13 Questions to Help You Define Your Buyer Personas

The Importance of buyer personas in B2B

Buyer personas are the very foundation of any selling activity. Indeed, they help your organization understand who has a need for your product or service and allow you to adapt marketing strategies accordingly.

Buyer personas are especially important in the inbound era. A study conducted by the Corporate Executive Board showed 60% of the purchasing decision process has already been made when B2B customers first engage with a salesperson.

For this reason, you have to enable sales with elaborate content strategies that will naturally guide prospects to finding your business. However, content will only be effective if it is relevant to your audience – hence the importance of buyer personas.

Now that you understand the importance of buyer personas, you might be wondering where you will get the information to complete them. Ask yourself, “Who in my company knows most about prospects and customers?” Sales. Sales are in contact with leads every day, and they will be your most valuable resource to start building your buyer personas.

We have compiled 13 questions we believe Marketing should be asking Sales to gain deep insight into whom your buyers are and what influences their buying decisions.

A. Understanding your own company and its offerings

1. What words and phrases do you use to describe our offering to prospects?

Goal: Integrate marketing communications

2. What words and phrases do our prospects and customers use to describe our offering in the market place?

Goal: Use a language that resonates with your audience

3. Who are our competitors?

Goal: Understand what alternatives your buyer is exposed to

4. What differentiates us from competition?

Goal: Figure out how to position yourself in order to stand out in the market place and help prospects find you

5. What questions do prospects ask to identify our services?

Goal: Ensure prospects are clear on who you are and what solutions you provide

6. What do prospects and customers say that shows their excitement about our services?

Goal: Understand what makes you remarkable in the eyes of your customers

B. Understanding the company we are selling to

7. What is the company persona for the person you would like to target?

Goal: Understand what types of businesses typically buy from you: industry, company size, revenue, etc.

8. What business problems does our offering solve for our customers?

Goal: Identify your prospects’ and customers’ pain points

9. What goals are our customers trying to achieve when hiring us?

Goal: Understand the value your customers expect to gain from trusting you

C. Understanding the buyer

10. For current customers, what are the titles of the individuals with who the contracts are closed?

Goal: Identify your target audience

11. What are their various responsibilities?

Goal: Focus on the areas that matter to your prospects and adapt your marketing strategies accordingly

12. Who do they normally report to?

Goal: Identify the ultimate decision maker

13. What are some common objections you hear from prospects to buying our services?

Goal: Address objections before they are brought up or be prepared when they are brought up

Have you buyer personas ready? It’s now time to develop content. Discover our 5 Secrets to Highly Effective Content Marketing.

Photo by Marco Bellucci