A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer
They Ask You Answer (2017) describes a transformative new marketing philosophy. Rather than relying on flashy ads and keyword-stuffed articles, author Marcus Sheridan encourages companies to embrace quality online content that truly seeks to educate customers and win their trust.
Marcus Sheridan is the founder and president of marketing and personal development blog The Sales Lion, which later merged with successful content agency IMPACT. He is also a highly sought-after speaker and consultant who specializes in digital content and marketing.
© Marcus Sheridan: They Ask You Answer copyright 2017, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.
There’s one thing that unites all successful companies in the twenty-first century: they understand their customers better than everyone else. They also understand that technology has completely transformed the way those customers behave.
The lesson here is simple: people attempting to do business today need to dig into what motivates their customers to act as they do.
The key message here is: To connect with consumers, companies need to address their fears.
In the twenty-first century, purchasing habits have changed dramatically. Using the internet, customers are able to research a potential purchase extensively. They can read countless reviews, browse company content, and watch how-to videos – considering the product or service from every possible angle before making a purchase. Long before they’re in contact with a company, they’re already familiar with its products.
There’s a striking statistic that clearly shows how much has changed. Around ten years ago, 20 to 40 percent of purchasing decisions were made before a customer got in touch with a company. Today, that number has rocketed to 70 percent.
Imagine you’re trying to sell swimming pools, as the author Marcus Sheridan used to do. Before prospective customers even contact your sales team, they’ll generally have a good idea of whether or not they’re going to have a pool installed. They don’t need to be sold on the idea.
So the best thing you can do is address any lingering fears and anxieties a customer might have. Fear, after all, is the central factor in a buying decision. Customers fear losing their hard-earned cash by making a purchasing mistake or being ripped off. What if that swimming pool is the wrong shape for their space? What if it costs a fortune and then leaks? What if a pool comes with hidden maintenance costs?
These are the kinds of questions that a company should address long before a customer makes contact, even if this kind of honesty seems to fly in the face of traditional marketing wisdom. Companies can do this by prioritizing content that informs and reassures the buyer before they make their purchase. Remember, customers have access to an unprecedented amount of information online; if a company seems to be hiding something, customer fears will only increase. As a result, sales will begin to suffer.
That’s why openness is at the heart of the They Ask You Answer philosophy. In the following blinks, we’ll look at how companies can apply this transparency, gaining customer trust and increasing sales in the long term.
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