of ingredients, I gave them a story they could see themselves in.

I let them picture themselves taking that first bite, tasting what everyone else was raving about.

By the end of the night, I had not only won the bottle of wine (humble brag), but I had figured out something important:

People don’t buy based on a list of facts. They buy based on how something makes them feel.

This is the key difference between a testimonial and a case study.

As testimonial is a short paragraph about the positive features of your service.

A case study is a story taking your audience on a journey through challenges, emotions, solutions and results, highlighting the transformation they've experienced.

Case studies are an essential tool in building trust and credibility. They turn a service or product from something abstract into something tangible, proving its value through real results. This week we're showing you the fast and simple process of transforming your cute testimonials into powerful case studies - proven to connect, engage and influence your audience, turning them into obsessed buyers.

So, wanna try the fish special? There's only 3 left

The Case Study Constructor just dropped - watch it here

Enjoy your meal!

Your flower bestie, Ash

P.S if you're not yet a member of Wildflower Academy you can join for only $25 and instantly access this training + so many more - Join here