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By: Marcus Sheridan (Author)

They Ask, You Answer presents a sales and marketing approach built around one idea. Businesses should stop selling first and start answering the questions buyers already ask. The book argues that in today’s digital age, the traditional sales funnel is no longer effective. It describes a shift where buyers use search engines every day to ask questions about products, services, problems, and choices. The book frames success as an obsession with those questions, concerns, and problems, followed by honest and thorough answers.

The central equation is simple in wording and broad in application. If buyers are searching, then content should deliver clear answers. The book emphasizes putting those answers where buyers will find them, including at the top of search results when possible. It positions this approach as a way to build trust and drive business outcomes through education and transparency.

This revised and updated edition is described as addressing new technology, trends, and the continuous evolution of the digital consumer. It also highlights practical tactics and insights for transforming a marketing strategy, with updates tied to how content marketing has changed and how internet savvy buyers have raised expectations.

The book describes new chapters that explore the impact of technology and conversational marketing. It also points to essential elements that every business website should possess and the rise of video. It includes new stories from companies that achieved notable results by applying these principles.

Several outcomes are explicitly listed as “Upon reading this book, you will know.” These include how to build trust with buyers through content and video. They also include how to turn a web presence into a magnet for qualified buyers. The book adds that readers will learn what works and what does not, supported by new case studies featuring real world results from companies that embraced the principles. It also argues for thinking of the business as a media company rather than relying on more traditional approaches to advertising and marketing that it calls ineffective. It further covers how to achieve buy in inside the company and embrace a culture of content and video, and how to transform a current customer base into loyal brand advocates.

The author story presented alongside the book frames these ideas through a business turnaround. It states that Marcus Sheridan used these principles to lead his struggling pool company from the housing crash of 2008 to become one of the largest pool installers in the United States.

Beyond the positioning statements, the available preview text also shows how the book organizes its subject matter. It includes sections on website design and messaging, “The Big 5,” assignment selling, implementation and culture, and measuring return on investment. It also includes a substantial focus on video, with topics such as cost and pricing videos, landing page videos, customer journey videos, and team buy in on video performance.

Overall, the book describes itself as a straightforward guide for companies that want a fresh approach to marketing and sales, and it explicitly claims that the approach is proven to generate more traffic, leads, and sales.

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