Your persona document says "Marketing Mary" is 35, lives in Austin, likes yoga and coffee.
Sales asks: "How does this help me close deals?"
You don't have an answer.
This happens because most buyer personas focus on demographics (age, location, hobbies) instead of psychographics (goals, challenges, decision criteria).
Good personas aren't fictional characters. They're research-based profiles that inform messaging, product development, and sales strategy.
Here's the framework for building buyer personas that actually matter.
The Buyer Persona Framework
Bad persona (demographic fluff):
- Name: Marketing Mary
- Age: 35
- Location: Austin, TX
- Hobbies: Yoga, coffee, reading
- Personality: Detail-oriented, collaborative
Good persona (decision-focused):
- Title: VP Marketing at Series B SaaS
- Reports to: CMO or CEO
- Goals: Drive pipeline, prove marketing ROI
- Challenges: Attribution is broken, sales complains about lead quality
- Decision criteria: Easy to implement, integrates with Salesforce, clear ROI
- Buying process: Evaluates 3 vendors, needs executive buy-in, 60-90 day sales cycle
The difference: Good personas help you sell. Bad personas are creative writing exercises.
The 5 Components of Useful Personas
Component 1: Role and Context
What to document:
- Job title
- Reporting structure (who do they report to?)
- Team size (individual contributor vs. manager)
- Company stage (startup, growth, enterprise)
- Industry focus (if relevant)
Example:
Persona: Product Marketing Manager
- Title: Product Marketing Manager
- Reports to: VP Marketing or Chief Product Officer
- Team: 2-5 person PMM team
- Company: Series B-D SaaS, $10M-$100M ARR
- Industry: B2B technology
Why it matters: Tells you their authority level, budget control, and organizational pressures
Component 2: Goals and Metrics
What to document:
- Primary goals (what they're trying to achieve)
- Success metrics (how they're measured)
- Personal motivations (career advancement, skill building)
Example:
Goals:
- Launch 10+ products per year without increasing headcount
- Improve sales win rate by 10%
- Accelerate time-to-market by 30%
Metrics:
- Product launch velocity
- Sales enablement effectiveness (win rate, ramp time)
- Marketing qualified leads from launches
Personal motivations:
- Get promoted to Senior PMM or Director
- Build reputation as launch expert
- Avoid burnout from chaos
Why it matters: Informs value proposition and messaging (speak to their goals)
Component 3: Challenges and Pain Points
What to document:
- Day-to-day frustrations
- Strategic challenges
- Organizational obstacles
Example:
Daily frustrations:
- Coordinating launches across 10 spreadsheets
- Sales isn't ready on launch day
- No visibility into what's working
Strategic challenges:
- Can't scale launches as company grows
- Inconsistent messaging across teams
- Can't prove ROI of product launches
Organizational obstacles:
- Product and sales don't communicate
- No budget for proper tools
- Executive team expects more launches with same resources
Why it matters: These become your messaging hooks ("We solve X pain")
Component 4: Decision Criteria and Buying Process
What to document:
- What matters in vendor selection
- Who else is involved in decision
- Typical evaluation process
- Common objections
Example:
Decision criteria (ranked):
- Easy to implement (< 2 weeks)
- Purpose-built for GTM teams (not generic PM tool)
- Integrates with Salesforce and HubSpot
- Proven ROI (customer stories in same industry)
- Price ($10K-$30K sweet spot)
Buying committee:
- PMM (champion and day-to-day user)
- VP Marketing (budget owner)
- Sales leadership (needs to see value for their team)
- IT/Security (for enterprise deals)
Evaluation process:
- Week 1-2: Research and narrow to 3 vendors
- Week 3-4: Demos and trials
- Week 5-6: Reference calls and business case
- Week 7-8: Negotiation and procurement
Common objections:
- "We can just use Asana"
- "Too expensive for what it does"
- "Worried about adoption"
Why it matters: Informs sales strategy, objection handling, and competitive positioning
Component 5: Information Sources and Influences
What to document:
- Where they learn about solutions
- Who they trust for recommendations
- Content they consume
- Communities they're part of
Example:
Discovery channels:
- Google search ("product launch software")
- Peer recommendations (PMM Slack groups)
- LinkedIn content from PMM influencers
- Industry blogs (Product Marketing Alliance, Reforge)
Trust signals:
- Customer logos (especially similar companies)
- Peer references (other PMMs)
- Analyst reports (Gartner, G2)
- Founder/exec credibility
Content preferences:
- Tactical guides (how to improve launches)
- Templates and frameworks
- Case studies with metrics
- Short-form video (not long webinars)
Communities:
- Product Marketing Alliance Slack
- PMM LinkedIn groups
- SaaStr events
- Local PMM meetups
Why it matters: Informs content strategy and distribution channels
The Persona Research Process
Step 1: Interview 10-15 Target Customers
Who to interview:
- Current customers (who fit persona)
- Prospects (in target role)
- Churned customers (to understand why)
Interview questions:
Role and context:
- Tell me about your role and responsibilities
- Who do you report to?
- What's your team structure?
Goals and metrics:
- What are your main goals this quarter/year?
- How do you measure success?
- What would a promotion look like for you?
Challenges:
- What's the most frustrating part of your job?
- What takes up most of your time?
- What keeps you up at night?
Decision process:
- When you evaluate new tools, what matters most?
- Who else is involved in the decision?
- Walk me through your last vendor evaluation
Information sources:
- How do you learn about new solutions?
- Who do you trust for recommendations?
- What content do you consume?
Duration: 45 min per interview
Output: Notes on patterns across interviews
Step 2: Analyze Patterns
After 10-15 interviews, look for:
Common goals:
- 80% mention "launching more products faster"
- 60% mention "improving sales readiness"
- 50% mention "proving marketing ROI"
Common pain points:
- 70% frustrated with spreadsheet chaos
- 65% say sales isn't ready on launch day
- 60% can't measure launch impact
Common decision criteria:
- 90% need easy implementation
- 75% want purpose-built solution
- 60% need integrations with CRM
Themes become persona components.
Step 3: Document the Persona
Create 1-2 page persona document:
BUYER PERSONA: Product Marketing Manager
Role & Context:
- Title: Product Marketing Manager
- Reports to: VP Marketing or CPO
- Team: 2-5 PMMs
- Company: Series B-D SaaS, $10M-$100M ARR
Goals:
- Launch 10+ products/year efficiently
- Improve sales win rate
- Prove marketing ROI
Success Metrics:
- Launch velocity
- Sales enablement effectiveness
- MQLs from launches
Challenges:
- Coordinating launches is chaotic (spreadsheets)
- Sales unprepared at launch
- Can't measure what's working
Decision Criteria:
- Easy implementation (<2 weeks)
- Purpose-built for GTM
- Integrates with Salesforce/HubSpot
- Proven ROI in similar companies
Buying Process:
- Evaluation: 6-8 weeks
- Committee: PMM, VP Marketing, Sales VP
- Objections: "Can we use Asana?", "Too expensive"
Information Sources:
- Google, peer recommendations
- PMM Slack communities
- Industry blogs (PMA, Reforge)
- Case studies with metrics
Share with: Sales, marketing, product
Step 4: Validate with Sales
Review persona with 5 sales reps:
- Does this match who you sell to?
- What's missing?
- What's not accurate?
Iterate based on feedback.
How to Use Personas in GTM
Use Case 1: Messaging and Positioning
Persona insight: "PMMs are frustrated coordinating launches across spreadsheets"
Messaging: "Stop managing launches in spreadsheets. Launch 10x faster with purpose-built GTM platform."
Value props align with persona goals:
- Reduce launch coordination time by 70%
- Ensure sales is ready on day one
- Measure launch impact on pipeline
Use Case 2: Content Strategy
Persona insight: "PMMs consume tactical guides and templates"
Content to create:
- "The Complete Product Launch Checklist"
- "Product Launch Email Templates"
- "How to Build a Sales Enablement Plan"
Distribution: PMM Slack groups, LinkedIn, Product Marketing Alliance
Use Case 3: Sales Targeting
Persona insight: "Typical company is Series B-D SaaS, $10M-$100M ARR"
ICP for sales:
- Industry: B2B SaaS
- Revenue: $10M-$100M
- Has PMM team (2-5 people)
- Launches 5+ products/year
Use Case 4: Product Roadmap
Persona insight: "Top decision criteria is integrates with Salesforce/HubSpot"
Product priority: Build Salesforce and HubSpot integrations before other features
Use Case 5: Competitive Positioning
Persona insight: "Common objection is 'Can we just use Asana?'"
Battlecard messaging: "Unlike Asana (generic PM tool), we're purpose-built for GTM teams with launch-specific templates and sales enablement workflows"
Multiple Personas Strategy
When you have multiple buyer types:
Persona 1: Economic Buyer (VP Marketing)
Goals: ROI, team efficiency, scaling marketing
Messaging: "Scale product launches 3x without adding headcount"
Content: Business case templates, ROI calculators
Persona 2: User/Champion (PMM)
Goals: Day-to-day efficiency, launch success
Messaging: "Stop drowning in launch chaos. Coordinate in one platform."
Content: Tactical guides, templates, how-tos
Persona 3: Technical Evaluator (Marketing Ops)
Goals: Integrations, security, ease of setup
Messaging: "Integrates with your existing stack. Set up in under 1 hour."
Content: Technical docs, integration guides
Sales approach: Address all three personas in deal
Common Persona Mistakes
Mistake 1: Demographic focus
Persona includes age, hobbies, favorite brands
Problem: Doesn't inform GTM decisions
Fix: Focus on role, goals, challenges, decision criteria
Mistake 2: Making it up
You create personas from assumptions, not research
Problem: Doesn't reflect reality
Fix: Interview 10-15 real customers/prospects
Mistake 3: Too many personas
You create 10 different personas
Problem: Can't focus, messaging is diluted
Fix: 1-3 primary personas max
Mistake 4: Create and forget
You build personas once, never update
Problem: Market changes, personas become stale
Fix: Update annually based on new customer interviews
Mistake 5: Not using them
Beautiful personas sit in Google Drive, unused
Problem: Wasted effort
Fix: Reference in every GTM decision (messaging, content, sales targeting)
Quick Start: Build Your First Persona in 2 Weeks
Week 1: Research
- Day 1: Identify 15 people to interview (customers + prospects)
- Day 2-5: Conduct 10 interviews (45 min each)
Week 2: Document
- Day 1-2: Analyze interview notes, find patterns
- Day 3: Create persona document
- Day 4: Validate with sales team
- Day 5: Share with stakeholders, train on usage
Deliverable: 1-2 page persona doc that informs messaging, content, and sales strategy
Impact: Focused GTM strategy vs. guessing who you're selling to
The Uncomfortable Truth
Most buyer personas are creative writing exercises that gather dust.
They include:
- Demographics (age, location)
- Personality traits (collaborative, detail-oriented)
- Hobbies (yoga, coffee)
But miss:
- Actual buying criteria
- Real pain points
- Decision process
- Objections
What works:
- Interview-based research (10-15 customers)
- Focus on goals, challenges, decision criteria
- 1-3 personas (not 10)
- Actually use them (messaging, content, sales targeting)
- Update annually
The best personas:
- Based on real interviews (not assumptions)
- Focus on buying behavior (not demographics)
- Used in every GTM decision
- Updated based on new customer conversations
If your sales team doesn't reference your personas in deals, they're not useful.
Research deeply. Document clearly. Use constantly.