The only way to sell is to communicate your message effectively to the right people.
Obviously, you wouldn't communicate with a toddler the same way you would with a teenager. In sales, you wouldn't (or shouldn't!) communicate the same message to all the various decision makers either.
For example, imagine you're selling technology to the HR department. The HR Director, CIO, and CEO may all be involved in the decision, and each one of those people has different agendas and priorities.
If you try to talk to the CEO about all the wonderful bells and whistles of the technology, you're going to bore her to tears, but the HR Director (end user) will listen with rapt attention. The CEO wants to hear about how this new technology is going to increase productivity and save the company money. She doesn't have time for anything else.
A buyer persona outlines the common characteristics of your decision makers. It outlines the characters in your story.
On the surface, creating buyer personas can seem like a waste of time. After all, you already know who your buyer is, right? (But do you really?)
Before you put this on the back burner to become one of those tasks you never do, here are 3 ways investing time in this activity can positively impact your business.
1. Visualize Who You're Writing For
When you sit down to write a proposal, create a web page, blog article, or email a prospect, being able to mentally visualize who you're talking to can help you get into their minds. Too often, we write from our own perspective, which is a quick way to turn someone off from hearing our message.
For example, a good portion of my clients fall into the "consultant" category. I can create a persona called "Connie Consultant". On this persona, I can include a picture of "Connie", along with information about how old she is, what her priorities are, what her pain points are, etc.
So when I'm writing, I can visualize Connie Consultant in my mind.
2. Improve Communication Across the Company
Once your buyer personas are established, they'll start becoming regular topics of conversation at your company. In meetings, you'll say things like, "What will Connie think about that?" And everyone will know exactly what you're talking about.
This is especially helpful when hiring new people. You can get them up to speed much more quickly.
3. Create More Effective Sales Messaging
This is the main reason to fully understand and embrace your buyer personas. Once you do, your company's story will truly revolve around your main character - your customer.
I challenge you to take a few hours to work on your own business and develop your buyer personas. I bet you'll uncover new insights about your target audience and sales messaging that can take your business to the next level.
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