Historically, I’ve never found much value in buyer personas.
In fact, whenever I heard that someone wanted to “update” them, I cringed.
Stock photos, stereotypical profiles, job tasks and an alliterative name like Bob Buyer or Paula Procurement.
The results were always as expected: lots of time spent and no impact.
The buyer persona work did nothing to advance our business.
Yet, if understanding our customers is paramount for successful growth, shouldn’t the effort yield results?
The culprit: a process that focuses too much on the person, and not enough on the buyer.
Sound familiar?
Read on to find out what I mean.
What I’ve Seen as a Buyer Persona
Buyer personas are meant to provide clarity.
But the ones I’ve seen didn’t give me anything I could actually use.
They focused on who someone was: job title, basic demographics, years of experience, day-to-day activities, reporting structure.
Interesting information, but not actionable.
In fact, no one outside marketing ever used them.
Sales didn’t.
Product didn’t (politely stating “we need our own”).
And, not to be overly harsh, I’m not even sure marketing used them.
So, where did I go wrong?
I didn’t ask the right question.
As a result, I got information, not intelligence.
And I’ve seen this elsewhere.
What I’ve realized is that most companies create a buyer persona with the objective of creating a buyer persona.
(Add audible snicker or eyeroll here.)
Because that’s what we are supposed to have.
Rather, I didn’t think hard enough about what I wanted from the buyer persona.
And when we don’t know what we want, we don’t get.
What I Really Want is a Buyer Decision Map
Instead of simply asking for a buyer persona, we should ask what we want to accomplish.
Once we have a solid and meaningful North Star and an Ideal Customer Profile, we can make this request:
I want to know what will make the person buy.
That’s the real objective.
We can still call this a buyer persona if you’d like, but the focus needs to be on how this person will make a decision.
Generally, we need to know:
- What events trigger them to look for a solution.
- Where I can engage them.
- What proof convinces them to take action.
- What objections stop them from moving forward.
- What trade-offs they’re willing to make under pressure.
This is not to say that knowing the person is unimportant. It is. Creating rapport is a key element of a successful relationship.
But I’ve seen too many “good” relationships fail to generate a sale because we failed to speak to their decision process.
Being liked is helpful, but it’s not enough to win the deal.
There is a difference between the person and how the person will decide.
A profile tells me who someone is.
A decision map tells me how to attract, and what I need to address, show, or overcome to earn trust and win the business.
That shift in mindset is what turns personas from a wall poster into a tool that sales, marketing, and product can actually use.
The Persona and the Buyer
Knowing the person who attends meetings, manages a team, or does the work isn’t the same as knowing the person who makes a buying decision.
Same person but different people.
Here’s how I think about the difference:
The Persona:
- Understands the person’s world.
- Builds empathy and context.
- Helps us connect on a human level.
The Buyer:
- Reveals what triggers a search for a solution.
- Surfaces what proof they need to act.
- Exposes the fears or objections that block the deal.
- Clarifies what trade-offs they’ll make when pressured.
When we stop at the persona, we get understanding.
When we uncover the buyer, we get clarity.
The goal isn’t to replace one with the other; it’s to connect them.
The best companies don’t just know the persona sitting across the table.
They understand the buyer within them. The part that decides whether to say yes.
The Takeaway
In the end, most buyer persona work fails for the same reason mine did: it focuses too much on the person and not enough on the buyer.
A persona tells me who someone is.
A decision map tells me how they decide.
That’s the difference between information and intelligence.
And it’s what turns “understanding the customer” from a marketing exercise into a growth driver.
Try This
Review your Buyer Personas.
Does it help you understand how this person will make a decision?
If not, you may need to rethink them.
Want some feedback? Share it below or send me a note.
We help companies assess and refine their Go To Market engines (and buyer persona improvements is an important part of our work).
Note: This post is the third in series exploring the building blocks of a solid go to market strategy. Next up: Unique Value Proposition (“UVP”). Hint: Most aren’t unique…
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