Client Personas

Estimated Time: 2-3 weeks Difficulty: Moderate Team Size: 2-4 people (marketing, sales, product) Build data-driven buyer personas that actually get used. This process guides you from audience research through validation, covering pain points, goals, and how your product helps. Create 2-4 detailed personas that inform marketing, sales, and product decisions. Includes steps to validate with real customers and share across teams.

7 steps

Sales Research

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Process steps

Do thorough audience research

5 days from previous step

task

Start by gathering real data about who actually buys from you. Do not guess - pull CRM records, look at support tickets, and review sales call notes. Talk to your sales team about the questions prospects ask most often. This foundation matters because everything else you build will be based on these insights.

Identify customer pain points

5 days from previous step

task

What keeps your customers up at night? List the specific frustrations they face before finding you. Look for patterns in complaints, common objections during sales, and problems mentioned in reviews. Understanding their struggles helps you speak their language and shows you actually get what they're going through.

Identify customer goals

5 days from previous step

task

Beyond fixing problems, what are your customers trying to achieve? Maybe they want to grow their business, save time, or look good to their boss. Write down both the obvious goals and the hidden ones. When you understand where they are headed, you can position your solution as the path to get there.

Understand how you can help

5 days from previous step

task

Now connect the dots. For each pain point and goal, write down exactly how your product or service addresses it. Be specific - vague claims will not work here. If there is a gap where you cannot help, that is fine too. Honesty here prevents wasted effort chasing the wrong customers later.

Create your buyer personas

5 days from previous step

task

Pull everything together into 2-4 distinct personas. Give each one a name, job title, and backstory that makes them feel real. Include their demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and the exact words they use. These personas will guide your marketing, sales, and product decisions for months to come.

Validate personas with real customers

1 day from previous step

task

Before locking in your personas, test them against reality. Interview 3-5 actual customers from each segment. Ask if the pain points and goals you documented ring true. You will be surprised how often you miss something obvious. This quick check prevents building campaigns around assumptions that do not hold up.

Share personas across teams

1 day from previous step

task

Personas only work if everyone uses them. Create simple one-page summaries for each persona and share with marketing, sales, product, and support. Schedule a quick walkthrough so teams can ask questions. Post them where people will see them - not in some forgotten folder.