Persona Research & Definition
Knowing exactly who you sell to — and why they buy.
Workflow
Step 1Stakeholder Interviews
ObjectivePlan how to learn about buyers.
InputBuyer segments
OutputResearch plan
Key activities
Define who to study, what to learn
Decision points
Which buyers matter?
Tools: PlanningRoles: Marketing · research
Success: Plan ready
Quality gate: Go: plan clear. Loop back: fuzzy.
Why it matters
- You can't hit a buyer you haven't described. Personas are the foundation of message, content, and targeting alignment.
Best practices
- Build personas from interviews and data, not stereotypes.
- Define buying criteria and pains with evidence.
- Activate personas: align marketing, sales, content.
- Refresh quarterly — buyers evolve.
Common mistakes
- Personas from a template, not real buyers.
- Persona docs that never reach the sales team.
- One persona for every product line.
Key questions
- What is the real buying trigger for this persona?
- How do they evaluate and decide?
Agents that drive this
ListenerICP Clarifier
Tools we use · alternates in [ ]
Clay[ Bitscale, Enrow, Insycle ]Metabase[ Looker Studio, Power BI, Grafana ]Notion[ Confluence, Obsidian ]