Have you ever gone into a business meeting, and met with someone you have never met before, know nothing about, and have to pitch your product or purpose to them? Did you know what a buyer persona was before you stepped into that meeting? It never really dawned on me that doing your homework on someone would be so beneficial, even if it’s to interview for a job, or sell a product. For those of you hearing “buyer persona” for the first time, what is a buyer persona?
Buyer personas are examples of the real buyers who influence or make decisions about the products, services or solutions you market. They are a tool that builds confidence in strategies to persuade buyers to choose you, rather than a competitor or the status quo. SO, now that you understand what this means, do you think you would be able to identify a person’s buyer persona without knowing what some of the signs and traits are? I know I couldn’t…
So I took it among myself to do some research. See what some of the most common buyer personas look like, and I wrote down a shortened version of what I found, including some of my own visual lessons from real life experiences. And I want to share these with you, as one day, you might find this post to be very helpful in your future endeavors.
Let’s get started with Buyer Persona #1: THE DECISION MAKER
This buyer means business, he may seem pushy, or over boarding. He/She may seem pretty demanding and want things to happen their way in their timeframe. Some other common characteristics include:
- Directive
- Solves problems in a decisive, active, and assertive manner
- Proactive
- Results driven personality
- Wants to win
So now the next question to ask yourself is, when you meet someone with these characteristics, how do you want to sell to these people to up your chances at success? BE DECISIVE! Demonstrate willingness to take some risks to help them succeed too. With each persona you see today, and others you will learn along your journeys, you will have to modify your approach to meet that person’s selling methods and personality.
Buyer Persona #2: THE CONSENSUS (Team Player)
This buyer is like the marital “better half” to the Decision Maker. He/She will be respectful to you and others, and will consider others’ opinions while making theirs. Some other common characteristics include:
- Solves problems with other people
- Deliberative
- Tactful
- Diplomatic
- Adaptable
So how do you want to sell to this buyer? Keep in mind the importance of building consensus. Work with him/her to understand and include all buying influences. Make sure you facilitate discussions:
- Draw out theirs and everyone else’s thoughts, ideas, needs, and questions.
- Be tactful if the process of gaining their vote is slow.
- Let the buyer form a committee to make their decision.
Last, but not least, Buyer Persona #3: THE FRIEND (Relationship)
He/She is a very interactive, social, and engaging individual who wants to be your “buddy”. This buyer likes the big picture and not shy about taking up air time while in discussion, meaning they’re talkative (I know I relate to this individual a lot). Some other common characteristics include:
- Enthusiastic
- Creative problem solver
- Team player
- Relationship builder
- Interactive – social engagement
When you meet someone with these characteristics, how do you want to sell to these people? This can also become a professional friendship, which is a bonus for you! Nothing wrong with a little networking! Keep the technical details to a minimum. Hear their ideas and thoughts. Share the same enthusiasm they have or your flare will burn out quickly with this buyer. Be cautious though, don’t overdo being “the voice of reason or reality”. This buyer has a Yin to his/her Yang already, and this persona is what you would call “THE SKEPTICAL“. So if you were to sit in a room with THE FRIEND and THE SKEPTICAL, how would you sell?
Please feel free to comment if you have any suggestions or feedback! I hope this blog will help you one day identify how to plan your presentations around the buyers you meet, and I hope you gain much success from learning to maneuver around each individuals’ buying techniques!