putting personas to work: turn buyer insight into powerful action

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PuttingPersonastoWork:TurnBuyerInsightintoPowerfulAction

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PanelistsMODERATOR:AndrewGaffneyEditorialDirectorDemandGenReport

TimCookVicePresidentofClientServices&PartnerTheMx Group

[email protected]@MxGroup

Tim [email protected] | 630-230-2537

The Mx Group | TheMxGroup.comB2B Digital & Demand Generation Agency© 2016 The Mx Group

Buyer PersonasBuyer Personas tell you what customers think,

do, want & need as they weigh their options. Their own words reveal the questions, concerns and

proof you need to address to win their business.



• Companies who beat sales goals 2x as likely to formally document personas. (Understanding B2B Buyers Benchmark Study)

• Persona-based content increases customer engagement 6x when targeting cold leads. (DemandGen)

• Using Personas increases email open rate 5x. (Forrester)

The Power of Personas



1. The 5 Do’s & 3 Don'ts for creating effective Buyer Personas2. Getting Marketing & Sales on the same Persona Page3. Personas and your Media Choices4. Using Personas to drive Insight-Driven Campaigns5. Personas and your Engagement Content

What We’ll Cover…



5 Do’s

1. Base them on PRIMARY

RESEARCH- you have to talk to real

buyers!

WHY?You are not your buyer

and you need to understand what

matters in their buy cycle, not what matters

to your sales cycle.



5 Do’s2. Think about PROFILES of the companies and people you are

personifying—they matter to your output. And remember recency!

WHY?

Are the Persona insights the same for a small company versus a large one? Industry

segment A versus B?Are you personifying the segments that align to business and sales

priorities?



Where will you get the biggest bang for your marketing buck?• Aligned with Sales targets & goals• Sales readiness• Marketing readiness• Tactical readiness

Prioritizing Segments



5 Do’s

3. Use a proven Persona interview

methodology and listen more than

you talk!

WHY?You need to stay on track in the interview,

get that information that matters, and maximize the time you have with buyers…it goes fast.

Five Rings of Insight™



5 Do’s

4. Avoid the product/solution “feedback trap” if

you interview current customers.

WHY?You want BUY CYCLE insights that will help

make for more effective sales & marketing…you have to “take them back”

tot that mindset.



5 Do’s

WHY?You will learn just as

much (if not more) from buyers that DID NOT

choose you as those that did.

5. Include a mix of “stalled or lost” and

“won” in your research.



3 Don'ts

1. Forget about the Persona template

format.WHY?

You need to make the format gives your teams

info they need to be more effective and you need to

ensure your research approach gives you the information you need to

populate it

It’s about your buyers



3 Don'ts

2. Think you have to “boil the ocean" with

hundreds of interviews you

conduct.

WHY?If you have clear, well

defined segments, you’ll find that 5-10 within each

segment will suffice.



3 Don'ts

3. Expect that this is an internal core

competence. WHY?

There is a lot of value in outsourcing to a firm that

does this work all the time—not the least of which is objectivity.

NOW WHAT?



xxx



Getting Sales & Marketing on the Same Persona PageGet Realistic about Where You Are Today:• Is sales ready, able and equipped to leverage Persona insights

in their sales process?– Ready: Trained, fluent, bought-In– Able: Comfortable leading with Insight/Empathy instead of Product– Equipped: Sales materials, presentation, access to info



Getting Sales & Marketing on the Same Persona Page

• Sales process• Sales training• Sales presentations• Talk tracks• Persona specific sales tools• Campaign content • Marketing, CRM/SFA database Persona fields• Marketing supplied content



Not a “One and Done…”1. You have to roll-out for sales.2. You have to revisit and reinforce.3. You have to receptive to their feedback.4. You have to revisit as dynamics change.



How your customer buys has changed.

Source: CEB



Personas & Insight Drive Campaigns

xxx



Staying on Track…• Have all your content creators been briefed?• Are your project and creative briefs leveraging your insights?• Are your interpreting insights for each campaign?• Who’s the star of your campaign, you or your buyer?• Are you establishing empathy and demonstrating understanding?• Can you get specific or only speak in generalities?• Are you seeing increased engagement with your campaigns?



Personas & Engagement Content:The Content Conundrum

Buyer Education Solution Selection

Loosening of the Status Quo

Committing to Change

Exploring Possible Solutions

Committing to a Solution

Justifying the Decision

Making the Selection

Larry Leader

1.  From: Case Studies 2.  Transformer vs.

transformerless design article

1.  Form: To Succeed Control Your Speed white paper

2.  Product Family Fact Sheet

3.  Product Brochures

1.  Proposals with specs, drawings, timeframes

2.  MTBF and availability metrics

3.  Form: Reliable Tech. white paper

1.  Form: Reduce Your TCO white paper

2.  Customer Service & technical support fact sheet

1.  ROI analysis and documentation

2.  Form: Energy Savings Calc

3.  Form: Advanced Cell Bypass white paper

1.  Warranty information 2.  Firm pricing with

critical spares parts and delivery dates

3.  Commissioning and service options list

Chris Consultant


2.  Product Family Fact Sheet

3.  Product Brochures

1.  Proposals with specs, drawings, timeframes

1.  Customer Service Video 2.  Form: Industry Experience

case studies 3.  Form: Reliable Tech. white

paper

1.  Form: Energy Savings Calc

2.  Solidifying delivery times

3.  Customer Service agreements

1.  ROI analysis and documentation

1.  Warranty information 2.  Firm pricing with

critical spares parts and delivery dates


Frank Finance 1.  N/A 1.  N/A 1.  Form: Energy Savings Calc 2.  Form: Reliable Tech. white

paper


2.  Form: Reduce Your TCO white paper

1.  Customer Service Video 2.  ROI analysis and

documentation

1.  Firm pricing with spare parts and delivery dates

Mike Maintenance 1.  Customer Service Video

1.  Customer Service Metrics

2.  From: Case Studies


2.  Technical support Ap 1.  N/A 1.  N/A 1.  N/A

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Q&A/PanelistsMODERATOR:AndrewGaffneyEditorialDirectorDemandGenReport

TimCookVicePresidentofClientServices&PartnerTheMx Group

[email protected]@MxGroup

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