Episode 36: They Ask, You Answer with Marcus Sheridan

On this episode Bella speaks with Marcus Sheridan, a former pool guy turned digital sales and marketing expert.  He is the President of The Sales Lion and a Partner at River Pools and Spas. Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion Bella and Marcus discuss: The philosophy of "They ask, you answer" Why business owners are afraid of just giving honest answers to potential customers The five subjects that move the economy. The dangers of "Ostrich marketing" How important video is becoming to the marketing process Assignment selling Face to face sales appointments without you being there.       Marcus Sheridan's book: They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer (available on Amazon) Masable rates it as the #1 Business book and the New York Times calls Marcus You can find out more about Marcus at https://www.thesaleslion.com. Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 36 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. I’m Bella Vasta, and I have such a treat for you guys today. I have the Sales Lion—Marcus Sheridan—with me, who is the self-proclaimed former pool guy turned digital marketer. Marcus: I’m with you, so that means I’m good, I’m going to be energized, and I love your people. It’s great to be here.Bella: It’s not every day I get to talk to someone that The New York Times calls a web marketing guru. But Marcus, I want to pull it back for our listeners to 2012, when I first met you. It was a really tiny conference in Las Vegas—only about twelve of us there—and I just remember being blown away by how captivated you were and how you knew everyone’s name. You changed the face of my company at the time. As luck would have it, I ended up in the airport with you waiting for our flights, and that was a life-changing moment for me because you said, “Bella, you can do anything. You can totally do this coaching thing.” Fast forward—I’ve sold the pet sitting company, and now I am doing the coaching company. You have this great new book, They Ask, You Answer, and there’s a section where you talk about being a media company with your company, which is totally what I’ve turned into. But before we get into that, why don’t you tell everyone who you are and how you got from the pool business to the Sales Lion? Marcus: Here’s the quick 101. I started in 2001, a swimming pool company with two friends. We struggled along until 2008, when the market crashed, and we were in big trouble—on the edge of bankruptcy by January 2009. I remember I had sixteen employees sitting at home, three weeks overdrawn in my business bank account, maxed out on credit cards—it was brutal. That’s when I decided we needed to generate more traffic, leads, and sales than ever before—but we had no money. So, I turned to the internet. I read about inbound marketing, content marketing, and social media. To me, in my simple pool guy mind, it meant: Marcus, if you obsess over the questions people ask every day—their fears, issues, worries, and concerns—and address them on your website through text and video, you just might save the business. That’s when we embraced the philosophy They Ask, You Answer. We became the most trafficked swimming pool website in the world—getting about 600–700k visitors a month during the summer. We even started manufacturing pools because so many people trusted us. Then people started asking me to share our story and teach their companies how we did it. That turned into speaking engagements, consulting, and now I get to travel the world helping businesses big and small. Bella: You’re making a difference—more like creating a tsunami! One of the things I love about you is your focus on balance and family. You’ve taught me so much about that through your show The Balance. Tell us about that.Marcus: So I’ll be really honest—Gary Vaynerchuk is great, but everyone has a different style. Gary says “you be you,” and that’s true. But one time I asked a group if watching DailyVee ever made them feel a little depressed, and people admitted it did—because they couldn’t relate. They wanted to win big at home, too. So, I created The Balance to show how I’m trying to win at work and home. Keyword: trying. We’re all learning. It’s fun, and it’s real. Like you said, when people see inside your home, it creates a different vibe. Bella: I want to know what I need to do to get a tile up in your basement! But really—how did you realize you needed to slow down and start listening more, giving people honest answers?Marcus: Many of us still think like it’s the 1990s—that holding back information gives us an advantage. Back then, a car salesman would say, “Come on in,” instead of giving you a price. That doesn’t work anymore. Buyers today are the most educated in history. They’ll learn everything about your industry—so it might as well come from you. I didn’t overcomplicate it; I wasn’t a business school grad, so I just started answering people’s real questions. Like, “How much does a fiberglass pool cost?” “What are the problems with fiberglass?” “Fiberglass vs. concrete—what’s better?” These were questions no one would answer. Businesses still think ignoring competitors makes them invisible. It’s foolish. People aren’t dumb—they’re informed. So, I created content that answered the questions everyone was already asking. Bella: These are timeless topics. You call them the “Big Five,” right?Marcus: Yes—the five subjects that move the economy. Cost – How much will it be? Problems – What could go wrong? Comparisons – How does this compare to other options? Reviews – What do others say? Best – What’s the best product, company, or service? These five questions drive nearly every purchase decision, no matter the industry. If you create content around these, you’ll dominate. Bella: But so many business owners are afraid—they act like ostriches. Tell everyone about “ostrich marketing.”Marcus: The ostrich buries its head in the sand, thinking the problem will go away—but it doesn’t. That’s what most companies do with their websites. They ignore tough topics like cost, competitors, or problems, thinking customers won’t notice. But the problems don’t disappear. Businesses need to own those topics instead of avoiding them. Commercial break – ProPet Hero CPR ad Bella: Toward the end of your book, you talk about video and how crucial it’s becoming. Let’s dive into that.Marcus: By 2019, 80% of all content consumed online would be video—and that’s proven true now. People prefer to learn visually. You can complain about it, but it won’t change anything. Some say, “I don’t like being on video,” or “I don’t watch videos.” But nobody cares how you feel about video. They care about whether they can learn about you and your service in the way they prefer. People won’t forgive you for being uncomfortable on camera. They want to see, hear, and trust you. When people ask where to start with video, I always say: make your “80% video.” This is the video that answers 80% of the questions you get on your first sales call. That’s your foundation. The goal is that people see your face, hear your voice, and understand your philosophy before you ever meet them. Before video, when I knocked on doors, I’d hear, “Mom, Dad, the pool guy’s here.” Once I started sending videos ahead of meetings, it became, “Mom, Dad, the guy on the video is here.” Then eventually, “Mom, Dad, Marcus is here.” That’s when I knew everything had changed. Bella: That’s brilliant. And you even require clients to watch content before meeting with you, right?Marcus: Yes—it’s called “assignment selling.” It means both parties invest effort before meeting. For years, I’d think clients asked dumb questions—but really, I was the dumb one for allowing them to stay uninformed. Once we made people read or watch specific content before a call, our closing rates skyrocketed. It works across every industry. Most business owners underestimate how much buyers research before purchasing. People think customers read two or three pages before deciding, but that’s ridiculous. If you’re trusting someone with your pet—like a family member—you’ll read and watch a lot. When we tracked our sales data, we found that when a prospect consumed at least twelve pages of our content, the likelihood of closing skyrocketed. Bella: That’s so good—and it’s true. I’ve had people say they feel like they already know me because they’ve seen my videos and listened to my podcasts. They’re sold before we even meet.Marcus: Exactly. You didn’t have a face-to-face with them, but they had one with you. That’s the new sales process. With content, you can “meet” people 24/7—while you’re asleep, at home, or with family. That’s the beauty of it. Bella: That’s powerful. And I love how you remind people not to strive for perfection but for progress.Marcus: Yes! The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. Embrace the messy. Everyone starts bad at video or blogging, but you’ll only get better by doing it. Bella: I love that. As we wrap up, I can’t wait to see you at Social Media Marketing World 2017!Marcus: I’m thrilled you’ll be there. The energy is incredible—you’ll love it.Bella: I can’t wait. I’ll even have you sign my book! For everyone listening, the first three people to email me at [email protected] will get a free copy of Marcus’s book because it changed my life. Marcus: You can find They Ask, You Answer on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. And if you’ve read it, please leave a review—it really helps. Bella: Thank you so much, Marcus. This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. Please like and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher—and remember, always keep jumping.