Persona Template
Table of Contents
What are Buyer Personas? 3
How Can You Use Personas? 5
How do you Create Buyer Personas? 7
Templates 9
1
What Are Buyer Personas?
Buyer Persona Template
What Are Buyer Personas?
Buyer personas are fictional, generalized representations of your ideal clients. They help
you understand your clients (and prospective clients) better, and make it easier for you to
tailor DST content to the specific needs, behaviors, and concerns of different groups.
The strongest buyer personas are based on market research as well as on insights you
gather from your actual customer base (through surveys, interviews, etc.). Depending on
your business, you could have as few as one or two personas, or as many as 10 or 20.
If you’re new to personas, start small! You can
always develop more personas later if needed.
3
2
How Can You Use Personas?
Buyer Persona Template
How Can You Use Personas?
At the most basic level, personas allow you to personalize or target your marketing for
different segments of your audience. For example, instead of sending the same emails to
everyone in your database, you can segment by buyer persona and tailor your messaging
according to what you know about those different personas.
If you take the time to create negative personas, you’ll have the added advantage of being
able to segment out the “bad apples” from the rest of your contacts, which can help you
achieve a lower cost-per-lead and cost-per-customer (and see higher sales productivity).
5
3
How Do You Create Buyer Personas?
3
Buyer Persona Template
How Do You Create Buyer Personas?
Here are some practical methods for gathering the information you need to develop personas:
Interview clients in person or by phone to discover what
they like about your product or service.
Explore contacts database to uncover trends about how
certain leads or customers find and consume your content.
When creating forms to use on your website, use form fields that
capture important persona information. For example, if all of your
personas vary based on company size, ask each lead for
information about company size on your forms. You could also
gather information on what forms of social media your leads use
by asking a question about social media accounts.
Take into consideration your sales team's feedback on the leads
they are interacting with most. What type of sales cycle does
your sales team work with? What generalizations can they make
about the different types of customers you serve best?
7
Buyer Persona Template
How Do You Create Buyer Personas?
You can use the following 4-slide template to organize your persona data.
Create additional sets of persona slides as you need.
First, we’ll walk you through an example, then we’ll leave you with a few
blank templates so you can get to it!
8
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 1
WHO
1 PERSONA NAME: INVESTOR STEVE HENDERSON
- Orthopedic Surgeon – Partner in large
2 BACKGROUND practice in Phoenix, AZ.
- Has been practicing for 24 years and his firm
Job? Career Path? Family? is one of the largest in the southwest.
- Married with 3 children.
3 DEMOGRAPHICS
- Male.
- 55+ years of age.
- Earns over $600,000 a year.
Male or female? Age? - Lives in Scottsdale, AZ.
Income? Location?
- Officer with American Society of Orthopedic Professionals.
- Active in his community; especially with High School athletes.
4 IDENTIFIERS - Reads academic journals and sports publications.
- Subscribes to one or more of these blogs.
Demeanor? Communication - Extremely difficult to reach due to business of his practice.
preferences? - Prefers email communications.
10
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 2
WHAT
1 PERSONA NAME: INVESTOR STEVE HENDERSON
- To preserve and grow accumulated wealth.
5 GOALS - To diversify portfolio to protect against large market
downturns.
Primary goal?
- To be exposed to less-known growth opportunities with
Secondary goal? big upside.
- Limited time to manage or monitor financial investments.
6 CHALLENGES
- Two of his three children in college currently at the same time.
- Aging partners in the practice will impact revenues as
Primary challenge? they begin retiring.
- Commercial real estate investment properties are aging.
Secondary challenge? - Pending malpractice suit from patient is consuming time.
7 WHAT WE CAN DO - Assure the prospect we have the ability and knowledge to
address challenges related to investment properties and
...to help our persona
asset management.
achieve thier goals? - Offer to provide a no-fee analysis of current financial
...to help our persona condition and goals.
overcome their challenges?
11
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 3
WHY
PERSONA NAME: INVESTOR STEVE HENDERSON
- I barely have time to look after my own investment
properties, let alone, consider what I’m going to do when
8 REAL QUOTES
I sell them.
- As I get older, I suspect I’ll be looking at slowing down at
About goals, challenges, etc. the practice this next year.
- I’ve heard about DSTs but don’t know where to begin if I
choose to exchange a property.
9 COMMON - I already have a financial advisor.
OBJECTIONS
- My advisor manages my mutual funds and stock positions,
but I handle my real estate investment myself.
Why wouldn’t they buy your - You’re a small independent firm. I prefer to work with
products/services? one of the majors like Merrill Lynch.
12
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 4
HOW
PERSONA NAME: INVESTOR STEVE HENDERSON
- We can simplify the DST process of a 1031 Exchange and
present a variety of options without you investing too
10 MARKETING much of your time.
MESSAGING
- We are not only specialists in 1031 Exchanges and DSTs,
but we are a dually-licensed investment firm with the
How should you describe your talent aboard to manage your entire investment portfolio.
solution to your persona? - We work with several physicians and surgeons, and
understand the inherent pressures and concerns common
to the profession.
- We specialize in managing a small, select group of clients
11 ELEVATOR PITCH like yourself. Successful career professionals who need the
confidence to know their investments and investment
Sell your persona on properties are being well managed and looked after, so you
your solution! don’t have to do it yourself. We’d be honored to have a
discussion with you.
13
Buyer Persona Template
Your Turn!
We’ve provided blank templates for developing three personas.
14
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 1
WHO
1 PERSONA NAME:
2 BACKGROUND
Job? Career Path? Family?
3 DEMOGRAPHICS
Male or female? Age?
Income? Location?
4 IDENTIFIERS
Demeanor? Communication
preferences?
15
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 2
WHAT
1 PERSONA NAME:
5 GOALS
Primary goal?
Secondary goal?
6 CHALLENGES
Primary challenge?
Secondary challenge?
7 WHAT WE CAN DO
...to help our persona
achieve thier goals?
...to help our persona
overcome their challenges?
16
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 3
WHY
PERSONA NAME:
8 REAL QUOTES
About goals, challenges, etc.
9 COMMON
OBJECTIONS
Why wouldn’t they buy your
products/services?
17
Buyer Persona Template
SECTION 4
HOW
PERSONA NAME:
10 MARKETING
MESSAGING
How should you describe your
solution to your persona?
11 ELEVATOR PITCH
Sell your persona on
your solution!
18
Congratulations! You've spent
time defining your target client.
Now it's time to go connect with them. Want help?
Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation
2901 Butterfield Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523
For Institutional Use Only. Not for distribution to the public. This is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any security, which can be made only
by an offering memorandum or prospectus that has been filed or registered with appropriate state and federal regulatory agencies and sold only by broker dealers
and registered investment advisors authorized to do so.
The Inland name and logo are registered trademarks being used under license. “Inland” refers to The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. which is comprised
of a group of independent legal entities, some of which may be affiliates, share some common ownership or have been sponsored and managed by such entities or
subsidiaries thereof. This material has been distributed by Inland Securities Corporation, member FINRA/SIPC, dealer manager and placement agent for programs
sponsored by Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation and Inland Private Capital Corporation, respectively.
