They Ask, You Answer

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.

• Foreword xvIntroduction xixPart I A Very Different Way of Looking at Business, Marketing, and Trust 1Chapter 1 The Fall 3Chapter 2 A Massive Buying Shift and the Blur Between Sales and Marketing 9Chapter 3 This Book Won’t Work for You If … 13Chapter 4 The Discovery of They Ask, You Answer 17Chapter 5 They Ask, You Answer Defined 21Chapter 6 Brainstorming the Questions You are Asked Every Day 23Chapter 7 The Ostrich Marketing Strategy 27Chapter 8 The CarMax Effect 29Chapter 9 The Discovery of The Big 5 37Chapter 10 The Big 5, Topic 1: Pricing and Cost: Why We Must Talk About Money 39Chapter 11 How One Article About Money Generated More Than $6 Million in Sales 43Chapter 12 Case Study 1: High-End B2B Technology Company Generates More Than $8 Million in Additional Revenue 51Chapter 13 The Big 5, Topic 2: Problems: How to Turn Weaknesses into Strengths 59Chapter 14 Addressing the Elephant in the Room 61Chapter 15 How Talking About Our Problems Generated More Than $1 Million in Revenue 63Chapter 16 Case Study 2: An Equipment Financing Company Becomes a Digital David and Conquers the Industry Goliaths 65Chapter 17 The Big 5, Topic 3: Versus and Comparisons 73Chapter 18 The Critical Need for Unbiased Content 77Chapter 19 The Big 5, Topics 4 and 5: Reviews and Best in Class 81Chapter 20 Using Reviews to Establish Yourself as an Expert 85Chapter 21 The Impact of Discussing Competition 89Chapter 22 Case Study 3: Small Retail Appliance Store Dominates Online and Makes Millions 93Chapter 23 The Competition 101Chapter 24 How They Ask, You Answer Saved River Pools and Spas 107Part II The Impact of They Ask, You Answer on Sales Teams 111Chapter 25 How Great Content Is a Total Game-Changer for Sales Teams 113Chapter 26 A Dramatic Discovery 117Chapter 27 Assignment Selling 121Chapter 28 How One Remarkable Couple Changed My Perspective on the Power of Content to Sell 127Chapter 29 Content Never Sleeps 131Chapter 30 How to Use Assignment Selling to Avoid Common Pitfalls 135Chapter 31 How to Use Assignment Selling to Determine Compatibility 139Chapter 32 Case Study 4: How a Healthcare Startup Became the Thought Leaders of an Entirely New Industry 143Part III Implementation and Making It a Culture 149Chapter 33 The Power of Insourcing and Using Your Team to Create Incredible Content 151Chapter 34 Case Study 5: How Block Imaging Embraced a Culture of Insourcing 155Chapter 35 Starting Off They Ask, You Answer with a Bang: Company Workshops 159Chapter 36 The Content Manager: Qualities to Look for, How to Hire One, and More 165Chapter 37 The Importance of Having the Right Tools: Measuring Return on Investment, the Power of HubSpot, and More 173Part IV Creating a Culture of Video . . . In-House 179Chapter 38 We’re All Media Companies and the Visual Sale 181Chapter 39 The Selling 7: 7 Videos That Will Immediately Impact Sales and Closing Rates 185Chapter 40 The Selling 7, Video 1: The 80 Percent Video 187Chapter 41 The Selling 7, Video 2: Bio Videos for Email Signatures 195Chapter 42 The Selling 7, Video 3: Product and Service Fit Videos 199Chapter 43 The Selling 7, Video 4: Landing Page Videos 203Chapter 44 The Selling 7, Video 5: Cost and Pricing Videos 207Chapter 45 The Selling 7, Video 6: Customer Journey Videos 209Chapter 46 The Selling 7, Video 7: “Claims We Make” Videos 211Chapter 47 Personalized Video for Email: A More Human Approach to Direct Digital Communication 215Chapter 48 How to Hire an In-House Videographer 221Chapter 49 Team Buy-In on Video, Performance Tips, and Long -Term Success 229Chapter 50 Case Study 6: How a Lifting and Rigging Company Became the Ultimate Example of They Ask, You Answer Success and Culture 235Part V How to Build the Perfect They Ask, You Answer Website 243Chapter 51 Real-Time Conversations Are Changing How They’re Asking and We’re Answering 245Chapter 52 Self-Selection: The Next Phase of Search, Sales, and the Way We Buy 255Chapter 53 Website Priority 1: Proper Homepage Design and Messaging 263Chapter 54 Website Priority 2: Obsess Over Honest Education 267Chapter 55 Website Priority 3: Premium Education 269Chapter 56 Website Priority 4: An Equal Mix of Textual and Visual Content 271Chapter 57 Website Priority 5: Self-Selection Tools 273Chapter 58 Website Priority 6: Social Proof 275Chapter 59 Website Priority 7: Site Speed 277Part VI Your Questions Answered 279Chapter 60 “How Do I Find More Time to Make This Work Within My Organization?” 281Chapter 61 “How Long Will It Take They Ask, You Answer to Work?” 287Chapter 62 “Are Content Marketing and They Ask, You Answer Just Fads?” 293Chapter 63 “How Can I Keep My Team Engaged in the Content Process?” 295Chapter 64 “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?” 301Chapter 65 “Can I Just Hire an Agency to Do This for Me?” 305Chapter 66 “How Can We Afford to Do This?” 307Chapter 67 A Revolutionary Marketing Strategy 309End of Book ResourcesTools to Help You Embark on Your Own They Ask, You Answer Journey 313Appendix 1 Get Your Scorecard: Grade Yourself on They Ask, You Answer Right Now 315Appendix 2 More They Ask, You Answer Resources 317Appendix 3 Accelerate Your They Ask, You Answer Success with IMPACT 319Acknowledgments 321About the Author 323Index 325