That year, I was speaking at a conference in Dallas, Texas. After my talk, a reporter came up to me and said he would like to do a story on how we were able to save River Pools through such a simple strategy as listening, teaching, and transparency.
Frankly, I didn’t think much of this reporter’s request until we spoke on the phone for ninety minutes a few days later.
Then, a few days after that, he sent a photographer to my swimming pool company.
And what happened next is where my life very much changed.
Four days after the photographer showed up at River Pools and Spas, the following article appeared on the cover of the small business section of the New York Times:
If you look at the article, you’ll notice a peculiar irony.
Notice how the title is “A Revolutionary Marketing Strategy: Answer Customers’ Questions.”
Folks, is there really anything “revolutionary” about answering your customer’s questions?
In principle, no.
But in practice? Yes, absolutely.
This became the number 1 shared and e-mailed story for the small business section of the Times during the next three days. They even re-ran the article as a blog post on Saturday that same week.
Without question, the story resonated.
In fact, I was shocked to find it resonated so much that over the coming months I got more than a thousand e-mails from business owners and marketers all over the world.
What’s funny, though, is that almost all of these e-mails said one of two things.
The first comment everyone wanted to make was,
“Marcus, that thing you did with your pool company is so simple. I just can’t believe how simple it is!”
Yes, it was simple.
But simple is good. This way, anyone, including you, can apply what we did at River Pools and Spas to your business. You just have to truly care enough about the consumer to obsessively listen, teach, solve problems, and be honest in the process.
The second main comment I got from people who had read the article sounded like this:
“Marcus, I feel like you’ve now given me permission to do that which I’ve always felt we should be doing.”
This one, to me, is the crux of the whole thing.
Throughout this book, if you’ve made it to this point, there assuredly have been many times where you’ve thought to yourself, I’ve been feeling like we should be doing this for a long time.
So now, as we come to a close, I ask you to follow the promptings you’ve already been getting. After all, we get them for a reason.
Be the best teacher in the world.
Obsess over their questions.
Answer with fierce honesty.
And win their trust.
Index
Advanced analytics benefits of
CEO’s love of
leads from
Advertising River Pools and Spas
salaries vs.,
traditional
Yale Appliance
Angie’s List
Assignment selling compatibility determination with
definition of
example of
marketing and
mistake avoidance with
Bad fits
Behavior search
tracking
understanding
Better Business Bureau
Big five. See Content subjects
Block Imaging
Blogathons
Boston Globe
Brainstorming overview of
questions for
workshop section
Brands building of
consumer awareness of
content subject and
impact of
transparency of
trust in
values of
videos and
Business. See Organizations
Business philosophy activation of
customer-centric
transparent
value of
Business-to-business (B2B) customers’ trust of
high-end technology case
study of
video use by
Business-to-customer (B2C) customers’ trust of
study of
video use by
Business-to-government (B2G)
Buyers. See Consumers
Buying decisions comfort with
control of
fears and
informed
patterns of
poor
trust in
CarMax guarantee offered by
paradigm of
rule changes by
trust gaining by
vehicle inspection system
Closing rates
Communication bad fits on
competition impact on
customers
employee
insourcing
principles of
Compatibility
Competitors discussions of
pricing and
triangle of influence and
Consumer-centric business philosophy
Consumers bottom-of-the-funnel questions
brand awareness of
buying patterns of
concerns of
Internet searches by
poor buying choices by
pricing and
understanding of
workshop expectations of
Content educational
expressing success in
leads from
originality in
quantity of
sales process impact of
strategy for
truths about
types of
unbiased
video
Content managers duties of
essential qualities of
hiring of
journalism background for
values of
Content marketing basic characteristics of
components of
culture of
duties, sample of
guidelines
by Health Catalysis
humanization of
responsibility for
ROI measurement of
Seque Technologies case
Smarter Finance USA case
stages of
success, keys to
verbal forums
Content production brainstorming
editorial guidelines
outsourcing of
participation in
sales messaging and
special tasks
strategy for
system, improvement of
time for
Content Rules (Handley)
Content subjects brands and
competition
costs/pricing
focus of
problems/solutions
reviews
types of
versus/comparisons
Costs. See also Pricing discussion of
fiberglass pools
finding
focus on
variable
Cross-department success
Culture company
content marketing
development of
implementation and
insourcing
Customers communication to
positive reviews from
sense of control
service
Digital marketing. See Content marketing
Disarmament principle
DOD (Department of Defense)
E-mails answering questions via
to Sales Lion
teaching opportunities from
typical
Economy, false
Editorial guidelines
Education assignment sales and
bad fits
webinars for
Employees awards for
commun
icating with
hiring of
motivation of
recognition of
Everybody Writes (Handley)
Expertise
Facebook
Fear
First-page land on
Forbes
Frigidaire
General Electric
Google content posted on
increasing presence on
tracking
understanding
use of
“The Gospel According to You”
Halligan, Brian
Handley, Ann
Health Catalysis barriers broken by
competitors of
events by
knowledge leveraging by
origins of
search engine use by
SEO by
transition of
webinars by
Hiring
Horstmeier, Pauls
“How Much Does a Fiberglass Pool Cost?” comparisons used in
revenue generated by
use of
“How to Finance a Swimming Pool”
HubSpot
Hughes, Jason
Humanization
In Planet
Inbound and Compact Marketing Made Easy
Inbound marketing links for
River Pools and Spas
by Seque Technologies
by Yale Appliance
Insivia
Insourcing communication
culture of
embracing
power of
sales from
understanding of
Internet frustrations
opportunities on
research on
use of
videos
Interviewing skills
Interviews hiring
skills for
thought-leaders
Journalists
Kenmore
Kotrla, Krista branding by
cultural insourcing by
employee participation success
Leaders. See Thought leaders
Leads. See Web leads
Leasing equipment
Lehman Brothers
Managers. See Content managers
Marketing assignment selling and
CarMax
company’s voice in
content
inbound
ostrich
revolutionary strategy for
sales and
sales silos and
McCain, John
Misheloff, Rob
Mist Media
Networks events
focus on
referral
Novak, Ron
Obama, Barack
Onboarding process
Organizations culture of
inefficiency in
owners of
philosophy of
strategies
values of
Ostrich marketing
Pay per click (PPC)
Philosophy. See Business philosophy
Pla-Mor Pools
Pricing. See also Costs content
finding
focus on
variables
Principles communication
disarmament
workshop
Referral networks
Respect
Reviews competition
e-book example
embraceable of
expertise establishment with
implementation of
pool types example
ranking of
Yale Appliance case
Revolutionary strategy
Rhythm and Insights
River Pools and Spas advertising by
bankruptcy of
brainstorming at
establishment of
Fiberglass pools costs
founding of
HubSpot impact on
media-generated leads for
reviews of
ROI of
searching engine use by
SEO tracking by
turnaround at
ROI (return on investment) marketing
pay per click
understanding
Salaries advertising vs.
focus on
Sales generation of
insourcing
key to
marketing and
teaching effect on
Sales Lion calls to action by
CarMax effect applied by
e-mails to
founding of
HubSpot and
outsourcing concept at
pricing strategy of
sales communication
SEO tracking by
video and
Sales silos elimination of
marketing and
Sales teams advanced analytics for
building trust with
content sharing by
empathy of
engagement of
extra time for
goals for
messaging by
questions answered by
training of
Scams
Search behavior
Search engines expectations for
first-page landing and
Health Catalysis use of
key words for
lead tracking with
optimization tracking of
recognition
River Pools and Spas use of
small business use of
solid practices for
trust of
SEO (search engine optimization)
Seque Technologies B2G specialization of
content marketing by
diversification by
growth of
inbound marketing by
website traffic of
Shah, Dharmesh
Sheinkopf, Steve
Smarter Finance USA content marketing by
establishment of
turnaround by
website traffic of
Social media advertising on
embrace of
money spent on
Special tasks
Spiess, Jim
Thought leaders establishment
interviewing
mindset of
sales silos and
transparency
vision of
webinars
Training company contact and
continual
hiring and
long-term
sales teams
“Triangle of influence”
Trust brand
building
buyers
CarMax case
disarmament and
importance of
in sales person
search engines
Smart Finance USA case
transparency and
Yale Appliance case
Uber
Unbiased content
Variable costs
Versus and comparisons bias in
embracing of
implementation of
results of
Videos branding and
editing skills for
high-quality
impact of
on-site
Videoathons
Web leads costs of
growth in
quality of
relationship building and
tracking of
Webinars
Websites first-page land on
inbound links on
leads from
pages read on
pricing on
questions on
search engine recognition
testing
topics on
Whirlpool
Workshops advantages of
brainstorming section
company’s voice section
consumer expectations section
content impact section
editorial section
recap section
search engine section
Writing skills
Yale Appliance advertising by
article writing by
competition of
content marketing plan
history of
inbound marketing by
leadership change at
Zappos
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