Key Messages
How to Use the Ask Formula to Learn What People Want and Outperform Your Competition
The Ask Formula helps business owners increase efficiency in their online stores by understanding what customers truly want.
That’s because the Ask Formula uses a series of surveys to uncover the biggest challenges and needs that people face, providing businesses with valuable data on how they can better serve their customers.
Using this data allows businesses to give their customers what they want – even if they don’t know what they want.
This includes creating product offerings and sales offers that resonate with customers, finding ways to win over those who reject your first offer, and crafting email subject lines that will get people to open them.
With this data, you can solve customer problems before they even ask for it!
This is what will put your business ahead of the competition.
The Ask Formula Helps Businesses Uncover What Customers and Prospects Want, Even When They Can’t Articulate It
The Ask Formula warns us about the failure of traditional surveys to deliver on their promise.
Surveys are often irritating, as evidenced by that time you were interrupted from your dinner by a telemarketer asking for opinions on things like soda bottle packaging.
These surveys also come with limited incentive for customer to fill them out because they cannot access the results.
Furthermore, it is difficult for customers to express what they want through surveys because most of the time, customers don’t even know what it is they want.
Take a restaurant example: if you ask a group of people where they want to eat, there will be an endless loop of suggestions and questions with no decisions being made.
The Ask Formula helps address this challenge faced by businesses and potential customers alike by improving how surveys can capture meaningful insights.
It works because it recognizes that customers simply may not have the answers that business owners need, so instead of assuming knowledge from the source, The Ask Formula will allow businesses to learn these insights in ways that are more effective and beneficial than traditional methods of surveying.
The Ask Formula: Unlocking the Power of a Deep Dive Survey to Learn Who Your Prospects Really Are
The Ask Formula begins by getting to know your customers and prospects.
Instead of using traditional surveys, which have been proven ineffective due to their annoying nature, the Ask Formula relies on a process called Survey Funneling.
This process starts with a Deep Dive Survey.
This survey is emailed to prospects; it introduces your branding and requests that respondents provide information about themselves and their needs.
The survey questions vary, but generally allow you to get an idea of who is interested in your services or products.
After collecting this data, it’s important to sort prospects into different groups, known as buckets.
This allows you to find patterns in the data and further refine how you communicate with each group.
For instance, if you sell software products, one bucket could be tech-savvy professionals and another retired people who are less familiar with technology – it’s important to tailor the messaging accordingly!
Craft an Engaging Prospect Self-Discovery Landing Page to Win Over Skeptics and Get People to Take Your Survey
Creating a great landing page is the key to getting prospects to take the next survey.
To begin, make sure your headline stands out.
Ask a question that really grabs attention and makes people curious.
Then explain your goal and how their participation will benefit them by providing a customized solution to their problem.
Adding a video is an effective way to increase interest in the survey.
You can use a ‘talking head’ video with slides or voiceover for maximum impact.
Be sure to include a hook – something that engages prospects and builds curiosity – and ask about their struggles.
If-then statements are also useful for convincing skeptics who may not be convinced as easily.
Finally, let people know about your expertise by hinting at it in the introduction.
Mention how you’ve helped clients identify their biggest bottlenecks in the past, or some other valid point of reference that proves you’re an authority in this field.
After all this, your prospects should eagerly click the link and be ready to start the next survey!
The Micro-Commitment Bucket Survey Offers Opportunities to Gather Insightful Customer Data and Customize Messages
The Micro-Commitment Bucket Survey is an effective way to gradually win the trust of your prospects and gain insights into their needs.
It starts with small, non-threatening multiple choice questions, before moving to more private information like name and email.
It’s important to phrase these questions in a friendly conversation manner instead of robotic language, as this helps start to break down barriers that people have about sharing personal information.
You could ask something like “What’s your favorite soda brand?” rather than a question that sounds more mechanical such as “Which market-leading soda manufacturer do you most prefer?”
Using the answers from the survey, you can use personalize messages by referring to age or other data gathered.
Utilize segmentation questions to categorize prospects and funnel them into various buckets based on the challenges they have or look to solve.
Making sure not to group solely by demographic info but instead learning what they are struggling with helps both sides in understanding where the other is coming from.
The Ask Formula Can Help You Offer Customized Solutions and Make Powerful Sales Pitches
Now that you’ve weighed in on your prospect’s problem, it’s time to make your sales pitch.
You’ve gone the extra mile to demonstrate understanding – now it’s time to offer up a solution.
At this point, use the Problem, Agitate, Solution (PAS) formula.
Start by providing a creative diagnosis name – something like “The Cold Traffic Curse” – that will pique the viewer’s curiosity and make them want to learn more.
Then explain what this diagnosis means and focus on the severity and urgency of the problem.
Once that’s done, it’s time for the solution: turn education into an offer.
Provide what prospective buyers will gain from purchasing, as well as a description of the offer, available discounts or specials, and most importantly why they should act now – whether due to deadlines or limited availability.
The Ask Formula: Maximizing Profits Through Post-Purchase Upsells
The Ask Formula doesn’t end with just one offer.
Instead, it helps you maximize your profit down the line.
After a customer makes their initial purchase, you’re presented with an opportunity to take advantage of their buying mindset and extend the relationship into future sales.
McDonald’s is a great example of this–they don’t just stick to burgers but also ask customers if they want fries to go along with them.
The same principle applies for e-commerce as well!
After someone makes their first purchase, try offering discounted versions of what they just bought or faster/easier results that complement the original offer.
You can even offer solutions to problems they may not have thought of yet–like if they bought a salary negotiation course you could suggest investing their extra money wisely, or if they purchased a gym membership you could add in a bootcamp pass too.
This way, you’re maximizing profits while still giving them something useful!
Maximize Your Revenue Through Follow-Ups in the Ask Formula Feedback Loop
The Ask Formula is a great way to make sure you get the most out of every customer.
Even if some don’t buy right away, there are still strategies for rescuing sales from non-buyers.
For example, emails can be sent out as a way to stay in touch and encourage them to make a purchase.
Tweaking the offer with lowered thresholds of commitment or adding urgency emails reminding people of time limitations can sway them towards buying.
And if that fails, you can start the cycle again, this time offering a different product.
For buyers, encouraging repeat purchases can be done by leveraging their previous joy with your product.
Try enticements such as incomplete thoughts in email subjects that will keep customers coming back.
In the body of your email, add a link that directs them straight to your offer and keeps them around for another purchase.
By using the Ask Formula, you’ll have much higher success rates both with sales from non-buyers and getting repeat business from customers who have already purchased an item.
With this kind of approach, you’ll increase conversions and keep people coming back!
Wrap Up
The final take away message of Ask Book is that if you really want to know what your customers need, the best way to go about it is to simply ask.
Having the right tools in place and taking a systematic approach will help you get the most out of these conversations with prospects, as it builds trust and allows for deeper insights into their needs.
What’s more, there are many solutions available, but no single solution will work for each and every customer as everyone’s situation is unique.
