One of the most common struggles I hear about from business owners is they don’t have enough leads.
When I prod a bit more to break down the question it usually comes down to two things.
- They are spending money and not seeing ROI.
- Their profit margins are too low.
Whether you are starting out in business, or you are years into it, both of these can be true.
So how do you fix it?
Focus and alignment.
Start with creating a buyer persona.
We sell to people. It is people that buy from us. Who are those people.
Ideally you want to narrow it down to a specific person. The person who buys.
Note: This may be different than your Ideal Customer Profile. An ICP is usually reserved for B2B relationships whereas the buyer persona breaks it down farther to the individual and their behaviors within a company.
When creating a buyer persona I generally look at the following:
Basic Demographics:
Geographic:
Economic:
Psychographics:
Behavioral:
Challenges:
Sources of Information:
Service Preferences:
Potential Evaluation Criteria The Buyer Might Have:
Lets create a buyer persona for a homeowner in Houston, Texas seeking air duct cleaning services:
Basic Demographics
- Age: 35-55 years
- Gender: Male or Female
- Family Status: Likely married with children
- Occupation: Professional (e.g., engineer, teacher, healthcare worker)
Geographic
- Location: Suburban area near Houston, Texas
- Type of Residence: Single-family home
Economic
- Income Level: Middle to upper-middle class ($60,000 – $100,000 annually)
- Homeownership: Owns their home, possibly with a mortgage
Psychographics
- Values: Prioritizes health and cleanliness, environment-friendly solutions
- Lifestyle: Busy, family-oriented, values quality time at home
- Attitudes: Safety-conscious, proactive about maintenance
Behavioral
- Buying Behavior: Seeks value for money, prefers thorough research before purchasing
- Usage Rates: Regular use of home heating and cooling systems, leading to frequent need for maintenance
- Loyalty Status: Likely to become a repeat customer if satisfied with service
Challenges
- Health Concerns: Worried about air quality and its impact on family health
- Time Constraints: Limited time to manage home maintenance due to a busy schedule
- Knowledge Gap: May lack detailed understanding of HVAC systems and maintenance requirements
Sources of Information
- Online Research: Google searches, home maintenance blogs, and forums
- Social Proof: Recommendations from neighbors, friends, and family; online reviews
- Local Advertising: Flyers, local newspaper ads, community bulletin boards
Service Preferences
- Convenience: Flexible scheduling, quick response time
- Quality: High-quality service with lasting results
- Transparency: Clear pricing, no hidden fees
Potential HVAC Company Evaluation Criteria
- Reputation: Strong local reputation, positive online reviews
- Experience: Experienced technicians, expertise in air duct cleaning
- Certifications: Proper licensing and insurance, industry certifications
- Pricing: Competitive pricing, clear quotes
- Customer Service: Friendly, informative, and professional customer interaction
- Environmental Practices: Use of eco-friendly cleaning methods and materials
This persona reflects a typical homeowner in a suburban area near Houston who values health, quality service, and informed decision-making when it comes to maintaining their home.
As you can see we now have a much more clear way of crafting our message.
We can dial this in even more to create a specific individual that has a name. But in many cases that is not fully necessary unless you referencing this persona internally in your company.
Now, we have a specific person we are speaking to and the content becomes much more meaningful.
The next question that comes up is how do we write an article that satisfies the buyer intent when they search.
We know quite a bit about the buyer and their behaviors now which means we can create a list of questions and concerns that this buyer has. We use those questions and concerns to create our content outline, and then address them in way that is easy to understand.
But that is for another day, and another post.