What is the main message of They Ask You Answer?

The main message of They Ask You Answer is to answer customer questions openly and honestly to build trust and drive sales.

How long does it take to read They Ask You Answer?

The reading time for They Ask You Answer varies, but it typically takes a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in 15 minutes.

Is They Ask You Answer a good book? Is it worth reading?

They Ask You Answer is worth reading. It provides valuable insights on content marketing and how to create customer-centric strategies.

Who is the author of They Ask You Answer?

The author of They Ask You Answer is Marcus Sheridan.

They Ask You Answer Summary of Key Ideas and Review

Name: They Ask You Answer
Rating: 4.4 (184 reviews)
Author: Marcus Sheridan

Introduction

What’s in it for me? Learn about a transformative marketing method.

When was the last time you bought something because it looked especially appealing in a TV commercial? Or paid close attention to a radio ad? It’s probably been a while, if it’s ever happened at all. Most of the time, advertising is nothing more than an annoyance. And, increasingly, businesses are discovering that it’s an ineffective annoyance. This is because the way consumers behave is changing.

More and more, we use the internet to research products and services. With so much information available, we’re able to become truly informed buyers. In the past, we weren’t so allergic to being told what to buy, but that’s no longer the case. Today, we don’t want ads; we want quality, educational content. We also seek out convenience and ease of purchase. Anything that gets in the way of that is a major drag.

This is where Marcus Sheridan comes in. He’s developed a truly radical marketing approach that puts the consumer at the heart of everything. This is called the They Ask You Answer philosophy. Rather than simply pushing a product, it seeks to empower the consumer through education, transparency, and convenience. As you’ll discover in the blinks that follow, companies that adopt this method can earn their customers’ respect and, hopefully, their business.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how one American company revolutionized the used-car marketplace;
the four most important factors in online buying; and
how video content will reshape the future.

Key idea 1 of 8

To connect with consumers, companies need to address their fears.

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.

Key idea 2 of 8

CarMax exemplifies the They Ask You Answer philosophy.

Imagine you’re a used-car salesperson. It’s not always easy out on the lot. After all, people assume you’re a walking stereotype – a cheap-suit-wearing, hair-grease-using, mustachioed con artist – even though you wear casual clothes, avoid all hair products, and have never sported facial hair in your life! On top of all that, you’re really and truly an honest person.

So what are you to do? How can you dispel your customers’ misgivings in an industry known for its underhandedness? Well, the They Ask You Answer philosophy encourages companies to obsess over customer needs, doubts, and questions. And for CarMax, an American used-car company, adopting this approach had some pretty fantastic results.

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Key idea 3 of 8

There are four important factors that companies should consider as they create online content.

Bad news – your computer’s acting up. The screen freezes, the keys stick, and the start-up disk always seems to be full. This laptop isn’t long for the world.

Luckily, like most consumers nowadays, you’ve done your research. After browsing a few websites and comparing some product reviews, you’ve figured out precisely what you need in a new machine and made a decision.

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Key idea 4 of 8

Companies often have their priorities wrong when it comes to listening.

Remember the video rental chain Blockbuster? Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it dominated the movie-rental business. Then things began to change. People gradually stopped going to video stores and began mail-ordering DVDs to watch at home. One company was ahead of the curve, offering a convenient DVD mail-order rental service. This, of course, was Netflix.

Blockbuster, on the other hand, continued with the business model that had served it well. Before long, the chain went out of business. Blockbuster’s fatal error? It stopped listening to customers.

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Key idea 5 of 8

Keeping customers informed makes life easier for everyone.

If a company can gain the trust of its customers, word of its quality and integrity will spread. So rather than sneaky, short-term profiteering, it’s better for everyone if businesses make good service and transparency their core values.

One way to do this is to ensure that customers know clearly whether or not they’re a good fit for the product or service.

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Key idea 6 of 8

Education is key to They Ask You Answer.

Often, when we’re looking for a particular product or service – be it vitamins or roofing materials – we google something like “What’s the best vitamin supplement for me?” or “How do you fix a hole in the roof?”

Now, some companies have figured out that this presents an opportunity. Rather than letting random internet users or bloggers answer customer questions, these companies have begun to do it themselves. There are two reasons this is good for business. First, companies get to champion their own products. Second, and perhaps more importantly, customers prefer companies that teach them something.

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Key idea 7 of 8

Video is an increasingly vital marketing tool.

As most of us know, it’s all too easy to spend hours watching videos of cats sleeping, clothes being folded, or people pouring buckets of freezing water over their heads. Whether it's on YouTube, news websites, or social media, the amount of video content we consume has skyrocketed.

It’s no different when we’re shopping online. We like to be able to see items before we buy them, and there’s no better way to do that than watching a video of someone using the product or explaining the service.

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Key idea 8 of 8

Conversational marketing is crucial to the successful businesses of the future.

Think about the way you communicate most of the time. If you’re like the majority of people in the twenty-first century, it isn’t through long-form methods such as letter-writing, or even email. Instead, you probably send a lot of information through instant messaging apps – WhatsApp, for example, or Facebook Messenger.

This has implications for the way we communicate with companies, too. Businesses that don’t understand these changes will struggle in the near future.

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