Can we get started with They Ask, You Answer Mastery if we don’t have the right people yet?

IMPACT’s comprehensive They Ask, You Answer Mastery program is designed for any business ready to fully commit to the demands and rigors of the undertaking. There is no checklist of prerequisites — other than the willingness to go all-in. 

If you are prepared to put in the necessary work to build consensus and hold your team accountable, you are ready to begin. If you wait for all of the pieces to line up, you’ll find yourself delaying when you could be acting. 

As coach Chris Duprey puts it, “the biggest impediment to progress is not starting.”

We will help you through every part of your journey toward digital sales and marketing mastery. Don't feel that you need to solve for certain challenges before you get started with us. We will work through your challenges together.

🔎 Related reading:

• The consequences of not insourcing content creation
• What's included in the They Ask, You Answer Mastery program?

Why a content manager is vital

Your coach will recommend hiring a content manager to sit at the center of your content marketing initiative. Once in place, your content manager will take the questions your sales team hears and answer them in content. Your sales team can then use this content to educate future prospects. 

Your content manager will also make use of your subject matter experts in the content production process, working to educate buyers and drive traffic to your site. On top of that, your content manager is likely to take on other marketing tasks as well. This might mean overseeing your social media presence or writing and scheduling marketing emails and other outreach.

For these reasons, we see a content manager as an essential part of your digital sales and marketing mastery. 

'But what if I don’t have a content manager hired yet?'

Does it mean IMPACT can’t start working with you until you hire one? No. In fact, many clients find it useful to have IMPACT help them hire their content manager. We can provide job descriptions, interview questions, and more. 

As Chris puts it, “We’re going to get started with what you’ve got.” Every situation is different, and every company faces its own challenges as it grows. IMPACT is your partner as you face those challenges. We will use your current circumstances as a starting point, whatever they are. 

For example, our coaches have been leading one client company through They Ask, You Answer Mastery for the past two months. They’ve just recently hired their content manager, who won’t start for another two weeks. 

That means they’ll be almost three months into the program without that key piece of the puzzle. So, what have we done in those first months working with the client? 

According to Chris, “we have completed planning sessions, we have aligned priorities, we have talked with the sales team to build a shared foundation of expectations. Therefore, when that content manager starts, they’ve got the company expectations in place to know what they need to do.”

🔎 Related reading:

• Content manager job description for all industries (ready to use)
• What do content managers do? (8 duties of a rockstar content manager)

Hiring and onboarding a content manager can happen more quickly than you realize

If and when you are ready to hire a content manager, this process can move quickly — especially if you leverage IMPACT’s resources.

IMPACT clients have gone from creating a job description to having somebody accept the offer and starting within three weeks.

Once that person is in place, They Ask, You Answer author Marcus Sheridan suggests you should have them start writing immediately:

“Content managers should start producing written work in the first week. In fact, the best onboarding is interviewing staff and asking them questions about the products and services that you sell.”

Whether you begin the process of hiring a content manager before or after you get started with IMPACT, they can quickly become a functioning member of your team.

🔎 Related: How long does it take to hire and onboard a content manager?

'Can I hire my content manager internally?'

The only way you can effectively fill the content manager role internally is if you imagine it as a new full-time role that someone moves into. They should not be your content manager on top of everything else they do. 

Marcus puts it this way: “Content management is a full-time job, and if you’re going to take it seriously it deserves an employee’s full attention. Handing it to someone who is already on staff means you’re likely giving it to someone who might already be wearing too many hats."

Content management can be taken on internally only if you are willing to consider it a new position for which you will be hiring internally. Otherwise, it won’t work.

🔎 Related reading:

• What are the consequences of not insourcing your content creation?

Waiting for perfect conditions means you could be waiting for a long time

The Mastery program is designed to use wherever you are as a starting point. As long as you have buy-in among company leadership and a culture that supports internal development and improvement, you’re ready to begin. Remember, IMPACT will tailor its program to suit your needs.

We have worked with clients who already have a robust content team in place, and we have worked with clients who are still months away from hiring their first content producer. 

Because the program is adapted to your circumstances, you do not need to meet certain personnel thresholds to proceed. You just need to be ready to do the necessary work to take ownership of your digital sales and marketing. We will be there to help you every step along the way.