Marcus Sheridan, owner of IMPACT and author of 'Endless Customers,' shares insights on building trust and driving sales through transparency. He reveals the four pillars of a trusted brand, emphasizing the need for honesty in addressing customer questions. Sheridan discusses the shift towards seller-free sales experiences and the importance of effective storytelling in B2B sales. He highlights the significance of personal branding and innovative communication in fostering customer engagement, especially in an era driven by AI.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Yale Appliance's Success
Steve Scheinkopf, owner of Yale Appliance, saw stagnant growth despite using content marketing.
He then focused on answering buyer questions honestly, even criticizing some appliance brands.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Self-Service Sales
Create self-service tools to empower buyers and facilitate a seller-free experience.
Implement self-selection tools, allowing buyers to choose specific sales representatives, boosting closing rates.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Address Cost Concerns and Offer Solutions
Address cost concerns early in the buyer's journey using pricing estimators or interactive tools.
Offer solutions, even if they mean recommending competitors, to build trust and establish thought leadership.
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This book challenges traditional sales funnels by advocating for a customer-centric approach where businesses focus on answering the questions, concerns, and problems of their buyers. Marcus Sheridan shares his successful strategy that transformed his pool company from a struggling business to one of the largest in the U.S. The book is updated to address new technologies, trends, and the evolving digital consumer, providing practical tactics for content marketing and inbound sales.
This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader
Bio: As an owner of IMPACT, Marcus Sheridan has established one of the country's most successful digital sales and marketing agencies. He is the author of the international best-seller They Ask, You Answer… His new book is called Endless Customers: A Proven System to Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Become the Market Leader.
Notes:
The 4 Pillars of a Known and Trusted Brand:
Say what others won’t say
Show what others won’t show
Sell how others won’t sell
Be More Human than others are willing to be
75% of all buyers prefer a seller-free sales experience. Create great self-service tools to help your buyers make buying decisions.
The buyer's journey - They want to know what it will cost. So, tell them.
Have a client story for every objection. Collect them. Tell those stories.
The story of Steve Sheinkopf and Yale Appliance… ($37m to over $100m).
“That means obsessing over their questions, fears, worries, and concerns. Answer every single question honestly and transparently, right there on your website, for everyone to see.”
“Tackle topics your competitors are afraid to touch. Break the unwritten rules of your industry. When you focus solely on empowering your buyers with the information and experience they crave, something incredible will happen: You’ll earn their trust. And when you earn their trust, you earn their business. Do this consistently, and you’ll capture the market’s attention, transform your company, and see numbers you never imagined.”
The 5 Components of Endless Customers:
The Right Content
The Right Website
The Right Sales Activity
The Rich Technology
The Right Culture of Performance
Path Finders - Help others come up with solutions. Your favorite mentor didn't tell you the answers, they helped you figure it out on your own (by asking you questions).
The #1 thing that will dictate your income is your ability to communicate. As Morgan Housel would say, “Best story wins.” It is worth it to work on this skill. The excuse that you don’t have enough time is lame and not true. Focus on becoming a better writer and speaker. It’s too important not to.
Piece of feedback most often given - Say that, but in half the words. Be concise.
Be willing to say what others won’t. And the idea of going direct. Go Direct – Viral essay written by LuLu Cheng Meservey. Going direct means crafting and telling your own story, without being dependent on intermediaries.
Marcus called me by my name (both Hawk and Ryan) a lot during our conversation. It felt natural and flowed well. It worked. This is taught in sales training and can feel manipulative if not done well. Listen to how Marcus used my name enough to make me feel special, but not too much that it felt like a sales tactic to get me to like him.
Book title = "I want. I wish." I want Atomic Habits. I wish I had "Endless Customers."
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 
