They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated, 2nd Edition

  • 4h 28m
  • Marcus Sheridan
  • John Wiley & Sons (US)
  • 2019

The revolutionary guide that challenged businesses around the world to stop selling to their buyers and start answering their questions to get results; revised and updated to address new technology, trends, the continuous evolution of the digital consumer, and much more

In today’s digital age, the traditional sales funnel―marketing at the top, sales in the middle, customer service at the bottom―is no longer effective. To be successful, businesses must obsess over the questions, concerns, and problems their buyers have, and address them as honestly and as thoroughly as possible. Every day, buyers turn to search engines to ask billions of questions. Having the answers they need can attract thousands of potential buyers to your company―but only if your content strategy puts your answers at the top of those search results. It’s a simple and powerful equation that produces growth and success: They Ask, You Answer.

Using these principles, author Marcus Sheridan led his struggling pool company from the bleak depths of the housing crash of 2008 to become one of the largest pool installers in the United States. Discover how his proven strategy can work for your business and master the principles of inbound and content marketing that have empowered thousands of companies to achieve exceptional growth.

They Ask, You Answer is a straightforward guide filled with practical tactics and insights for transforming your marketing strategy. This new edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the evolution of content marketing and the increasing demands of today’s internet-savvy buyers. New chapters explore the impact of technology, conversational marketing, the essential elements every business website should possess, the rise of video, and new stories from companies that have achieved remarkable results with They Ask, You Answer.

Upon reading this book, you will know:

  • How to build trust with buyers through content and video.
  • How to turn your web presence into a magnet for qualified buyers.
  • What works and what doesn’t through new case studies, featuring real-world results from companies that have embraced these principles.
  • Why you need to think of your business as a media company, instead of relying on more traditional (and ineffective) ways of advertising and marketing.
  • How to achieve buy-in at your company and truly embrace a culture of content and video.
  • How to transform your current customer base into loyal brand advocates for your company.

They Ask, You Answer is a must-have resource for companies that want a fresh approach to marketing and sales that is proven to generate more traffic, leads, and sales.

About the Author

MARCUS SHERIDAN is known for inbound and content marketing excellence. He is an international keynote speaker with a unique ability to excite, engage, and motivate live audiences. He also works with hundreds of businesses, helping them to become the most trusted voice in their industry. Marcus has been featured in multiple industry publications, including the New York Times, which featured Marcus as a "web marketing guru," and Forbes, which named Marcus one of 20 "Speakers You Don't Want to Miss" in 2017.

In this Book

  • The Fall
  • A Massive Buying Shift and the Blur Between Sales and Marketing
  • This Book Won't Work for You If …
  • The Discovery of They Ask, You Answer
  • They Ask, You Answer Defined
  • Brainstorming the Questions You Are Asked Every Day
  • The Ostrich Marketing Strategy
  • The CarMax Effect
  • The Discovery of The Big 5
  • The Big 5, Topic 1: Pricing and Cost: Why We Must Talk About Money
  • How One Article About Money Generated More Than $6 Million in Sales
  • Case Study 1: High-End B2B Technology Company Generates More Than $8 Million in Additional Revenue
  • The Big 5, Topic 2: Problems: How to Turn Weaknesses into Strengths
  • Addressing the Elephant in the Room
  • How Talking About Our Problems Generated More Than $1 Million in Revenue
  • Case Study 2: An Equipment Financing Company Becomes a Digital David and Conquers the Industry Goliaths
  • The Big 5, Topic 3: Versus and Comparisons
  • The Critical Need for Unbiased Content
  • The Big 5, Topics 4 and 5: Reviews and Best in Class
  • Using Reviews to Establish Yourself as an Expert
  • The Impact of Discussing Competition
  • Case Study 3: Small Retail Appliance Store Dominates Online and Makes Millions
  • The Competition
  • How They Ask, You Answer Saved River Pools and Spas
  • How Great Content Is a Total Game-Changer for Sales Teams
  • A Dramatic Discovery
  • Assignment Selling
  • How One Remarkable Couple Changed My Perspective on the Power of Content to Sell
  • Content Never Sleeps
  • How to Use Assignment Selling to Avoid Common Pitfalls
  • How to Use Assignment Selling to Determine Compatibility
  • Case Study 4: How a Healthcare Startup Became the Thought Leaders of an Entirely New Industry
  • The Power of Insourcing and Using Your Team to Create Incredible Content
  • Case Study 5: How Block Imaging Embraced a Culture of Insourcing
  • Starting Off They Ask, You Answer with a Bang: Company Workshops
  • The Content Manager: Qualities to Look for, How to Hire One, and More
  • The Importance of Having the Right Tools: Measuring Return on Investment, the Power of HubSpot, and More
  • We're All Media Companies and the Visual Sale
  • The Selling 7: 7 Videos That Will Immediately Impact Sales and Closing Rates
  • The Selling 7, Video 1: The 80 Percent Video
  • The Selling 7, Video 2: Bio Videos for Email Signatures
  • The Selling 7, Video 3: Product and Service Fit Videos
  • The Selling 7, Video 4: Landing Page Videos
  • The Selling 7, Video 5: Cost and Pricing Videos
  • The Selling 7, Video 6: Customer Journey Videos
  • The Selling 7, Video 7: "Claims We Make" Videos
  • Personalized Video for Email: A More Human Approach to Direct Digital Communication
  • How to Hire an In-House Videographer
  • Team Buy-In on Video, Performance Tips, and Long-Term Success
  • Case Study 6: How a Lifting and Rigging Company Became the Ultimate Example of They Ask, You Answer Success and Culture
  • Real-Time Conversations Are Changing How They're Asking and We're Answering
  • Self-Selection: The Next Phase of Search, Sales, and the Way We Buy
  • Website Priority 1: Proper Homepage Design and Messaging
  • Website Priority 2: Obsess Over Honest Education
  • Website Priority 3: Premium Education
  • Website Priority 4: An Equal Mix of Textual and Visual Content
  • Website Priority 5: Self-Selection Tools
  • Website Priority 6: Social Proof
  • Website Priority 7: Site Speed
  • "How Do I Find More Time to Make This Work Within My Organization?"
  • "How Long Will It Take They Ask, You Answer to Work?"
  • "Are Content Marketing and They Ask, You Answer Just Fads?"
  • "How Can I Keep My Team Engaged in the Content Process?"
  • "I've Been Told If We're Not Adding Anything New to the Conversation, Then We Shouldn't Be Talking About It — Is That Right?"
  • "Can I Just Hire an Agency to Do This for Me?"
  • "How Can We Afford to Do This?"
  • A Revolutionary Marketing Strategy
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