PDF Summary:They Ask, You Answer, by Marcus Sheridan

Today's buyers research products and services online before ever contacting a company. They make most of their purchasing decisions independently, which means traditional sales tactics are becoming less effective. In They Ask, You Answer, Marcus Sheridan explains how to adapt to this shift by creating educational content that addresses the questions your customers are already asking.

Sheridan argues that transparency and customer education are the keys to modern marketing success. He introduces the "Big 5" content pillars—pricing, problems, comparisons, reviews, and best in class—that buyers research most when making purchase decisions. You'll learn how to align your marketing and sales teams, build trust through honest content, and create a system that turns your educational materials into a sales engine that attracts better prospects and closes deals faster.

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The Power of Transparency: Building Trust Through Education

Transparency establishes trust and results in improved business outcomes. Sheridan explains that when you talk openly about prices, you educate customers about what affects costs. This allows them to grasp the value of your offerings, which leads to higher-quality prospects and sales. Transparent companies spend less time on prospects that aren’t a good match and more time on those that are.

(Shortform note: While price transparency can build trust with customers, it can also have unintended consequences. In an economics paper, economists found that when the Danish government required companies to publish their prices, it made it easier for competitors to coordinate and keep prices high. This shows that while transparency can benefit consumers, it can also limit your ability to adjust prices strategically and could even attract regulatory scrutiny.)

Core Elements & Strategic Shifts in Your Materials

The "Big 5" Content Pillars

According to Sheridan, the five key content pillars are: pricing, issues, comparisons, evaluations, and top in class. These five areas are what people and companies research the most when preparing to buy something. When we consider buying something, we focus intensely on these five topics. From a company's perspective, we often neglect or avoid these questions, wishing they would disappear or dealing with them exclusively during in-person meetings with the buyer.

To begin, Sheridan recommends generating 25 questions potential customers most frequently ask about your offerings. If you're having difficulty generating questions, consider the Big 5 content pillars.

The Five Pillars and the Five Types of Perceived Risk

Sheridan’s five content pillars align with the five types of risk that consumers try to reduce through pre-purchase information search. In 1972, researchers Jacoby and Kaplan identified five types of perceived risk that influence consumer behavior: financial, performance, physical, social, and psychological. Sheridan’s pillars map onto these risks as follows:

• Pricing addresses financial risk.
• Issues address performance risk.
• Comparisons address social risk.
• Evaluations address psychological risk.
• Top in class addresses physical risk. This alignment explains why these five areas dominate consumer research efforts.

Strategic Foundations: Transparency, Alignment, and the Mindset of an Educator

Openness is a key strategic foundation. Sheridan argues that it builds trust with customers by being honest about your offerings, including their limitations and cases in which they might not suit their needs. Customers can tell when you're sincere and unbiased, and they get the impression that you prioritize their well-being.

(Shortform note: While openness can build trust, it can also have the opposite effect. In The Culture Map, Erin Meyer explains that in many relationship-based, high-context cultures, trust grows out of personal connection and an ability to read implicit cues. When information is delivered in a very direct, blunt, or problem-focused way, it’s often perceived as impoliteness or a lack of respect, which damages credibility and reduces trust.)

Another strategic foundation is the alignment of marketing and sales. Sheridan stresses that these teams must work together to produce material that educates buyers. Sales teams can offer valuable insights into customer questions and concerns, which marketing teams can leverage to develop relevant content. The sales department can then use this content to build trust and close deals.

(Shortform note: The alignment of marketing and sales to produce material that educates buyers has been discussed in business literature for decades. In 2006, Philip Kotler, Neil Rackham, and Suj Krishnaswamy published “Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing,” which argued that marketing and sales should be managed as a single process.)

Implementation & Operationalization: Building a "They Ask, You Answer" Machine

Adopting the strategy outlined in the book can significantly boost sales and marketing efforts. Sheridan explains that this approach can increase sales revenue, boost morale, and establish your company as an industry leader in ideas. It can also help you better understand your buyers and how they think, which can help you generate leads that are higher quality and close sales faster.

(Shortform note: There are some situations where changing your sales and marketing approach won’t have much of an impact on your sales revenue, lead quality, or how quickly you close sales. For example, if you’re selling to government agencies, you may be required to submit a bid for a contract, and the agency may be required to accept the lowest bid that meets their requirements.)

Let’s now discuss how content builds trust and drives sales, and ways to implement this approach with a shift in mindset and processes.

Content Is the Engine: Fueling Sales and Trust

Content establishes credibility and drives sales. Sheridan explains that it helps build trust with customers prior to the first sales appointment, allowing salespeople to focus on selling instead of creating rapport. Content also speeds up the selling process, which makes salespeople happier. It helps salespeople better understand customers and their queries and instructs them on responding to questions more effectively. Content can also train salespeople and teach them the company’s philosophy. Additionally, salespeople can leverage material to educate customers and move them through the sales funnel.

(Shortform note: In Pre-Suasion, Robert B. Cialdini explains that the content a customer sees before the first sales appointment can influence the sales process by shaping the mental frame through which they interpret every interaction with a salesperson. This is because people’s judgments are influenced by the associations they make with the information they receive. By providing content that establishes credibility and trust, salespeople can create positive associations in the customer’s mind, making them more receptive to the sales pitch.)

Operational Shifts: People, Processes & Measurement

Implementing live interactions requires a change in mindset and processes. Sheridan explains that these conversations are altering how customers pose queries and how companies answer them. Buyers expect immediate responses, which has resulted in a practice known as conversational engagement. This refers to individual discussions that purchasers conduct with brands through various mediums like messaging apps, chat programs, and text-based communication. Conversational marketing embodies all that "They Ask, You Answer" aims to achieve.

To initiate real-time conversations, Sheridan advises changing your approach to how you interact with prospective buyers through these new online channels. You also need to learn to leverage conversation-based technology to engage with potential buyers.

How to Start Conversational Engagement

To implement conversational engagement, consider creating an “availability policy” that outlines when live agents are online in each messaging channel and how conversations are handled outside those hours. This simple policy helps set clear expectations for both customers and staff, ensuring a smooth transition to real-time conversations. It also allows you to start small—perhaps with limited hours or channels—and gradually expand as you gain experience and resources. By clearly communicating when live support is available, you can provide immediate responses when possible while still offering valuable information through automated systems during off-hours.