If Dogs Were Buyer Personas
import Persona from '@slice/personas.astro'; export let i = 0;
What do our furry friends and the buyers we sell to have in common? For any dog lovers out there, you understand that each breed has their own inherent traits, just like the personas in which we sell to and engage with.
Since we’re dog lovers at GTM Advisors, we thought it would be fun to provide actionable tips and tricks on how to engage with different types of stakeholders in the context of some beloved breeds.
Just like different breeds require different types of stimulation, different stakeholders need different types of engagement and collaboration. A one size fits all approach is not effective and can result in dis-engagement and being ghosted. In this post we break down the top 4 personas we commonly work with and provide some tactical tips on how you can more effectively engage with each.
Like a Chihuahua, the Influencer is small but mighty. They may not have the final say in purchasing decisions, but they have a big impact on the decision-making process by influencing other stakeholders. Get them on your side, and their bark will keep competitors away and you firmly first in line.
Tips & Tricks for Engaging Influencers:
- Work with your influencer to understand who is involved in the buying process.
- Ask your influencer to facilitate introductions where possible.This will help you to quickly get in front of the right audience.
- Help your influencer sell your solution internally. Deliver bite-sized illustrations of how your product/services benefits other buyers, so your influencer can help reinforce your value prop to those who matter. Having this internal advocacy during discussions you are not part of can put you at the head of the pack.
- Leverage your Influencer as a sounding board for upcoming next steps with the team - they are often a great guidepost to have in terms of what the sentiment is internally. Their intel can help you craft your messaging so that it aligns with the prospect or clients biggest concerns and priorities.
Bulldogs are known for their tenacity and determination, and the Decision Maker buyer persona shares those traits. They are the ones who ultimately make the purchasing decisions and are often stubbornin the face of obstacles and concerns that they need addressed. While their stature may be intimidating and personality strong-willed, showing them the positive outcome of their behavior (whether it’s a treat or monetary return) will gain their buy-in, support, and over time, maybe even their loyalty.
Tips & Tricks for Engaging Decision Makers:
- Keep it high level & impactful. Show the decision maker the tangible and quantifiable business impacts of working together, but don’t get too in the weeds. Engaging with the CFO? This post has you covered on how to engage with this particular executive in more detail.
- Illustrate their team’s buy-in if the Decision Maker hasn’t been actively involved. Sharing validation from the team can reinforce the decision to purchase.
- Facilitate an executive sponsorship if the Decision Maker hasn’t been involved in direct conversations - make sure this contact on your side has the same bulldog stature (ie: executive, decision maker) for the best results. Just like dogs are social animals and take cues from each other, VPs and execs like to engage with others like them who have similar challenges in their day-to-day. This level of validation and engagement can help to solidify buy-in.
Golden Retrievers are loyal, intelligent & patient, much like the Budget Holder buyer persona. While they maintain amicable relationships with everyone, they are more receptive to those who can demonstrate value repetitively and build a relationship with them. Their patient temperament serves them well during negotiations, so be clear & steady when illustrating where their money and efforts are going.
Tips & Tricks for Engaging Budget Holders:
- Don’t focus solely on the budget – illustrate the return on their investment they will be receiving. As discussed in our previous post, build a solid business case and include quantifiable impact that aligns to their top priorities.
- Share social proof - in the form of storytelling - to show real life examples of the return other clients received to take away any doubt.
- Demonstrate how your solution will help them and their team to achieve their KPIs. Paint a picture of a future state where current challenges will be resolved to get this persona not just bought in but excited to implement.
Border Collies are known for their intelligence and problem-solving abilities, just like the Technical Buyer. They are responsible for evaluating more technical aspects and may require detailed information and demonstrations to be convinced. Prone to herding, they are good at wrangling other teammates into cooperation when the solution benefits the larger organization’s safety or operations.
Tips & Tricks for Engaging Technical Buyers:
- Don’t focus on your solution, focus on their ecosystem and how you fit in. Technical buyers want to make sure what you are proposing isn’t going to interfere with the tech stack they have in place & ideally want it to enhance their current setup.
- Show them how we simplify their efforts. Their lens is: how can I accomplish more with fewer technologies to manage?
- Just like you work to identify the top priorities of the budget holder and decision maker, you need to do the same with the technical buyer. What are their top priorities? What are their biggest challenges? How can you help them to achieve their goals?
So just like the Chihuahua and Border Collie have different needs and traits, so do the personas that make up your evaluation committee. The exercise and daily routine that one breed needs is vastly different from the other so you would adapt to their activity needs accordingly. Just like the type of detail an influencer needs is different than that of a decision maker, you need to adjust your approach accordingly.
By adapting your engagement to a style and messaging that is most appropriate for each type of persona you will set yourself ahead of the pack.
