You don’t even consider other options. You just pick one, make a plan, and do it.
So what is the most exciting thing for you, gathering options or following a plan? A perceiving person in a sales conversation or in a buying decision would say, “Well, what are the options? Do you have this? Maybe I’ll compare by going to another place to compare the price.” On the other hand, a judging person would be saying, “Well, fine, fine fine. What’s the lead time? How soon can we get this thing underway?”
That’s because to a judging person, they get that you’ve got a plan. They’ve bought in your plan or to your vision of the future with your product or service. And they’re just saying, “Great. Just tell me what I need to do to execute. I’ve already made my decision. Let’s go ahead and do it.”
You need to know who you’re talking to.
How to Construct an Advanced Buyer Persona
Now that you know more about the Buyer Persona in theory, it’s time to create one for your business. Use the worksheet to construct your Buyer Persona. I’ll provide examples below, just in case the previous overview was too conceptual (If you’re nodding, you’re a sensing person aren’t you?)
To make it simple, I’m going to create a Buyer Persona for me, in my role as a coach consultant. I’m calling my Buyer Persona, Business-Owner Ben. Call yours anything you like. It’s actually best to attach a photo that you can relate to. It doesn’t have to be a real photo of a real customer. You can just find a photo online.
Now start filling out the boxes on the worksheet. Here are mine - (Don’t copy! You need to do the research for your own business):
Favorite saying: “I’m wearing 10 hats, but none fit.”
Gender: Male
Job: Business owner of a small-to-medium business.
Age: 40 years old
Family: Married with one kid
Location: Lives in Sydney, Australia.
Goals:First is to scale successfully.Second is to have the right systems in place.Third is to manage expenses and cash flow.
NOTE: These goals are based on the kind of clients that I work with.
Frustrations:He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.Delegation. He’s scared to let go because the business is his baby. He’s been there from the start so he can do it better than anyone else.Winning customers or clients beyond friends and family.He knows he needs to do marketing but can’t really afford to do so. But then how can he win more customers if he doesn’t do marketing?
Real Quotes:”I can’t do everything.””I’ve fired more people than I’ve hired.”
Common objections:There’s too much marketing information out there. He’s read every blog that he could get his hands on. He’s learned about the funnels. He knows the growth gurus and the growth hacks and the funnel tricks and so on. So he’s thinking to himself “Oh, too much. Too hard. Don’t know where to start. I tried a bunch of things. Some worked, some didn’t.” But there’s no real strategy in place.He doesn’t get an external agency because he doesn’t have time or money to try something new.
Traits:He’s confident. Sometimes, he’s overly confident.Made it on his own merits.Needs short emails. Otherwise, he loses attention. You need to keep emails very short, very high level because he’s super busy.
What can we do?Show Ben how marketing is an extension of the sales pathway.Advise him on systems and processesHelp him get hands-on and implement.Give him this book!
Background: Ben used to be a salaryman then he started his own dream project
Brand Likes: For this, I can go onto Facebook Audience Insights. This is a tool that Facebook provides to businesses, for free. It’s no secret that Facebook is gathering data about its users. A ton of this data is available for you to look at and find trends and insights. Hence the name.To see what Ben actually likes via Facebook Audience Insights, I put in the country that Ben lives in, his age, and what I know about him. This is the power of the Advanced Buyer Persona. Facebook now shows me where Ben likes to spend his time and what products and pages he likes. Yeah, very scary. But very useful too. Don't be shy about marketing strategy.I can see that 45% of all the Bens in Australia work in management. Brilliant. So I know I'm targeting the right people.Ben likes prestige cars, lawn solutions, Lloyd's Auctions, Asahi beer, and real estate. He likes Land Rover cars and also Jaguar.I can also see what Ben's online behaviour is like. We can see that he's typically on his mobile phone. This makes a lot of sense. He's also an iPhone guy and he clicks roughly 34 ads in a month. That is a ton of ads.This tells me that conventional advice that "business owners don't spend time on Facebook" and "Business Owners are on LinkedIn" is actually wrong. Ben has a family too, and is a normal person regardless of what he does for work. So yes, he has Facebook.
Marketing message:“Let me offer you some advice, Ben.” The keyword is let.“Let me show you how to build a brand that’s as respected as a prestige car.” (Wink wink)
Elevator pitch: In your business, we are the ‘expert at the table‘.
Significance or Connection: Ben wants significance. Part of the reason he started a business and moved out of the corporate world is because he knew there was something in him burning to get out. He believed he could do it better.
Certainty or Variety? Well, we know Ben wants the certainty of cash flow and a big future, but right now cash flow is crazy. He's on a roller coaster some days. He's terrified some days. He's super excited other days. But the thing that he loves about this stage, if he was to pick something, it's the variety and the adventure of it all. So that’s what I’d pick
Growth or Contribution: Ben’s actually right in the middle. He wants personal growth, but he's also interested in building something that brings value to others.
Traditional or Online: Ben is very much online, not so much traditional.
Social or Referral: He is somewhat motivated by social, but he also doesn't trust it when it comes to products. So he trusts word of mouth more.
Blogs or Forums: Ben doesn't have time for finding new blogs but he has a few go-to favourites that he trusts because he trusts the author as an expert in Ben’s industry. If he does read, he is reading from a group that he's in or a car club that he's in. So I'm going to put him right in the middle.
Phone or Email: Definitely phone calls. Emails just get lost in Ben’s chaotic inbox.
Introvert or Extrovert: This is always an interesting one. Andy is here. He is an introvert usually, but his preference in business is to be people-focused. He needs to be around his team and he likes to be with his customers dealing on the cold face of the business, making people happy. I’m going to put him a little more toward the Extrovert side. So that's his preference in this context.
Intuitive or Sensing: Oh yeah, definitely a big picture guy. Gut feel decisions all the way.
Thinking or Feeling: He's a thinker, not a feeler. He doesn't trust his feelings. He thinks his feelings
