Buyer Persona
💡TL;DR
Buyer Persona = fictional profile of your target decision-maker. Key elements: job title, responsibilities, goals, challenges, how they're measured, information sources, objections. B2B typically needs 3-5 personas: economic buyer (budget holder), technical buyer (evaluator), champion (internal advocate), end user. Create from customer interviews, not assumptions.
Definition
A semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about existing customers. Includes demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, goals, and challenges. B2B personas focus on job role, responsibilities, KPIs, and buying authority.
🏢What This Means for SMB Teams
SMB buyers often wear multiple hats. Your "VP of Sales" persona might also be the founder who approves budget. Start with 2-3 personas max. Interview 5-10 customers to validate assumptions.
Connect marketing signals to sales actions. Zero handoff friction.
Marketing generates intent, sales captures revenue—in sync.
📋Practical Example
A 40-person marketing automation SaaS created 5 personas but found sales only used 2. They discovered their "Marketing Director" persona (Mary) and "RevOps Manager" persona (Ryan) represented 80% of deals. They retired 3 unused personas and deepened the 2 that mattered: specific objections, buying triggers, content preferences. Sales win rate improved 15% with more targeted messaging.
🔧Implementation Steps
- 1
Interview 10-15 customers (mix of champions and decision-makers).
- 2
Identify patterns in: job titles, goals, challenges, objections, information sources.
- 3
Create 2-4 distinct personas with names and photos (makes them memorable).
- 4
Document buying triggers and objections for each persona.
- 5
Train sales and marketing teams; update content to address each persona.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
How many buyer personas should we have?
Most B2B companies need 3-5 personas. More than that becomes unmanageable. Focus on personas that: (1) have budget authority or strong influence, (2) represent significant deal volume, and (3) require distinct messaging.
Should personas be based on job titles?
Job title is a starting point, not the definition. Focus on responsibilities and challenges. A "Marketing Manager" at a 50-person company has different needs than one at a 5000-person company. Combine title with company size and buying role.
⚡How Optifai Uses This
Optifai tags contacts with persona attributes based on job title and behavior. Automated sequences adapt messaging to each persona type, and analytics show conversion rates by persona to optimize targeting.
📚References
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Related Terms
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
A detailed description of the type of company that would get the most value from your product and provide the most value to your business. ICP defines firmographic attributes (industry, size, geography, tech stack) and behavioral characteristics (pain points, buying triggers, decision process).
ABM (Account-Based Marketing)
A B2B marketing strategy that focuses resources on a defined set of target accounts rather than broad audience marketing. ABM treats individual accounts as "markets of one," with personalized campaigns tailored to each account's specific needs and stakeholders.
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
A lead that has shown enough engagement with marketing content to be considered sales-ready based on predefined criteria. MQLs typically meet demographic fit (ICP match) and behavioral thresholds (downloads, page views, email engagement). Marketing hands MQLs to sales for follow-up.
Technical vs Economic Buyer
The distinction between decision-makers who evaluate products based on technical specifications and performance (technical buyer) versus those who approve purchases based on business value and ROI (economic buyer).