Creating customer persona(s) for consumers is straightforward and the buying process is a lot simpler. There are typically 3 main consumer profiles:
Users
Advocates (a.k.a. Influencer)
Decision-makers (a.k.a. Customers or Buyers)
They could all be separate, or be the same person too. It’s important to pay attention to this as your marketing/sales language might change depending on who you’re speaking to.
Example: A company I worked with developed a ring that would help young women determine if their drinks were spiked with date-rape drugs. In their situation:
| Persona | Messaging/Motivation | |
|---|---|---|
| Users | Young women, typically 20s-30s, active night lifestyle | Discrete, fashionable |
| Advocates | Could also be the young women, their parents, or even clubs, pubs, or schools | Avoid liability issues, a safe community/space |
| Decision-makers | Parents/Spouse | Protect, safety, care |
Businesses, similar to consumers, also have Users, Decision-makers, and Advocates. In addition, there’s 1 other role to be aware of: the Gatekeepers (a.k.a. Approvers or Blockers). They don’t have purchasing authority but can potentially slow down or block the sales process. Learn about who they might be and what their considerations and concerns are.
E.g. If you’re selling sales tracking software:
| Persona | Messaging/Motivation | |
|---|---|---|
| Users | SDRs | Save time following up with leads, close more sales |
| Advocates | Sales Managers | Track performance, coach your team |
| Gatekeepers | IT | Integrate with current tech stack, address security concerns |
| Finance department | Within budget | |
| HR | Change management and training on new software | |
| Decision-makers | CEO/VP Sales | Clear ROI, aligns with strategy |
Typically, as organizations grow larger, there is less overlap between roles, while in smaller organizations, some individuals may take on multiple responsibilities. Your goal is to explore and understand who needs to get involved and where. It may differ from organization to organization, but you should be able to find commonalities in prospect profiles (which entail similar purchasing processes) within certain groups or industries. For example:
Companies with a small team of less than 50.
Medium companies with 250-500 employees.
Larger companies with over 1000 employees.
If you’re new to selling in a particular sector or have an innovative/uncommon solution, consider beginning by engaging with all potential stakeholders. Approach this as you would a customer discovery process, aiming to learn as much as you can. Each stakeholder is likely to provide valuable insights.
I had the opportunity to work with Bryan, the founder of LifeBooster, a health and safety analytics company using AI and wearable devices to identify risks in the workplace to prevent injuries before they occur. He designed a solution for industrial workers that would alert them of potential injuries related to posture, movement, vibration, and heat stress.
When he initially began researching his market, he approached COOs, Safety Executives, and Operation Managers, assuming they were the decision-makers, which turned out to be correct. By speaking with them, he gained insights into typical purchasing and procurement timelines in their industry, which helped significantly shorten their sales cycle. However, he discovered that they often require pressure from their workers’ union to take action.
Next, he contacted unions to gain their support. During this process, he discovered that unions serve as Advocates. They provided valuable insights into the implementation and approval procedures. Furthermore, he realized unions would only take action if workers were interested in using the solution. Given its IoT nature, he also had to secure the cooperation of IT (Gatekeepers) and site managers to integrate it into their systems and workflows.”
Finally, he engaged with the workers and gathered extensive feedback on aspects such as design, comfort, usability, and compatibility of his device. For instance, the device needed to be compatible with existing personal protective equipment and in many cases was not allowed to transmit any radio signals. These insights led to critical design considerations and enabled sales with Fortune 100 manufacturers.
All in, he ended up talking to over 250 individuals in his discovery process. Some of which eventually ended up becoming his customers.
ASSIGNMENT
Regardless if you’re B2B or B2C, who are your potential
- Users
- Advocates
- Gatekeepers
- and Decision-makers?