What is the Need for a Prospect Persona™?
B2B marketers are rightfully proud of the innovations we have introduced to the world. But the excitement about new technology has often led us to focus on the product at the expense of the person considering it. We have adopted “solutions” language without truly adopting a prospect-driven focus on solving actual problems. As a result, as technology has become more commonplace and less revolutionary, we have been frustrated by low response rates, lack of engagement by senior prospects, and lack of “quality” leads.
What is a Prospect Persona™?
A Prospect Persona™ is a revealing individual portrait of who a prospect is, why they are a prospect, and what you need to know to engage them further.
The five facets of the Prospect Persona™ capture the intersection of the individual, the company, the individual, the decision process, and the alternatives, leading to identification of the Key Buying Insight, or KBI.
1. Individual Characteristics
Demographics: age, gender, education, income
Personal profile: name, hobbies, personality
Professional Profile: years in industry, years @ company, prior similar experiences
2. Company Context
Firmographics: industry, company size, company rank/role in industry
Decision culture: company’s decision-making style
Job fit: job likes/dislikes, pain points
Jobjectives: continuing goals of the prospect’s position
Jobstacles: challenges that must be overcome in the prospect’s position
3. Choice Options
Category Attitudes: why consider purchasing, upgrading, postponing
Brand Attitudes: why they would consider buying this brand vs. others
Product Reaction: concept likes/dislikes, distinctiveness, urgency
4. Role in the Decision
Decision-making role: influencer, financial / technical / business decider
Decision-making style: authoritarian vs. collaborative, rapid vs. thorough, personality-driven vs. rules-driven
Influences/Information sources: colleagues, websites, industry authorities
5. Key Buying Insight
At the intersection of the four influences above is the Key Buying Insight, the single most important factor that captures the motivating meaning of considering or purchasing your product for the prospect. The KBI reflects both the rational and emotional facets of the individual and the decision process. It moves you from talking about the ‘what’ – your product – to the ‘who’ – what it means to your prospect.