They Ask, You Answer Fundamentals with Marcus Sheridan
So you’re investing in inbound marketing, but aren’t seeing the results you expected. You’re writing content, but your traffic, leads, and sales growth has been slow or non-existent. You’re not alone.Inbound marketing works, but the fact is, too many people are doing it wrong.
This course will change all that.
They Ask, You Answer is a revolutionary approach to inbound marketing that has empowered thousands of companies around the world to reach their most aggressive traffic, sales, and leads goals, and in this inspiring, high-energy course, the mind behind the framework, Marcus Sheridan, dives into what it is and how it works.
By the end of this two-hour course, you will:
Understand how modern buyers and the buying process have changed and what that means for your business
Know the right content to create to drive traffic, leads, and sales and how to get started
Learn how to use this content to speed up your sales process
Learn the elements of the perfect inbound marketing website
Understand the importance of trust in all of your inbound marketing efforts
This course is for anyone who wants to stop wasting time and money on inbound marketing tactics and agencies that don’t work. Use the proven They Ask, You Answer to elevate your brand authority and make customers want to buy from you!
Note: When originally published, this course was titled “Digital Sales & Marketing Framework for Today's Modern Buyer.” This is still reflected in the graphics for this course.
Investing in Incredible Digital Sales and Marketing Results
If you look at the most successful inbound case studies, the companies who have experienced the most significant sales and revenue growth with inbound, there is one common theme amongst them: They weren’t reliant on an agency or outsourced vendor to dictate what they did. Instead, they owned it. They made the investments, and because of that, revolutionized their businesses and in many cases, their industries.
In this course, you’ll learn what it means to take ownership of your digital sales and marketing, how you can do it, and the long term value it provides.
This course is a great fit for business owners, senior leaders, and leadership team members.
By the end of this course, you’ll know what it takes to transition from a position of reliance on others to a position of ownership for your digital sales and marketing.
It’s not enough to simply say you’re doing content marketing. You need to commit to it. That means hiring a comma-wrangling storytelling boss of a content manager to own your content creation effort and make sure it not only gets done, but that it accomplishes your goals.
In just one hour, Liz Moorehead, IMPACT's editor-in-chief, shares everything you need to know to find the powerhouse content manager who will truly own your strategy, tell your story, and start driving the traffic, leads, and sales results you’re looking for. You’ll learn the same expertise and proven playbook we’ve helped all of our clients implement to successfully find their dream content managers — and Liz will make you laugh out loud while doing it.
This course teaches you:
What should be in your content manager job description
How to screen applicants so you only spend time with the best fits
The questions you should ask in an interview and what to look for in answers
How to run a situational activity in the hiring process that shows which candidates can "walk the walk" and "talk the talk"
How to set your new content manager up for success before they walk in the door
For a content marketer, nothing is more frustrating than churning out content and seeing nothing come of it. Maybe it’s getting some likes on social media, maybe it’s pulling in some healthy traffic, but when it comes to leads and sales, if it’s leaving you high and dry, what’s the point?
For most businesses, it takes a year or more for inbound marketing to start showing real results, but it doesn’t have to. Though inbound and content marketing are long-term plays that compound over time, there is content you can create that has been shown to drive sales immediately. We call these topics “The Big 5” and we have seen their power work with hundreds of clients and companies over the past decade.
The Big 5 addresses the most urgent questions and concerns modern consumers have when making a purchase regardless of industry. They are the questions being searched online and, with the answers in hand, your sales team can tackle objections in their conversations head-on.
In this course, IMPACT’s most tenured content trainer, Kevin Phillips, talks you through what comprises The Big 5, how to execute them for your organization, and examples of them done well.
You will learn:
How to write a cost article
How to write a comparison article
How to write a “best of” article
How to write an honest problems article
How to write an unbiased review article
This course is for anyone struggling to see bottomline results from their content marketing and ready to build trust with their buyers by answering their most burning questions honestly.
Video can be intimidating. From the production and technology to the idea of being on camera, there’s a lot to consider and overcome when it comes to starting a video sales and marketing strategy.
In this course, IMPACT They Ask, You Answer Coach and Inbound and Video Workshop Trainer Zachary Basner shares everything you need to know to ensure you start your video journey with confidence.
You will learn everything Zach has taught hundreds of sales and marketing professionals first-hand, including:
How to align your teams around a common vision with video
The different types of styles of marketing and sales videos
The 7 types of videos that have the biggest impact on your revenue
The 6 factors that make up an engaging and effective sales or marketing video
This course is perfect for anyone who is not sure of how to get started with video in their sales and marketing or looking to drive more views and sales from their existing efforts.
The Revenue Team Approach to Sales Enablement Content
No matter how much we publish great traffic-driving, lead-generating content, many of us still have sales teams telling us, “You’re still not publishing what we need” or “Yeah, only maybe 1% of our content helps me close any deals.”
In fact, B2B sales teams report that only 27% of the leads passed to them from marketing are even remotely qualified. Enter the revenue team and sales enablement content.
As we’ve seen with businesses all over the world, when your marketing and sales teams join forces as a revenue team, you can start creating powerful content that actually helps close deals (also known as sales enablement content).
But how is it different from what you're already creating? And how do you go about creating a sustainable, scalable sales enablement content strategy that doesn't make you want to rip your hair out and also makes you look like a total money-making hero at your company?
By the end of this course with Liz Moorehead, IMPACT's editor-in-chief, you'll know:
What sales enablement content is (and isn't)
What a revenue team is and how the revenue team model is the key to your success
How to run powerful content brainstorms with your sales team
How to leverage Liz's custom-built revenue content brainstorm tool
How to report on the ROI of your content, so no one ever questions your value
Congratulations! You've been hired as a content manager to lead the charge of your company's content marketing efforts to drive traffic, leads, and (most of all) sales. Still, as a newcomer to your role, you likely have a few questions:
What does a content manager do?
What problems does a content manager solve?
How can I get the results needed to prove myself in my new role?
What should I be doing on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis?
If this sounds familiar, you have come to the right place. IMPACT Principal Content Marketing Trainer Kevin Phillips is here to empower you with the knowledge and tactical direction you need to feel comfortable in your new role. Also, you'll discover exactly how you fit in at your company as a key player in driving big results.
By the end of this course, you'll feel confident in your new role as content manager and will have a clear roadmap of how to establish yourself as a results-driving hero at your organization.
When done correctly, virtual selling can shorten your sales cycle and provide additional opportunities for your business to connect with potential customers, especially in a COVID-19 world where face-to-face interactions can be difficult to come by.
Video enables you to hear someone’s voice, see their face, and build the more human, trusting connection needed to help your customers feel comfortable buying from you.
But how do you sell in a video-first, virtual workplace? In this essential course for any modern sales team, Myriah Anderson explains how to use video in every stage of the sales process to improve engagement and increase revenue.
By the end, you will know:
How to use video through different stages of the sales process
How to be successful with virtual selling
How to measure your success with virtual selling
This course is a must for anyone in sales looking to navigate the socially distant waters of COVID-19 or simply improve and scale their current sales efforts using video.
How do you sell in a video-first, virtual workplace? Learn how to use video in every stage of the sales process to improve engagement and increase revenue.
Your inbound marketing and sales efforts have been delivering awesome results, but are they really set up to take your business to the next level?
It’s a common misconception that inbound marketing is only suited for small businesses. Inbound efforts are effective and affordable for small to medium-sized businesses, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be as valuable as an organization grows as well.
In this course, IMPACT’s Chief Learning Officer Chris Duprey shares what it takes to scale up your digital sales and marketing into an indispensable asset that will actually grow with the company. You’ll learn:
Key areas that you should invest in next (i.e., video, communication training, etc.)
What to do after you’re successfully producing content
How to start sharing industry thought leadership
How to start exploring paid media
How to start building a brand community
This course is a great fit for seasoned IMPACT+ Pro members who identify as business owners, senior leaders, and leadership and are on the verge of stage 4 or beyond.
By the end of this course, you’ll know what it takes to turn your digital sales and marketing from good to great, an actual asset that continues to provide opportunities for you, your team, and your community.
If you shudder at the thought of speaking on camera, you’re definitely not the only one. Whether it’s worrying about how your hair or makeup looks or your tone of voice, it’s common to feel self-conscious when the camera starts rolling — but you can overcome it!
IMPACT They Ask, You Answer Coach and Inbound and Video Workshop Trainer Zachary Basner firmly believes that anyone can be good on-camera with practice and the right guidance, so he’s here to walk you through all of it.
In this course, Zach helps you uncover the skills and techniques to master your performance on-camera, whether it’s for a Zoom meeting, a 1:1 sales video, a YouTube tutorial, or full-scale production. This includes:
How to overcome self-doubt and fear
On-camera tips to bring out your best performance
How to look your best on camera with effective facial expressions and gestures
How to sound your best on camera with the right tone, pacing, etc.
Knowing when to use a script
These are all things Zach learned first-hand from public speaking and countless teachers and mentors he’s had. So, if you’re ready to stop being intimidated by the camera and learn how to become a master communicator, let’s jump right into it.
You’re publishing great content and beautiful videos. People can’t say enough good things about the work you’re doing. That’s awesome — but is any of it actually working? Inbound marketing isn’t easy. To make it worth the time and effort, especially to skeptical decision-makers, it needs to show return. IMPACT’s Carina Duffy is here to show you the way!
In this course, IMPACT’s resident HubSpot nerd dives into how your organization can use HubSpot to prove the ROI of its inbound marketing efforts. By the end, you will fully understand:
The different ways to define return on investment (ROI) at your organization
The tools HubSpot has to track your ROI (even if you’re not using HubSpot Sales) and how to use them
How to manage your data properly in HubSpot
How to create effective ROI reports in HubSpot
Chock-full of insights we’ve previously only shared with our clients, this course is a great fit for any marketing and sales professionals looking to show the fruits of their labor to their decision-makers and organization in a reliable, easy-to-understand way.
Email marketing isn’t dead — it’s just much harder to make an impression these days, especially if you’re trying to sell something!
Are you looking to boost the open and response rates to your sales emails?
In this course, Myriah Anderson dives into the fundamentals of crafting engaging emails that we use to successfully help move prospects along in the buying journey more quickly and with more confidence.
You will learn:
How to write irresistible subject lines
How to craft engaging personalized, 1:1 email copy
How to use your email signature as a sales tool
What content to include in every sales email
How to move recipients to action in your email
This course is a great fit for sales professionals and sales leaders who want to increase their team’s effectiveness with email communication and video in the sales process.
By the end of this course, you’ll be confident in how to create clickable subject lines, engaging email copy that includes 1:1 video, calls-to-action, interactive signatures, and the types of content that will help you move deals along faster.
4 Content Guides to Convert Leads, Close Deals, and Delight Customers
Content managers, are you looking for ways to attract more visitors to your website, convert more leads, close more sales and turn more customers into brand evangelists? We thought you might be – in this course, we’re going to talk about four different types of guides you can create to help you achieve those very goals.
Virtual Sales Appointment Strategies that Close Deals Faster
In this course, we’ll examine today’s virtual marketplace, its effect on the sales process, and how to master virtual sales appointments that take less time and move more buyers to action.
This course is a great fit for any sales or service team that is either beginning the transition to virtual appointments or is experiencing a much longer sales cycle and lackluster results since making this shift.
By the end, you’ll know how to set up the appointments, how to leverage tools to help conduct meetings, how to ease your prospects’ concerns, and how to ensure you are not losing valuable sales opportunities when moving to a virtual environment.
Get expert insights on laying the foundation for high-quality video content that drives revenue including how to crush it on-camera and other production secrets.
Your inbound business has read They Ask, You Answer, and now you want to level up your online marketing efforts by implementing live chat to your website. Being able to answer your website visitor questions in real-time is powerful!
Whether you’re implementing live chat for the first time or looking to expand your live chat strategy, the course will guide you through how live chat strategy can help your website visitors at every step of their buyer’s journey.
In this course, you will learn:
“Conversational Marketing” and embracing that in your business culture.
How to shift the organizational mindset to embrace live chat.
Discover how to create a live chat playbook to roll out your strategy.
5 Rules for starting your first conversation and advanced techniques to improve the end-user experience.
The importance of measuring and the key metrics to monitor with your live chat.
Learn about the advanced features that you can do and understand when you are ready to implement them.
HubSpotter's Guide to Cleaning Up a Messy HubSpot Portal
HubSpot is one of the most powerful marketing, sales, and service automation platforms on the market today. And, if you're the owner of your company's HubSpot portal (no matter your role), you know its potential. You also likely know that, without regular maintenance, proper organization, and structure from the outset, your HubSpot portal can quickly devolve into a mess that does more harm than good.
"Every day I log into HubSpot, I have no idea what's going on in there and I don't know how to find anything. It's making it impossible to leverage HubSpot for contact segmentation, marketing and sales automation, and database management. On top of that, it's so disorganized, I'm not sure I can trust the reporting and analytics."
If this sounds like you, you're in the right place.
In this course you'll learn:
The most common reasons why chaotic, messy HubSpot portals happen to good, well-meaning HubSpotter's
The step-by-step process you need to follow to clean out your old, unwanted contacts and how to clean up our data
Long-term strategies to keep your HubSpot portal data pristine, clean, and always reliable and up-to-date
Virtual Sales Appointment Strategies that Close Deals Faster
In this course, we’ll examine today’s virtual marketplace, its effect on the sales process, and how to master virtual sales appointments that take less time and move more buyers to action.
This course is a great fit for any sales or service team that is either beginning the transition to virtual appointments or is experiencing a much longer sales cycle and lackluster results since making this shift.
By the end, you’ll know how to set up the appointments, how to leverage tools to help conduct meetings, how to ease your prospects’ concerns, and how to ensure you are not losing valuable sales opportunities when moving to a virtual environment.
Creating Pillar Content Your Buyers and Search Engines Will Love
So you hired a content manager, and you’re churning out high-quality, long-form articles on the reg, but still not seeing that killer organic traffic you need. With one of the only constants in life being Google’s algorithm updates, this is an all too common challenge.
As much as it pains us, the way we marketers used to “do SEO” no longer cuts it. How search engines map our content today is very different (and much more human) than it was when we all first started creating content marketing strategies or our companies and we need to cater to this. Enter topic clusters and pillar pages.
Organizing your content in a topic cluster and pillar page model will help:
Your website be more organized, structured, and easier for users to navigate
You spot new content priorities, opportunities, and gaps with ease
Search engines like Google map your content more efficiently
Your search rankings go up due to better visibility
But what is the topic cluster and pillar content model? How does it work and why? What do great pillar pages look like across different industries? How do you select your own topic cluster and pillar content topics? How do you develop an out-of-this-world, revenue-generating strategy for a pillar page? And how do you track the success of your topic clusters and pillar pages?
You'll find the answers to these questions (and much more) in this IMPACT+ Pro course with the mind behind IMPACT’s traffic and lead-generating pillar strategy, Liz Moorehead.
This course is ideally suited for content managers and digital marketers who are tasked with developing and executing robust content strategies that drive results for their company.
In this course, you’ll learn the importance of role-playing and how to execute effective role-play scenarios that actually help grow the confidence of your team, help them master the right communication techniques in a private environment (rather than in front of buyers), and ultimately improve your sales process and customer experience.
This course is a great fit for sales reps, sales leaders, and leadership, as it addresses a key skill that leaders and sales reps need to understand.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to prepare for, conduct, and follow-up on a successful sales role-play.