In his book Ask., Ryan Levesque proposes a new and revolutionary approach to marketing: identifying and understanding targeted customer segments and individual customer needs in order to ask the right questions and develop products and services that meet those needs. The book focuses on the process of finding out what potential customers really want, something that powerful companies like Apple and Amazon have done time and time again.
The book starts by addressing a core, fundamental problem that all businesses face: what do customers really want? In order to answer this question, Levesque proposes a simple but effective method: instead of thinking broadly, or trying to guess what customers may want, instead focus on asking the right questions.
Levesque shows that the best way to get an accurate answer is to understand buyers’ needs and motivations on a personal level. Quoting renowned strategy consultant John Maxwell, Levesque says, “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Thus, his book provides essential steps on how you, as a business owner, should communicate with your customers and design a market research strategy.
The book outlines a two-step process. First, Levesque suggests that business owners identify customer segments—with particular types of buyers having different needs and motivations. Then, the process of discovering what these segments need and want can begin.
The second step is to ask the right questions. Levesque provides an in-depth discussion of how you can use surveys, focus groups, interviews, and analytics to better understand what your customers want. You must unpack the needs and motivations of each customer segment in order to give an accurate request for information.
At the end of the book, Levesque provides 27 real-world examples of how businesses have implemented the Ask. methodology. He also provides extensive and detailed instruction on how to optimize the design of a survey and craft the right questions.
Levesque’s innovative approach to marketing will revolutionize the way businesses interact with and locate customers. In Ask., readers are given the essential tools they need to understand their customers and develop products and services that meet their needs and motivations. With this book, companies can now ask the right questions to uncover the right solutions and ultimately provide the best user experience.
