They Ask, You Answer Mastery
Team Score Results
The Big 5
We’re consistently publishing Big 5 articles that drive revenue, and we're seeing a significant impact on sales.
- In the past 90 days, we have published between 24 and 36 unbiased Big 5 articles that address the range of questions around cost, problems, reviews, best, and competitors.
- Our content team is an extension of the sales team, and as a result, we continue to add new buyer-centric content ideas to the editorial calendar.
- Buyers have in-depth guides available to them to increase their knowledge and help them make an educated buying decision. The sales team uses these guides to pre-qualify buyers.
- We are clearly seeing improvements in organic traffic and keyword rankings, and our inbound leads are increasing as a result of well-positioned and strategic CTAs
In-House Content Management
We have a person on staff whose ONLY responsibility is to manage our content marketing efforts (content manager).
- Our content manager is a full-time role, does not have multiple roles, and is not forced to deprioritize content creation due to competing priorities.
- They are consistently publishing at least three They Ask, You Answer articles per week.
- They are empowered to create a culture of content in the organization by becoming the teacher of They Ask, You Answer in the organization.
- They can confidently track the impact of their work by measuring organic traffic, keywords, contacts, conversions, and email subscribers.
The Selling 7
We leverage the Visual Sale and allow our buyers to easily see, hear, and feel like they know us before we meet for the first time.
- We have the following videos produced and published on our website:
- bio videos, landing page videos, 80% videos, product/service videos, customer journey videos, cost videos, and claims we make videos.
- Our videographer is a full-time role, does not have multiple roles, and is not forced to deprioritize content creation due to competing priorities.
- We’re publishing at least two Selling 7 videos per week or 10 per month.
- We have a YouTube channel that serves as a learning channel to our industry and is regularly updated with Big 5 and other They Ask, You Answer videos.
Assignment Selling
The majority of our sales team effectively assigns learning materials as part of the sales process. Because of this, we have improved our sales metrics.
- The sales team is using both written and video sales enablement content to educate and prepare buyers for the next stage in the buying process.
- The sales team has an agreed-upon amount of time on a monthly basis that they will spend with the marketing team as Subject Matter Experts.
- The sales team has created Assignment Selling email templates.
- We have shortened the sales cycle, and our closing rates have improved, due to effective Assignment Selling.
Sales Adoption
There is clear evidence that the sales team has truly embraced the principles and tactics of They Ask, You Answer, and as a result, our sales KPIs have improved.
- Current and new sales team members have read and have an intimate knowledge of both They Ask, You Answer and The Visual Sale.
- There are agreed standards and best practices established for how, where, and when 1:1 personalized video should always be used in the sales process.
- The sales team has been trained on and is consistently following best practices of effective video sales calls.
- The sales team is truly confident and effective in the opening and closing of sales appointments and is trained in the most up-to-date sales communication training.
The Revenue Team
Our sales and marketing teams share the same priorities when it comes to driving revenue, and they fully understand how They Ask, You Answer content drives revenue.
- We are committed to a regularly scheduled meeting that includes sales, marketing, and other critical They Ask, You Answer departments.
- The Revenue Team knows what content was recently published, why it was published, and how it can be used in Assignment Selling.
- The Revenue Team knows exactly how the content we’re producing is helping to attract better customers, close deals faster, and grow the company.
- We agree that the Revenue Team is a highly valuable cross-department forum that fosters healthy cross-departmental feedback and communication.
Sales and Marketing Tools
The sales and marketing data we collect is used to tailor and optimize our marketing content and buying process.
- Our CRM is our single source of truth, and it is integrated with our marketing tools and analytics.
- Before a lead is followed up with, the sales team access and make good use of detailed analytics/contact records showing the entire history of a buyer’s interaction with our website and They Ask, You Answer content.
- Our sales and marketing tools can, as accurately as possible, track how sales, revenue, and profit is being impacted by They Ask, You Answer content.
- The sales team views the CRM as a truly valuable sales tool and takes total responsibility for maintaining a healthy and accurate CRM.
Website UX
We agree that our website is never done. Our buyers can quickly and easily find the content that’s most relevant to them, and it’s clear how to begin the buying process.
- Our Learning Center addresses all the questions our buyers ask and is easy to find in the main navigation of our website.
- Pricing information is easily found in the main navigation of our website and, as accurately as possible, buyers get a sense of price and cost before contacting us.
- We have made the buyer the hero of our website by talking about them, their problems, and how we, as their guide, help them to solve their problems.
- We have increased conversions and generated more sales opportunities due to tracking user data and analytics and making changes to improve the buyer journey.
- We have a healthy mix of direct and transitional calls-to-actions (CTAs) so as to capture buyers no matter where they are in the journey.
Self-Service Tools
Buyers using our website can easily tailor their learning process, narrow down options, and self-qualify themselves.
- Buyers can self-qualify by completing as much of the sales process as possible — touchlessly and/or virtually — on our website than they can with any competitor in our space.
- Buyers can get a strong sense of pricing, or range of pricing, on our website by using tools like price estimators and ROI calculators.
- Buyers are able to curate content to their specific needs/wants and narrow down their buying options quickly and easily.
- The sales team understands the value of having self-selection tools on our website and how it leads to more qualified buyers, not fewer.
Company Alignment
Our organization embraces the vision of teaching in the way our buyers prefer to learn, and selling in the way buyers prefer to buy.
- We all agree that the way people buy has changed. Therefore, the way we market and sell is constantly changing.
- The sales team fully understands and accepts their role in our digital sales and marketing initiative (they understand that it’s a sales-first initiative).
- We’re “all-in” on becoming the leading educational resource for our customers: the Wikipedia of our space. We understand that if we don’t, one of our competitors will.
- Everyone knows the results we’re seeing from our digital sales and marketing efforts and how they’re impacting sales.