Sales teams that develop and apply B2B buyer personas effectively target the right prospects through optimal channels at the right time.
This guide defines buyer personas, how to research and design them, and offers tips to help sellers visualize ideal customers. Additionally, sales teams learn how to leverage LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s Personas feature to increase sales and productivity.
What is a buyer persona?
Increased lead targeting and generation
B2B buyer personas help businesses streamline sales efforts using the most relevant channels to reach highly targeted customers. Integrated tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator enable teams to quickly generate and segment prospect lists by pre-defined Personas. This helps sales teams and marketers to save and prioritize leads to gain deeper sales intelligence and close more deals.
Improved customer experience and engagement
Sales teams use well-researched buyer personas to enhance customer experiences, support, and client engagement. They can also custom-tailor answers to frequent customer questions via 1-800 numbers, personal email contacts, AI-powered chat features, LinkedIn Company Pages, webinars, and live demos. Additionally team members could draft and send personalized emails or InMail messages that open doors with prospects at scale, shortening sales cycles.
Higher close rates and sales revenue
Detailed B2B buyer personas help teams optimize pipelines, boost sales rep performance, and close deals faster.
How to create a buyer persona for sales teams
Step 1: Conduct B2B buyer research
Customer surveys: Ask about product needs, satisfaction, demographics, and professional goals.
Social media feedback: Monitor social media posts and comments, soliciting prospect opinions through platforms like LinkedIn.
Online ratings and reviews: Analyze product ratings and reviews on your site and third-party platforms like G2 Crowd.
Third-party research: Leverage industry research reports, articles, and third-party surveys to fill data gaps regarding target markets, trends, and other B2B buyer insights.
Team insights: Gather anecdotal insights from frontline teams about customer pain points and product or service challenges.
Keyword research: Identify search terms customers frequently use when researching solutions.
CRM and lead generation tools: Use integrated CRM platforms with social selling tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator to analyze existing and prospective customer profiles and past conversations.
Step 2: Analyze B2B buyer persona data
- Who are their target customers and organizational stakeholders on a personal or demographic level (e.g., age, marital status, income level, and geography)?
- What is their role within target organizations (e.g., job title, responsibilities, and decision-making power or influence)?
- How satisfied are they with the existing product or service (yours or a competitor’s)?
- What motivates their purchasing decisions?
- What are their biggest business challenges?
- What are their long-term professional interests?
- What is their budget or purchase price range?
Step 3: Develop buyer personas using templates
Sam, the Senior Procurement Specialist
Age: 42
Social status: Married with two young kids, owns a house in the suburbs
Job title: Senior Procurement Specialist at Shoes Inc.
Industry: Retail and fashion
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Role: Works with various departments to research and recommend procurement purchases to CFO, who signs off on all company payments
Challenge: Help the marketing department research and source new campaign optimization tools
Seniority: 5 years at the organization
Income: $95,000
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Interests: Cycling and basketball
Education: Business degree from Stanford
Career aspirations: To become a CFO one day
Budget for new software products and services: $100,000 max will be spent via the marketing budget
Buying concerns: Want to purchase a high-valued product that delivers on-time and on-budget
Degree of connection: No degree of social media connections
Groups: Part of Procurement Professionals networking group on LinkedIn
Social media activity: Just announced on LinkedIn that he was promoted to senior procurement specialist
Sales Opportunity: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to unlock a connection and send him a warm congratulations email to build a new relationship
Fred, the Marketing Specialist
Age: 28
Social status: Single, rents an apartment downtown with two friends
Job title: Marketing Specialist at Shoes Inc.
Industry: Retail and fashion
Reports to: VP of Marketing, who makes buying decisions with help from the procurement team
Role: Works with various digital marketing tools to plan, run, and optimize ad campaigns
Challenge: Needs a better tool to track and optimize ad campaign creative; marketing VP has put him in charge of researching and recommending better solutions than existing software
Seniority: 3 years at the company
Income: $55,000
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Interests: Graphic design and fashion
Education: Fine Arts degree from Columbia University
Career aspirations: To become a Director of marketing someday
Budget: $100,000 max with help from the procurement team
Buying concerns: Need a better product than the existing solution, with 24/7 customer support so that they can be more effective and productive in their job
Degree of connection: 2nd-degree connection to an old business associate
Groups: Part of Internet Advertising Bureau and Graphic Design groups on LinkedIn
Social media activity: Recently posted a question online about new software recommendations
Sales opportunity: Request for a warm introduction from the business associate via LinkedIn, then inquire if he’s in the market to buy new software
Margaret, the Marketing VP
Age: 50
Social status: Married, one teenage kid, lives in Hoboken, NJ, in a house
Job title: Marketing Vice President at Shoes Inc.
Industry: Retail and fashion
Reports to: CEO and works with her team, procurement, and the CFO to make final purchase decisions
Role: Marketing Team Leadership: oversees all strategies and efforts to grow company revenue and market share
Challenge: Needs new strategies and tools to reach or exceed quarterly revenue targets; company missed targets last quarter
Seniority: 8 years at the company
Income: $250,000
Location: New York, New York
Interests: Investing, Foodie, Home renovations
Education: MBA from Wharton School of Business
Career aspirations: To become an EVP of Marketing for a Fortune 500 company
Budget: $100,000 max in the budget to spend on new software with help from the procurement team
Buying concerns: Needs effective and affordable solutions and strategies to grow sales quickly
Degree of connection: 1st-degree connection; was a previous client at another organization
Groups: Part of Inbound Marketers and International Advertising Bureau groups on LinkedIn
Social media activity: Was recently quoted in an AdAge article in which she discussed her team’s digital marketing challenges and strategies for the New Year
Sales opportunity: Reach out via email to congratulate her on the excellent story coverage, then ask to meet with her at a trendy New York restaurant
Step 4: Train sales teams on how to use buyer personas
Incorporate personas into onboarding and ongoing training
Include buyer persona training in the new-hire onboarding process and refresh it regularly during team meetings or workshops. Teach sales reps how to use persona insights into key activities, such as prospecting, qualifying leads, and tailoring pitches.
For example:
During prospecting: Use buyer personas to identify which job roles or industries are most likely to engage with the product or service.
During outreach: Craft personalized messages or emails that address the specific challenges outlined in the buyer persona (e.g., "Margaret, the Marketing VP, is focused on increasing revenue and needs affordable yet effective solutions.").
Provide role-playing exercises
Interactive role-playing sessions are a great way to help sales reps internalize buyer personas. For example, have one team member act as the prospect, using a specific persona profile, while another acts as the sales rep trying to engage them. This practice helps reps empathize with prospects, learn to anticipate objections, and fine-tune their approach based on persona insights.
Embed personas into sales workflows
Ensure personas are accessible and integrated into the tools and workflows sales teams use daily. For example:
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator's Personas feature to automatically align leads with persona profiles, helping reps focus on the right prospects.
Add persona cheat sheets or templates to CRMs so sales reps can quickly reference key pain points, goals, and buying concerns during outreach or calls.
Emphasize personalization over automation
Teach sales reps how to use buyer personas to add a personal touch to every interaction.
While automation tools can help streamline outreach, personas enable reps to craft highly relevant and human messages. For instance, a sales rep reaching out to "Sam, the Senior Procurement Specialist," might include a congratulatory note about a recent LinkedIn post or acknowledge the unique challenges Sam faces in procurement.
Align sales and marketing teams around buyer personas
Sales and marketing alignment is critical for persona effectiveness. Train sales reps to collaborate with the marketing team by:
Sharing feedback on persona accuracy. For instance, if reps notice that "Fred, the Marketing Specialist" has more influence over purchases than initially thought, they can update the persona accordingly.
Leveraging marketing materials (e.g., case studies, white papers) designed for specific personas during outreach. A webinar tailored for VPs like Margaret can help reps build trust and credibility during the sales process.
Align sales and marketing teams around buyer personas
Sales and marketing alignment is critical for persona effectiveness. Train sales reps to collaborate with the marketing team by:
Sharing feedback on persona accuracy. For instance, if reps notice that "Fred, the Marketing Specialist" has more influence over purchases than initially thought, they can update the persona accordingly.
Leveraging marketing materials (e.g., case studies, white papers) designed for specific personas during outreach. A webinar tailored for VPs like Margaret can help reps build trust and credibility during the sales process.
Monitor and evaluate adoption
Ensure sales reps consistently use buyer personas by tracking their adoption and success rates. Incorporate persona usage into performance reviews, sales KPIs, and team discussions. For example:
Monitor whether reps are tailoring outreach emails or LinkedIn InMails based on persona insights.
Evaluate whether deals involving prospects that align with buyer personas close faster or yield higher ROI.
Use real-world success stories
Share success stories where sales reps have used buyer personas effectively to close deals. For example, if a rep used the "Fred" persona to tailor their pitch and win a $50,000 deal, highlight it in team meetings or training sessions. Real-world examples motivate teams and illustrate the practical value of buyer personas.
Leverage AI for continuous learning
Teach sales teams to use AI-powered tools, like LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s Relationship Explorer or CRM-integrated AI assistants, to extract and act on persona insights. AI can help reps quickly identify mutual connections, craft personalized messages, and uncover intent signals, reinforcing persona-based selling techniques.
AI in buyer persona creation
1. Data aggregation and analysis:
AI-powered tools can gather and analyze customer data from multiple sources, such as CRM systems, social media platforms, website analytics, and online reviews. These tools uncover patterns and trends in customer behavior, such as purchasing motivations, pain points, and preferences, which form the foundation of a robust buyer persona.
2. Predictive modeling:
AI uses historical data to predict future customer behaviors, such as purchase likelihood or potential churn. By identifying patterns, businesses can create forward-looking personas that account for emerging trends and market shifts.
3. Sentiment analysis:
Through natural language processing (NLP), AI can analyze customer feedback, reviews, and social media posts to understand the emotional drivers behind purchasing decisions. This insight adds a layer of psychographic depth to buyer personas, making them more nuanced and actionable.
4. Personalization at scale:
AI enables dynamic segmentation and hyper-personalized recommendations. For example, LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s AI-powered tools can refine persona data by analyzing users’ interactions, preferences, and behaviors on the platform. This capability helps sales teams create highly targeted outreach strategies.
5. Continuous optimization:
Unlike static buyer personas, AI allows businesses to maintain "living personas" that evolve over time. By constantly ingesting new data, AI can update and refine personas automatically, ensuring they remain relevant as customer behaviors and market conditions change.
Customize and use buyer personas in Sales Navigator
Create persona profiles in LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Start by creating a Persona in your LinkedIn Sales Navigator account. The Personas link is displayed in the top navigation to the right of the Search bar (below the ? help icon). Users can save up to five personas in their account at any time. Then, use Personas in the Sales Navigator’s Home page, Search, and Account pages to identify and prioritize prospects.
Watch the video below to learn more about how LinkedIn Sales Navigator can find the leads and accounts that are right for your business.
Conduct and save searches for target leads and accounts
Search using Personas to find high-quality leads and accounts. Save the most frequent searches and get automatically notified when new leads or accounts match the Personas criteria. Sales Navigator’s Search offers 50+ advanced filters like Connections, Past Customers, Past Colleagues, Current Company, and Account list to tailor saved searches across a global network of over one billion professionals. Pin the most used Persona search filters to the top of the list to save time.
Gain insights to create personalized messages
Get deep priority lead insights, such as Persona growth at a target account. Then, filter LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s Relationship Explorer tool by Personas to summarize real-time target buyer data, like their interests and past accomplishments. It helps sales reps find new paths to connect via InMail and craft personalized messages to boost InMail open rates. Users can send 50 direct, private messages via InMail monthly. Type 100 words or less in each InMail to keep prospects engaged.
Streamline sales processes
LinkedIn’s LeadFinder feature automates manual prospecting steps, providing users with leads and unique conversation starters with target buyers or Personas. Sellers can also track a qualified lead’s intent and product interests through LinkedIn activity, like engaging with their ads, filling out Lead Generation forms, or commenting on their Company Page.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s TeamLink feature offers insights into mutual colleague connections to users that match Personas, identifying warm paths for introductions into a new target account. Using LinkedIn’s Relationship Map tool, sellers can learn how other organizational stakeholders are connected to boost close rates and move prospects through the funnel faster.
Nurture leads and post-sales relationships
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s new AI-powered tools to retain target customers for long-term revenue growth. The AI tool functions as a proactive sales assistant, facilitating open and responsive client communication—rom sending first-touch or follow-up emails to recommending products and offering tips. The AI-enhanced Message Assist tool generates personalized pre- and post-sale InMails, keeping priority leads and accounts engaged and happy.
Buyer persona best practices
1. Test a few buyer personas
2. Take the time to research effectively
3. Incentivize sales teams to use buyer personas
4. Frequently update buyer personas
How to measure B2B buyer persona success
Here’s how to demonstrate the value of buyer personas to sales leaders:
Team goal achievement: Track improvements in sales revenue, lead quality, and closed-won deals.
Improved customer satisfaction: Deploy customer satisfaction and net promoter score (NPS) surveys. Ask if clients’ quality of service has improved over a set period and if customers would recommend the product or service to a friend.
Return on investment (ROI): Ensure increased closed-won deals and sales revenue boosts exceed buyer persona development and training costs.
