They Ask You Answer Quotes

“Just as we did with used cars, take a moment to brainstorm every single reason (fear, worry, question, concern) as to why someone would not buy from your company. What would hold them back? What would keep them from clicking “buy,” swiping their credit card, or writing that big check? If you do this activity properly (especially if you do it with fellow employees), you should come up with ten to 20 reasons, if not more (sadly, a surprising number of businesses struggle with this one small task, all because they’ve lost touch with the most important part of their business: what the potential customer is thinking).”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“If you don’t show it, it doesn’t exist. Saying “We have great customer service” is likely said by everyone else in your industry. And if everyone is saying it, you can be assured it means nothing to the consumer—that is, until you show it.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“If you’re willing to give them both sides of the coin, they will see you as the trustworthy voice. And they are going to think: “This person truly does have my best interests at heart.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“The ideal ratio, from the customer’s point of view, is 5 to 1 or better. In other words, you should refer to the customer five times more than you refer to you and your company.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“We should never let our personal opinions screw up smart business choices.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Content—assuming it is honest and transparent—is the greatest sales tool in the world today.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“When people don’t take the time to become well educated, they are most likely making their decision based solely on price, which generally means they’re not the best fit.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Now back to Mr./Mrs. Jones’s reaction upon me telling them that if they don’t want to become a bit more educated, then they’re probably not the best fit for my business. Almost all prospects have responded in one of two ways: The first response sounds like this: “OK, Marcus, fine. I will read your ebook and watch your video.” And at that point I say, “Well, that’s wonderful! Friday morning, I will call you just to confirm you’ve done those things.” The second response sounds like this: “Forget you! I don’t need you to come out to my house and I don’t need you to sell me a swimming pool. I’ll go somewhere else!” When this happens, your response as a business should be one of gratitude, because you now know they’re clearly not a good fit.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“It’s a little bit long—about 30 pages—but I promise you, it will be well worth your time. Then I close by saying, “So Mr./Mrs. Jones, would you take the time to review this ebook before our appointment on Friday?” Having had this exact conversation with hundreds of swimming pool shoppers, I can tell you that 90 percent of the time, the simple response is, “Sure.” At this point in the conversation, I would respond by saying, “That’s great. Friday morning, I will give you a call just to confirm our appointment as well as make sure you took the time to do those two things.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“POOL SHOPPER: Hey Marcus, I’ve been checking out your site and I think I’d like to get a quote for a swimming pool. Can you come out to my house this Friday and give me a quote? ME: Of course, I would love to come out to your house this Friday and give you a quote. However, you’re getting ready to spend a lot of money on a swimming pool, and I know you don’t want to make any mistakes with a project of this magnitude. So, to ensure you don’t make any mistakes, we’re going to help you become well educated.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Look at it like this: If your products and services start at $50,000, and that person has a true budget of $20,000, do you think he is magically going to come up with an extra $30,000 for your products and/ or services? In most cases, the answer is no. Instead of scaring the person, you’re going to educate him, which brings relief and saves time for all parties involved.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Yeah, but Marcus, aren’t you afraid you’ve now introduced them to the competition?” If you’re thinking this, let’s be clear about something: If someone wants to know who your competitors are, roughly, how long will it take them to figure it out? Seconds, if they’re slow! The reality is this: Consumer ignorance is no longer a viable sales and marketing strategy.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Putting It into Action Write down every question you’ve ever received from a prospect or customer who was asking you to compare two or more things. This could include products, brands, methods, companies, and other subjects. It could also include your products and services or ones you don’t even sell. The key, though, is that you consider the many comparison-based questions that potential buyers and customers are asking (and searching) in your industry right now. Once you’ve made this list, address these questions honestly and transparently throughout your digital marketing efforts—be it with blog posts, videos, buying guides, webinars, and so on.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“What I discovered was profound. Basically, there were five types of content subjects (or types of questions) that seemed to move the needle with readers more than anything else, ultimately rendering the greatest amount of traffic, conversions, leads, and sales. These five subjects were as follows: Pricing and costs Problems Versus and comparisons Reviews Best in class At the time, I didn’t realize that these five subjects weren’t at all specific to the swimming pool industry. Rather, these are the five main subjects consumers and businesses research the most whenever they’re getting ready to make a purchasing decision.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Have a Brainstorming Session Brainstorm every question you’ve ever been asked by a prospect or customer. Focus on their fears, issues, concerns, and worries. State them on paper exactly as the buyer would ask (or search) them, not the way you (as the business) would state them. Once you’ve completed this list, you have the foundation for your entire digital marketing editorial calendar—be it articles, videos, podcasts, and so on—to put on your company website. Note: If you struggle coming up with these questions, there’s a frank reason why—you’ve lost touch with your ideal customer or client. If this is the case, it’s time to get with your sales team, customer service team, and everyone else, and relearn what your ideal customer wants to know to be able to make an informed buying decision.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“What is “They Ask, You Answer”? More than anything, it’s a business philosophy. It’s an approach to communication, company culture, and the way we sell as a business. It starts with an obsession: “What is my customer thinking?” And when I say “obsession,” I really mean that. It extends past “What are they thinking?” to “What are they searching, asking, feeling, and fearing?” Some companies think they understand these questions, but the fact is most do not.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“content marketing” was simply the act of teaching and problem solving to earn buyer trust.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Multiple recent studies have shown one specific eye-popping statistic: Today, on average, 70 percent of the buying decision is made before a prospect talks to the company. Yep, 70 percent.”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Just as we did with used cars, take a moment to brainstorm every single reason (fear, worry, question, concern) as to why someone would not buy from your company. What would hold them back? What would keep them from clicking “buy,” swiping their credit card, or writing that big check?”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated

“Once you’ve listed each of these fears or reasons for not buying, now comes the critical step: How many of these issues (fears, worries, concerns, questions, objections, and others) have already been addressed well (a few sentences don’t count) on your company website? How many have been addressed within your sales process?”
― Marcus Sheridan, They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer, Revised & Updated