‘They Ask, You Answer’ Explained: How To Build Trust, Leads And Sales With Content That Answers Real Buyer Questions

If you feel like marketing has become louder, more complex and less connected to real sales conversations, you are not alone. Many business owners we speak to are doing more marketing than ever, yet still struggle to generate consistent, high-quality leads.

That frustration is exactly why They Ask, You Answer resonated so strongly when it was first published, and why its updated follow-up, Endless Customers, feels even more relevant today.

Both books, written by Marcus Sheridan, cut through tactics and platforms and go back to something much simpler. Your buyers already have questions. They are searching for answers long before they speak to sales. If you answer those questions honestly and clearly, you earn trust, shorten sales cycles and attract better-fit prospects.

In this article, we will break down the core principles, explain the Big 5 topics, and show you how to apply this thinking in your own business in a practical, commercially focused way.

What Does They Ask, You Answer Actually Mean For Your Business?

At its heart, They Ask, You Answer is about shifting your mindset.

Instead of asking how to promote your services, you start by asking a different question. What are your prospects already asking before they decide whether to contact you?

These questions usually fall into familiar territory: How much does it cost? What could go wrong? How does this compare to other options? Is this right for a business like mine? Can I trust you to deliver?

Most companies avoid these topics because they feel uncomfortable, risky, or too revealing. Buyers, however, actively look for them. If they cannot find answers on your website, they will find them elsewhere, or they will form their own assumptions.

When you answer these questions openly, you remove friction from the buying process. Prospects arrive better informed. Sales conversations become more productive. You spend less time convincing and more time qualifying.

How ‘Endless Customers’ Takes The Idea Further

The original book focused heavily on lead generation. The updated thinking in Endless Customers reflects how buying behaviour has continued to evolve.

Buyers now expect answers at every stage of their journey, not just before the first enquiry. They want reassurance after they buy. They want clarity as their needs change. They want to feel confident that they made the right decision.

This is where content stops being a marketing activity and becomes part of how you run the business. The same honest answers that attract prospects also support onboarding, reduce churn, improve retention and create advocates.

For SME owners, this is critical. Sustainable growth comes from repeat customers, referrals and predictable pipelines, not one-off spikes in enquiries.

What Are The Big 5 Topics Buyers Really Care About?

Marcus Sheridan identified five categories of content that buyers care about most and that businesses avoid most. These are known as the Big 5.

If your website covers these honestly and clearly, you answer the majority of questions prospects ask before they ever speak to sales.

1. Price And Cost

How much does it cost, and why?

Buyers want to understand price early, even if the final figure depends on variables. They are searching for ranges, factors, trade-offs, and examples, not necessarily a fixed number.

This content should explain:

• What typically affects price
  
  
• Why cheaper options exist and what you give up
  
  
• What makes one solution more expensive than another
  
  
• When spending more does, and does not, make sense

Avoiding pricing does not protect you. It pushes buyers to competitors who are more open.

2. Problems, Drawbacks And Limitations

What are the downsides, risks, and reasons this might not be right?

This is the most avoided and most powerful Big 5 topic.

Buyers assume there are drawbacks. When you address them yourself, you build credibility and control the narrative.

This content should openly cover:

• Situations where your solution is a poor fit
  
  
• Common mistakes buyers make
  
  
• Trade-offs and compromises
  
  
• Risks involved and how they are managed

This does not reduce conversions. It improves lead quality and shortens sales cycles.

3. Comparisons And Alternatives

How does this compare to other options on the market?

Buyers are comparing you whether you help them or not, and strong comparison content helps prospects understand:

• Differences between approaches
  
  
• When one option is better than another
  
  
• Who each solution is best suited to
  
  
• Why price, scope or outcomes vary

This can include comparisons with competitors, in-house alternatives, doing nothing, or entirely different approaches. The goal is not to win every deal, but to help buyers make a confident decision.

4. Reviews And Real-World Experiences

What do customers actually say, and what really happens?

Buyers trust other buyers more than they trust you.

This category goes beyond polished testimonials. It includes:

• Case studies with specific outcomes
  
  
• Honest customer feedback
  
  
• Lessons learned from real projects
  
  
• Independent reviews and third-party opinions

The more specific and balanced this content is, the more believable it becomes.

5. Best-Of Content

What are the best options, solutions or providers, and why?

Best-of content works because buyers want clarity at the point of decision.

This content helps prospects answer questions like:

• What is the best solution for my situation?
  
  
• Which option makes sense at my size or stage?
  
  
• When should I choose one approach over another?

Importantly, you do not need to position yourself as the best choice for everyone. Acknowledging when you are not the right option builds trust and attracts better-fit enquiries.

The Big 5 is effective because it mirrors how buyers already behave.

They research price, they look for risks, they compare options, they seek proof and they want recommendations.

When your website answers these questions clearly, sales conversations change. Prospects arrive informed, objections are reduced, and trust is established before the first call.

How To Apply They Ask, You Answer In Your Business

The biggest mistake we see is treating this philosophy as a content idea rather than a business approach.

To make it work, start with your sales conversations. List the questions prospects ask before they buy, especially the awkward ones. Prioritise those questions and turn them into clear, well-structured content on your website.

Publish answers on your own site first. Social media can support distribution, but your website is where trust is built, and decisions are made.

Align sales and marketing so content is actively used in conversations. Share articles before calls. Use them to handle objections. Let prospects self-educate.

How JDR Group Can Help You Apply They Ask, You Answer

As your marketing agency, we do not treat this philosophy as a content trend or a one-off blogging exercise. We build it into your wider marketing system, so the questions your buyers are already asking translate into better leads and more confident sales conversations.

We Start With Real Buyer Questions, Not Guesses

The first step is research. We look at the questions people are actively searching for online in your market, using search data, competitor analysis, and insight from real sales conversations.

This ensures your content is based on genuine buyer intent, not assumptions or internal opinions - so that you are not writing what you think prospects want to hear, you are answering what they are already trying to find out.

We Prioritise The Big 5

We deliberately prioritise the Big 5 topics, pricing, problems, comparisons, reviews, and best-of content, because these are the questions that shape trust and shorten the sales cycle.

That does not mean publishing reckless claims or fixed pricing where it does not apply. It means helping you explain cost drivers, trade-offs, risks, and fit in a way that attracts the right enquiries and filters out the wrong ones.

We Write & Produce The Content For You

We do not stop at strategy. Our team can produce the content for you, ensuring it reflects your expertise, your tone, and your commercial realities.

Crucially, that content is then integrated into your wider marketing and sales system. It lives on your website, supports lead capture, feeds into nurturing campaigns, and is used by your sales team to educate prospects before and after conversations.

Our Team Lives These Principles

Every member of our team is trained on They Ask, You Answer and Endless Customers. Both books are part of our monthly internal book club, where we discuss how the ideas apply in real client situations.

We have also applied these principles directly to our own website. We publish pricing guidance, explain trade-offs, compare options, and address common objections openly. That experience matters because it means we understand the practical challenges, not just the theory.

Why That Matters For You

Many agencies talk about honesty, transparency, and trust, but struggle to apply them when it comes to uncomfortable topics.

Because we have implemented They Ask, You Answer ourselves, we know how to help you do the same in a way that feels credible, controlled, and commercially sensible.

The result is not just more content. It is better conversations, better-fit leads, and a marketing system that supports real business growth.

What Should You Do Next?

If They Ask, You Answer or Endless Customers struck a chord when you read them, the next step is not to write more blogs for the sake of it. It is time to step back and assess whether your website genuinely answers the questions your buyers care about most.

Are you clear about the cost? Are you honest about fit? Are you helping prospects compare options confidently? Are you supporting customers after the sale?

If you want help turning these principles into a structured plan that supports real sales growth, you can book a strategy meeting with us. Alternatively, you can download our guide, How to Attract, Win, Keep and Grow Customers, which explains how content fits into a complete, proven system.

Either way, the goal is the same - build trust first, and the leads and sales follow.