library / lib1e0ef3a8927f726a
They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer
Marcus Sheridan · 2017
In a sentence
By obsessively answering the questions buyers actually ask—about cost, problems, comparisons, reviews, and competitors—a business can become the most trusted teacher in its industry and dramatically grow sales.
They Ask, You Answer is Marcus Sheridan's practical, story-driven blueprint for thriving in an age where buyers complete most of their decision before ever contacting a company. Drawing on how he saved his failing swimming pool company, River Pools and Spas, during the 2008 recession with nothing but honest, educational content, Sheridan distills a deceptively simple philosophy: listen obsessively to customer questions and answer them better, more transparently, and more thoroughly than anyone else in your space. The book lays out 'The Big 5' content topics that move the needle in every industry, shows how to align sales and marketing through 'assignment selling,' explains how to build an in-house culture of content and video production, and details how to design a website that meets modern buyer expectations. Packed with real case studies across B2B and B2C industries, it gives leaders, marketers, and sales teams the 'what,' 'how,' and 'why' to become the trusted voice of their industry, shorten sales cycles, and generate measurable revenue.
The four lenses
- Science
- Statistics
- Systems
- Strategy
The model
A causal model in which organizational design levers (obsessive question-answering content, transparency, in-house video, assignment selling, conversational/self-selection tools, and a dedicated content owner with buy-in) drive psychological states (buyer trust, perceived expertise, sense of being understood) and behavioral patterns (content consumption, self-qualification), which in turn produce outcomes (organic traffic, qualified leads, shorter sales cycles, closing rates, and revenue).
Obsessive Question-Answering Content (They Ask, You Answer)design lever
The volume and thoroughness of educational content (text, video, audio) a company produces that directly and honestly answers the real questions prospects and customers ask before, during, and after a purchase.
Big 5 Topic Coveragedesign lever
The degree to which a company addresses the five highest-impact buyer research topics—pricing and costs, problems, versus/comparisons, reviews, and best in class—openly on its website and in sales.
Transparency and Disarmamentdesign lever
The willingness of a company to be radically honest—discussing prices, admitting product weaknesses, recommending competitors, and stating when it is not a good fit—to lower buyer defenses and build credibility.
In-House Video Culturedesign lever
The extent to which a company functions as a media company by producing its own sales- and trust-focused videos (such as The Selling 7) using internal staff and a dedicated videographer.
Assignment Sellingdesign lever
The intentional practice of having sales teams use educational content during the sales process—requiring prospects to consume specific videos/articles before or between meetings to educate and self-qualify them.
Content Ownership and Company Buy-Incontextual condition
The presence of a dedicated content manager who owns the effort plus top-to-bottom organizational buy-in and insourcing so subject-matter experts contribute content and silos are eliminated.
Measurement and Analytics Toolscontextual condition
Use of analytics platforms (e.g., HubSpot) to track lead behavior, attribute revenue to content, and test website performance, enabling continuous optimization and ROI demonstration.
Buyer Trustpsychological state
The degree to which prospects and customers believe a company is honest, has their best interests at heart, and is a credible authority—the central psychological state the book argues underlies all buying decisions.
Perceived Expertise / Thought Leadershippsychological state
The extent to which buyers and the market view the company as the go-to, most knowledgeable and trustworthy teacher and authority in its industry.
Buyer Content Consumptionbehavioral pattern
The amount of a company's content (pages viewed, videos watched) a prospect consumes before purchase, reflecting engagement and progress toward a buying decision (e.g., the 30-page threshold).
Prospect Self-Qualificationbehavioral pattern
The process by which educated prospects determine whether they are a good or bad fit for the company, filtering out poor fits and advancing good-fit, well-informed buyers.
Organic Traffic and Qualified Leadsoutcome metric
The volume of search-driven website visitors and the number and quality of leads (form fills, inquiries) generated as a result of educational content and search visibility.
Sales Efficiency (Closing Rate and Cycle Length)outcome metric
The effectiveness of the sales process, captured by higher appointment-to-sale closing rates and shorter sales cycles resulting from pre-educated, trusting prospects.
Revenue Growth and ROIoutcome metric
The attributable sales revenue and return on investment generated by the They Ask, You Answer strategy, the ultimate outcome the book uses to validate the approach.
How they connect
- question answering content → influences buyer trust
- big five coverage → predicts organic traffic leads
- big five coverage → influences buyer trust
- transparency disarmament → influences buyer trust
- in house video → influences buyer trust
- question answering content → predicts content consumption
- content consumption → predicts buyer trust
- assignment selling → predicts content consumption
- assignment selling → predicts self qualification
- self qualification → predicts sales efficiency
- buyer trust → predicts sales efficiency
- buyer trust → mediates revenue growth
- perceived expertise → influences buyer trust
- question answering content → influences perceived expertise
- organic traffic leads → predicts revenue growth
- sales efficiency → predicts revenue growth
- content ownership buyin → moderates question answering content
- measurement tools → moderates revenue growth
A candidate measure
They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer — derived measurement candidates
Obsessive Question-Answering Content
Pieces published per week; % of buyer questions addressed; Average word count/video length
self-report suitability: medium
Big 5 Topic Coverage
Coverage checklist score per product line; Number of Big 5 articles/videos
self-report suitability: medium
Transparency and Disarmament
Count of transparent disclosures; Buyer-rated honesty; Presence of 'not a good fit' messaging
self-report suitability: medium
In-House Video Culture
Number of videos produced; % of key pages with video; Videographer headcount
self-report suitability: medium
Assignment Selling
% of deals with content assigned; Homework completion rate; Content links per sales email
self-report suitability: high
Content Ownership and Company Buy-In
Role exists (yes/no); % of staff contributing; Workshop/mission-statement completion
self-report suitability: high
Measurement and Analytics Tools
Tool in active use (yes/no); Frequency of attribution reporting; Number of tests run
self-report suitability: high
Buyer Trust
Trust survey scores; Win rate vs. cheaper competitors; Unsolicited positive feedback
self-report suitability: high
Perceived Expertise / Thought Leadership
Brand-authority survey ratings; Number of inbound links; Speaking/citation invitations
self-report suitability: medium
Buyer Content Consumption
Pages viewed per lead; Video watch minutes; Visit frequency
self-report suitability: none
Prospect Self-Qualification
Homework completion rate; Appointment-to-sale ratio; Lead fit scoring
self-report suitability: medium
Organic Traffic and Qualified Leads
Monthly organic sessions; Lead count; Lead quality rating
self-report suitability: none
Sales Efficiency
Appointment-to-sale close rate; Average days-to-close; Appointments per closed deal
self-report suitability: low
Revenue Growth and ROI
Attributable revenue; Total revenue growth %; ROI ratio
self-report suitability: none
The story
The reader A business owner, marketer, or sales leader who wants to grow their business by becoming the most trusted and visited voice in their industry.
External problem
Buyers complete most of their purchase decision online before ever contacting the company, and the business isn't being found or trusted.
Internal problem
They feel anxious, behind the competition, and frustrated that their expertise isn't translating into leads and sales online.
Philosophical problem
It's just plain wrong to hide from customers' real questions; buyers deserve honest, thorough answers from the companies that want their business.
The plan
- Adopt the They Ask, You Answer mindset and brainstorm every question buyers ask.
- Create honest content addressing The Big 5: pricing, problems, comparisons, reviews, and best in class.
- Use that content in the sales process through assignment selling.
- Build an in-house culture of content and video with a dedicated content manager and videographer.
- Redesign your website around buyer needs and add real-time/self-selection tools.
- Measure ROI and refine continuously.
Success
- Becoming the most trusted, most-visited voice in your industry.
- More qualified leads, shorter sales cycles, higher closing rates, and millions in attributable revenue.
- More time for sales teams to spend with good-fit prospects and their families.
- A unified company culture with sales and marketing aligned.
At stake
- Losing business to competitors who answer buyers' questions first.
- Wasting time on bad-fit prospects and unmeasurable advertising.
- Falling behind in the digital age and risking financial ruin like Blockbuster.
Related in the library