Ask: Summary Review & Takeaway Points
This is a summary review of Ask containing key details about the book.
What is Ask About?
Ask provides a different take on traditional marketing and includes the author’s proven Ask Formula, which he has used to help build multi-million dollar businesses. His formula shows exactly how to find out what customers really want, and the steps to take in order to build customer satisfaction while increasing income.
Who is the author of Ask?
Ryan Levesque is the CEO of The ASK Method. He is also CEO & co-founder of bucket.io -a leading marketing funnel software entrepreneurs are using to build interactive quizzes, assessments, and surveys to segment their audience into buckets and create a tailored buying experience online.
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: "Interesting formula for capturing and analyzing online customers, including some interesting ideas for tailoring your messages to individual customer cohorts." - libraryThing 👍
Favorite Quote: “Sometimes starting over at the bottom can be the best thing you can do for yourself.” ― Ask Quotes, Ryan Levesque
Book Details
- Print length: 218 pages
- Genre: Business, Nonfiction, Entrepreneurship
What are the main summary points of Ask?
Here are some key summary points from Ask:
- Takeaway 1: Most people are usually only good at expressing what they don't want and what they already have. In order to become better at business, you need to know what customers really want. A common method of finding this out is surveys, but most people find them irritating. A better approach is the ASK FORMULA.
- Takeaway 2: The first step is the deep dive survey, which is an email to your list asking indirect questions to gauge what your current and potential customers want. For example, `Tell us your biggest challenges with….` (Since your prospects know only what they don't want, it isn't useful to directly ask what they want.). Also, collect and analyze the data. Look for patterns in the answers that will allow you to sort them into buckets (i.e. similar groups of prospects)
- Takeaway 3: The next stage is the Prospect Self-Discovery Landing Page. This landing page needs to be super easy to use with all the most important information available without requiring visitors to scroll down. Begin with a catch title or a question. Then, use hooks and if-then statements to inspire curiosity and desire. For example, “If you're an entrepreneur who work with diverse markets but aren't sure how to communicate with all of them, then…”. Finally, hint at your expertise. For example, “For more than a decade I've..."
- Takeaway 4: From here, we go to the Micro-Commitment Bucket Survey. Here we ask segmented questions to get specific information about the issues customers have. Start your survey with easily answerable questions such as – “How old are you?”. Remember to segment prospects according to the specific problems they want to solve. For example, you could ask a multiple-choice question such as, “Which of the following is your biggest challenge right now?
- Takeaway 5: We then move them to the Post-Survey page, where they will get a diagnosis of their problem and a potential customized solution to their problems using your services and products. You want to demonstrate that you understand their problems before you ask for their money. Also, communicate to them the primary reason why they must act now.
- Takeaway 6: Once they buy in, consider upselling more/other products or services of yours. (The simplest option to maximize profit is to simply sell more of what the customer just purchased but at a discounted price.)
- Takeaway 7: Will all customers buy from you this way? No. In fact, only around 10% will do so. We don't give up on the other 90% though. We follow up with them using emails and offering more value and discounts to keep them interested.
Ask Chapters
Chapter 1: You: Who, What, & Why
Chapter 2: Strange Questions...and Stranger Answers
Chapter 3: The Discovery
Chapter 4: My Crisis
Chapter 5: Working Hard for the Dream
Chapter 6: An Unexpected Twist
Chapter 7: The Letter
Chapter 8: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Chapter 9: Taking the Leap
Chapter 10: Things Finally Come Together
Chapter 11: Getting Started: How to Read the Ask Methodology
Chapter 12: The Process: Prepare, Persuade, Segment, Prescribe, Profit and Pivot
Chapter 13: The Deep Dive Survey
Chapter 14: Persuade: The Prospect Self-Discovery Landing Page
Chapter 15: Segment: The Micro-Commitment Bucket Survey
Chapter 16: Prescribe: The Post-Survey Sales Prescription
Chapter 17: Profit: The Profit Maximization Upsell Sequence
Chapter 18: The Email Follow-Up Feedback Loop
Chapter 19: Case Study #1: Tennis Training - Zero to %250,000 in 6 months
Chapter 20: Case Study #2: Water Ionizer Market - $750,000 in 5 Days
Chapter 21: Why: The Reason for Writing This Book
Chapter 22: Next Steps: Now It's Your Turn to Ask
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in enhancing your personal growth, I suggest checking out my list of favorite self-development books. These books have been instrumental in my own personal development and I'm confident they can help you too.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
