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1. Targeting

What is a buyer persona?

A buyer persona is a brief portrait of the individual who evaluates, recommends or signs off on your product, written from real conversations rather than guesses. It covers their role, what they are measured on, what they worry about and how they like to be reached.

The parts

  1. Role and goalsThe job title, who they report to and the result they are measured on. This tells you what a useful first email talks about.
  2. Pains and doubtsThe problems they live with and the reasons they hesitate, such as switching cost or a past bad experience.
  3. How they decideWhether they decide alone, bring in a colleague or need sign-off. It shapes who else belongs on your prospect list.
  4. Where and how to reach themThe channels and the tone that fit: a short email, a call, a note on a professional network. Keep it to what your own contacts have told you.

Worked example: Ledgerline sorts its discovery calls by role

Ledgerline (the made-up dental payroll company) logged the role of the person on each of its discovery calls. The shares show which persona to write for first.

By hand

  1. Ledgerline logged 120 discovery calls in a quarter.
  2. Clinic operations manager: 54 of 120 calls, which is 45%.
  3. Practice owner: 36 of 120 calls, which is 30%.
  4. Finance or bookkeeping lead: 30 of 120 calls, which is 25%.
  5. The operations manager is on 45% of calls, so the first persona and the first email are written for that role.
Clinic operations manager45%
Practice owner30%
Finance or bookkeeping lead25%

Share of discovery calls by the role of the main contact

How to apply it

  1. Interview or review notes from five to ten recent buyers and note their role, goal and the doubt they raised.
  2. Group them by role and write one short profile for the role that shows up most.
  3. Write your first email around that role's goal in plain words, and keep one clear ask.
  4. Check replies by role after each send and adjust the profile when the answers surprise you.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Inventing a persona with a stock photo and a first name instead of using what real buyers said.
  • Building one persona for everyone, which leads to a message that speaks to no one.
  • Forgetting the second person in the deal, such as the person who approves the budget.

Ideal customer profile

An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a written description of the type of company that gets the most value from what you sell and is easiest to win and keep.

Read more

Firmographics

Firmographics are the facts that describe a company, such as its industry, number of employees, revenue band, location and age.

Read more

Multichannel outreach

Multichannel outreach means contacting one prospect on several channels, for example email, LinkedIn and the phone, following a plan for which comes when.

Read more

Questions

What is the difference between an ICP and a buyer persona?
The ICP is the company you target. The persona is the person at that company you write to. The persona only makes sense once the company profile is clear.
How many personas do I need?
Start with one for the role that appears most in your calls. Add another only when a different role needs a different message.
Where do I get the information?
From your own call notes, replies and customer conversations. Public job descriptions can fill gaps, but real answers are better.

Tell us what you sell and who buys it

What you sell

Who buys it

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