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Marcus Sheridan was going bankrupt. It was 2008, the economy had collapsed, and his swimming pool company, River Pools and Spas, was drowning. Customers stopped buying. The phones went silent. Three months from insolvency, Sheridan did something that seemed insane to his peers. He started answering every question his customers asked, honestly and publicly, on his website.
**They Ask, You Answer**
By Marcus Sheridan
*Estimated Reading Time: 45 minutes*
**What You'll Learn**
A complete philosophy for transforming your business through radical transparency. You will learn how to answer every question your customers ask, address the topics your competitors avoid, and build a content engine that drives sales, shortens buying cycles, and creates lasting trust. This is not a book about SEO tricks or social media hacks. It is a fundamental rethinking of how businesses communicate with buyers in the age of infinite information.
**Who This Book Is For**
Business owners who feel invisible online. Marketing leaders tired of strategies that never deliver measurable results. Sales professionals frustrated by prospects who arrive unprepared or disappear without explanation. Anyone who suspects that honesty and education might outperform manipulation and obfuscation. If you sell anything to anyone, this book will change how you think about every customer interaction.
Marcus Sheridan was going bankrupt. It was 2008, the economy had collapsed, and his swimming pool company, River Pools and Spas, was drowning. Customers stopped buying. The phones went silent. Three months from insolvency, Sheridan did something that seemed insane to his peers. He started answering every question his customers asked, honestly and publicly, on his website. He wrote about how much fiberglass pools cost, even though his competitors treated pricing like a state secret. He explained what could go wrong with an installation, including the problems his own customers had experienced. He compared fiberglass pools to concrete pools and admitted when concrete was the better choice. His colleagues in the industry thought he was crazy. His competitors laughed. But something unexpected happened. People started reading. Then they started calling. Then they started buying. Within a few years, River Pools and Spas became the most trafficked swimming pool website in the world. The company did not just survive. It thrived. And the philosophy that saved it became the foundation for a movement that has since transformed thousands of businesses across dozens of industries. The problem Sheridan identified is simple but profound. Buyers have changed. The internet has given them access to more information than any salesperson could ever provide. By the time a customer contacts a business, they have often completed 70 percent of their buying decision. They have read reviews, watched videos, compared options, and formed opinions. The old model, where salespeople controlled information and doled it out strategically, is dead. Yet most businesses still operate as if it were 1995. They hide pricing. They avoid discussing problems. They pretend competitors do not exist. They fill their websites with vague marketing language and stock photography. They treat customer questions as inconveniences rather than opportunities. In doing so, they surrender the most…
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Get the complete summary in the appAnswer every question your customers ask, especially the uncomfortable ones.
The Big 5 topics, cost, problems, comparisons, reviews, and best-of lists, must be addressed thoroughly on your website.
Assignment selling educates prospects before sales conversations and qualifies leads automatically.
Insource content creation. Your employees know more than any outside writer ever will.
Hire a full-time content manager to extract knowledge from your team and turn it into publishable content.
Create The Selling 7 videos to humanize your brand and answer objections at scale.
"They Ask, You Answer" is a strong fit if you want practical ideas around business, buisness, professional development—especially themes like answer every question your customers ask, especially the uncomfortable ones; the big 5 topics, cost, problems, comparisons, reviews, and best-of lists, must be addressed thoroughly on your website. The MinuteRead summary distills these concepts into a focused read, whether you're deciding whether to buy the book or applying its lessons at work.
Marcus Sheridan gained recognition as a "web marketing guru" after saving his swimming pool company from the 2008 economic crisis. His story has been featured in various publications worldwide. Sheridan has since become a sought-after global speaker and consultant in digital sales and marketing. He works with numerous businesses and brands, helping them establish themselves as trusted voices in their respective industries. Sheridan's expertise lies in implementing innovative inbound marketing st…
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