When I hear about buyer personas built on input from the sales people, I think about all the times that I asked our reps why a customer chose us (or…
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Buying Criteria
B2B marketers won this complex sale
I’ve always suspected that B2C marketers got far more respect than those of us in the B2B world. While well-marketed B2C products seemed to sell themselves, the sheer complexity of…
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Bad news or good news? You decide.
A recent engagement started with a familiar problem – the client wanted a single value proposition for a proposed suite of solutions that includes four existing products. The messaging would…
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Ask interesting questions to hear how buyers think
Imagine that you’re at a party with a group of acquaintances and the woman standing next to you announces her weekend plans – she’ll be painting her apartment. Which of…
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Marketers need to find a premium-price position for mature products
Almost every product eventually runs out of room to add capabilities that really matter to new buyers. Unless the company can find a premium-price position, the sales people will struggle for every deal through hand-to-hand combat and discounting.
For Short Messages, Be Specific About Value
Am I the only one who has noticed that the typical short (<25 word) marketing statement communicates almost nothing of value? If the product is really simple, this isn’t much…
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Have enough information for your buyer persona?
Many people ask me how many interviews they should conduct for buyer personas. There are too many dependencies for a simple answer. But I’d happily trade three-to-five highly insightful discussions…
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Buyer Persona Insights Float the Winning Boat
“No honey, we are not going to buy a new boat.” That’s what the fisherman’s wife said when her husband revealed his great idea. “We already have a boat” she…
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How many buyer personas can you afford to engage with unique messaging and campaigns?
That’s my answer when people ask me how many buyer personas they need. It probably isn’t satisfying when I answer a question with another question, especially when the expected answer…
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A new year, a new decade, a new chance to help buyers find answers to their problems
Judging by the current interest in buyer personas, 2010 could be the decade when companies realize the competitive advantage that belongs to those companies that have the deepest insight into…
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