BY Jessica Helinski
Are you creating sales personas? If not, you may be missing out on an opportunity to optimize lead generation. 67% of B2B sellers rate their inbound leads at only four stars or less, according to SalesFuel research. And nearly 30% say they would be more successful if they had better leads.
Clearly, there is room for improvement when it comes to lead generation. This is where sales personas can help.
What is a sales persona?
A sales persona is a detailed profile of your ideal buyer that helps you sell smarter. According to Zac Daniel, it outlines details such as:
- who they are
- what challenges they face
- what motivates their decisions
- how they prefer to communicate and purchase
“By creating a sales persona, you can tailor your marketing efforts to the needs and interests of your target audience, increasing the likelihood of making a conversion,” Daniel writes.
How is a sales persona different from a buyer persona?
He goes on to explain that a buyer persona and a sales persona are very similar, but they’re used in different ways:
- A buyer persona helps sellers attract the right people.
- A sales persona helps sellers talk to prospects more effectively and turn them into customers.
Specifically, a buyer persona is broader and is typically used across departments. It helps guide marketing, messaging, product development, and overall strategy. A sales persona is built specifically for sales teams and focuses on how to close the deal.
How can a sales persona help lead generation?
"Sales personas can improve lead generation by helping you focus on the right prospects from the start," explains AdMall's Director of Sales Denise Gibson.
When you clearly define your ideal customer’s challenges, goals, objections, and buying triggers, you can:
- Target outreach to prospects that closely match your best opportunities
- Craft messaging that speaks directly to their pain points
- Choose the right channels to reach them
- Anticipate objections before they stall the conversation
- Qualify leads faster and avoid wasting time on poor fits
Sales personas allow you to pursue higher-quality prospects that are more likely to convert to a sale.
Creating a sales persona
The professionals at AnyBiz outline five steps that sellers can follow to create effective sales personas.
Conduct research
Building a sales persona begins with quality research. Gather data from your best customers, sales results, and market research to understand who buys, why they buy and what drives those buying decisions.
Analyze
Once you’ve gathered insights, it’s time to connect the dots. Looking at the data, ask yourself:
- How old is my ideal customer, and where are they located?
- What industry are they in and how large is their company?
- What is the company’s revenue, and who makes the buying decisions?
- What are their biggest challenges or pain points?
- Which of those problems can my product or service solve?
- How do they typically make purchasing decisions?
- How long is their average buying cycle?
- What usually triggers them to move forward with a purchase?
“These insights allow you to paint a clear picture of your perfect customer, which should make it easier to ensure your sales approach reflects that,” AnyBiz notes.
Create the personas
With your answers, craft each persona that you want to pursue. Create clear, named profiles that outline each persona’s goals, pain points and preferred communication style so sales reps can personalize their approach.
Align
Once you have each persona, consider how you can align your practices and process to each. This means customizing everything from initial outreach method to how you present value that will resonate.
As AnyBiz points out, “you can create a more personalized and effective approach, ultimately leading to higher success rates.”
Iterate and refine
The final step of crafting a sales persona is all about what you do down the road. Sales personas, like many other aspects of the sales process, must evolve. As your buyers grow and change, so should your personas. Take time to check in on their efficacy and adjust as needed.
When built and used correctly, sales personas help you attract and engage prospects who are far more likely to convert. By targeting the right people with the right message at the right time, you turn lead generation from a guessing game into a strategic advantage.
