Flip through these examples of the types of marketing personas we make for our clients. Contact us to learn more about our persona development services.
2. When I choose a partner, I’m
putting my reputation on the
line. I need airtight security,
scalability to match our growth
and a price that gives me an
advantage over my competitors.
Persona 1 | Sr. VP / President of Technology Solutions
AGE: 35+
SALARY: $150k+
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in Computer Science,
IT Management, Computer Engineering - Master’s preferred
EXPERIENCE: 15+ years in IT industry
What PAIN POINTS would a strong campaign
address for this decision maker?
Cost
Compliance
End-user satisfaction
Security
Brenda: Sr. VP / President
of Technology Solutions
TECHNOLOGY/MARKETING
Industry conferences: technology
Vendor hosted events
Digital content: Investment News,
Periodicals, Financial Planning
MOTIVATIONS
35% Brenda needs a partner that is reliable and
easily accessible for her staff to collaborate with.
35% Securing a knowledgeable and up-to-date
partner that will guide Brenda’s team on evolving
industry regulations and best-practice.
30% Finding an adaptable partner that can
help scale services and expertise as needed,
to support her department’s ability to pivot and
meet their clients’ custom needs.
3. What actions might Brenda
typically take, following a positive
interface with Brafton?
Brenda works closely with the other members of
her procurement team and will take their opinions
and research into consideration when making the
final choice of a partner. The partner she selects
will need to have a dependable history of fulfilling its
work in a timely manner and being a complement
to Brenda’s brand when out in the field representing
her company.
What influence might Brenda
have over the decision maker?
The final decision will come from Brenda. As the
highest ranking member on the procurement team,
her final choice in a partner will be reliant upon
security, scalability and budget.
What pain points would a strong
campaign address for Brenda?
Maintaining client data and scalability are crucial to
Brenda’s need of a partner. As her company extends
its services to clients of varying needs and sizes
a vendor able to offer solutions while maintaining
security at all times is a must.
What messages would
most resonate with this
decision maker?
One size does not fit all. Each business and the
involved owners they work with have unique needs
due to the size and demands of their clientele.
Her chosen partner must be able to solve any
problem it runs into and drive the best experience
for its business partners as part of the advisory
services team, not its own brand. The industry
knowledge and expertise is an extension of the firm
and driving the best value for the cost Brenda’s
company pays is a big plus.
At which stage in the funnel
might Brenda engage?
Awareness
Interest
Consideration
Decision
From the onset, Brenda is involved in the search
to introduce a new partner, or search for a
replacement of her current service provider. As
the decision maker in the department with a vast
knowledge across business and technology,
Brenda’s knowledge and experience will be
instrumental in qualifying a partner’s industry
knowledge and ability to scale immediately.
Persona 1 | Sr. VP / President of Technology Solutions
4. Our clients needs and
challenges are unique to them.
But how do we create and
execute a turn-key solution
that’s customized to their
specific pain points?
Persona 2 | VP, Professional Services - Advisor Technology Solutions
AGE: 35+
SALARY: $110k+
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in Computer Science
or IT Management preferred
EXPERIENCE: 10+ years in IT positions,
experience in advisory industry a plus
What PAIN POINTS would a strong campaign
address for this decision maker?
Cost
Compliance
End-user satisfaction
Security
John: VP, Professional Services -
Advisor Technology Solutions
TECHNOLOGY/MARKETING
Industry conferences: technology
Vendor hosted events
Digital content: Investment News,
Periodicals, Financial Planning
MOTIVATIONS
35% Like Brenda, John needs a partner that is reliable
and available. He wants a partner that’s an extension of his
team and one that reflects well on his organization.
35% John is looking for a partner that will be able to
integrate seamlessly with his team. As the day-to-day
manager, on-the-ground synergy is important to him.
30% John manages up to Brenda and down to Nina.
His partner will facilitate excellent client-side service
toward his organization’s commercial goals for Brenda,
and can make the on-the-ground team’s client-side
interfaces as smooth and efficient as is possible for Nina.
5. What actions might John
typically take, following a positive
interface with Brafton?
After speaking with Brafton and reviewing its secure
protocols and end-user driven experience, John will
do his own research. Pricing is a factor for him, after
the impact his chosen partner has on the end-user
experience. His partner needs to be flexible and
work with his budget.
What influence might John
have over the decision maker?
In smaller organizations, John could be the top-
ranking technology officer in the company, and those
with a larger technology department would leave
John as the second-in-command. John has a direct
line to the decision maker in the department when
the responsibility does not fall on him. His needs and
requests must be met as he works with the leader in
the department on choosing the partner best fit for
the size of his organization.
What pain points would a strong
campaign address for John?
John is trusted by Brenda to understand their client’s
business architecture and product management
needs to make the lives of the advisors they service
as easy as possible. In choosing a technology
partner, John is looking for the individuals out in
the field to be an extension of his company. Being
knowledgeable, security-focused and consistently
reliable are all points to address for him.
What messages would
most resonate with this
decision maker?
John must understand each client’s unique business
requirements and ultimately is looking for a partner
who speaks its language. The partner should speak
to understanding businesses architecture, product
management – specifically hardware solutions – and
testing and providing technical support to make sure
its services work.
At which stage in the funnel
might John engage?
Awareness
Interest
Consideration
Decision
John reports directly to Brenda and has a
considerable amount of input across all stages in the
funnel. His primary responsibility is security. However,
being more involved with their customers on a daily
basis impacts how important picking the right partner
is to John. He is involved in the selection process from
the initial phone call through the final decision because
his choice needs to be with a group that can work
with any size business with little to no management.
Persona 2 | VP, Professional Services - Advisor Technology Solutions
6. 60% Ensuring that the partner her
management team has chosen is one that will
be easy to collaborate with on a daily basis. She
wants to work with a partner team that can be
trusted completely but also work autonomously
toward shared goals.
My end users expect our
tech to be easy – like it is in
their personal lives. The days
of clunky enterprise-level
solutions are over.
Persona 3 | Director of Technology Operations
AGE: 30+
SALARY: $85k+
EDUCATION: Director of Technology Operations
EXPERIENCE: 10+, 5+ years in leadership position
What PAIN POINTS would a strong campaign
address for this decision maker?
Cost
Compliance
End-user satisfaction
Security
Nina: Director of
Technology Operations
TECHNOLOGY/MARKETING
Industry conferences: technology
Vendor hosted events
Digital content: Investment News,
Periodicals, Financial Planning
MOTIVATIONS
40% Creating a satisfying experience for the
end users. Their experience with our brand must
be positive.
7. What actions might Nina typically
take, following a positive
interface with Brafton?
Nina will not be responsible in making the end
decision of which partner her company wants to
work with, but she will have direct input up the
decision-making chain. After speaking with Brafton,
Nina will handle researching more around the
company and its ability to scale services by client
size and unique requests.
What influence might Nina have
over the decision maker?
As the person working closest with the end users,
Nina has a pulse on what problems and solutions
are happening and the type of partner to help.
She will not be included in the final discussions on
which partner to choose, but she will provide her
research and recommendations to John before he
makes the final pick.
What pain points would a strong
campaign address for Nina?
The outside partner her company chooses to be
its voice and face on the ground should have the
skill and ability to drive an incredible experience
for the end user. Nina is well-versed in developing
sophisticated architectures for the businesses she
services and she expects the chosen partner to
speak the same language and work collaboratively
and independently on solutions.
What messages would
most resonate with this
decision maker?
Nina is involved after the need for a new or change
in the company’s existing partner is evident. She has
a lot to handle on a daily basis around serving her
current customers, but her input around capabilities
to service the end user and security put in place will
be points of contention to her.
At which stage in the funnel
might Nina engage?
Awareness
Interest
Consideration
Decision
The end choice does not come down to Nina’s
preference, but her input will be considered. Once the
leaders of her department decide bringing on a vendor
or searching for a new vendor is important, they will
include her in the search. Nina is busy working with
her clients on a regular basis, but will be reviewing the
prospective partners to better understand their impact
on the end user, while joining meetings until the final
decision comes down to her department leaders.
Persona 3 | Director of Technology Operations