Outline of process to define detailed candidate persona

1. You found them, now what? All sections to appear here

2. [Categories of Professionals] pptPlex Section Divider The slides after this divider will be grouped into a section and given the label you type above. Feel free to move this slide to any position in the deck.

3. There are many types of professionals Sales People Software Developers Software Consultants Human Resource Professionals Accountants CEOs CIOs CFOs COOs Doctors Nurses Lawyers Chefs Retail Store Managers Help Desk Workers Administrative Assistants Project Managers Business Analysts Etc…

4. And each type of professional has a unique persona Persona defined: A person’s perceived or evident personality

5. A Leopard can’t change its spots

6. [Building the Persona of your target candidate] pptPlex Section Divider The slides after this divider will be grouped into a section and given the label you type above. Feel free to move this slide to any position in the deck.

7. [7 Steps to a winning message] pptPlex Section Divider The slides after this divider will be grouped into a section and given the label you type above. Feel free to move this slide to any position in the deck.

8. Physical Profile of Target Candidate Basically, this is an exercise in identifying everything you can possibly identify about your target. How much money do they make? What car do they drive? How many times have they been married? Do they have children? How do they dress? Where do they shop? Where do they vacation, and on and on… This step should take about 2 to 3 hours, mostly because the more that is discovered about the individual the more the discussion goes on. You need to use anecdotal evidence and stories from the trenches that help drive the development of the person in question.

9. Sample Sales Persona - Profile Earn $150- $300K/yr Has a country club membership Has one or more children Owns the latest electronic gadgets Own a boat or Vacation home Children attend private school Drive luxury Imported car Reads business magazines Books and news Wears Designer clothes Has an attractive spouse or partner Uses a designer pen, like Mont Blonc Exercises regularly to stay fit May have been married more than one time Avid sports fan Wear a Swiss Watch – Rolex, Omega, Breitling Own a nice Home Suitable for entertaining Plays Golf or tennis Shops at high-end retailers Vacations In exotic places Has a very professional image

10. Identify the Pain Once you have the persona identified you next need to define the pain that this person is experiencing on a day to day basis. The "what keeps him up" approach. The exercise used here is to first discuss what ails him and then to do an affinity mapping where you have each participant write on the sticky notes and then categorize the results. Then write a statement (NO MORE THAN 25 words - small words) that define each pain - should have no more than 3 to 5 - this also takes about 2 to 4 hours per persona.

11. Sample Pain Identity – Sales Profile I need to achieve quota I need to know who is making the buying decision I need to know the competition’s weaknesses I need to represent quality products or services I need the right resources to win the deal I need to influence the customer to buy now! I need to make President’s Club (again) Where will my next deal come from? I need to beat the competition How can I make the pricing work for the customer? I need the customer To pay on time I need new leads and contacts Who do I know that can help me close this deal? I know that my competition on this deal is #1 I need to close the deal I need to attain quota credit for a deal How do I overcome the obvious gaps in service? I need to break New Account(s) Do I have the Right marketing support? I need to deliver the products or services

12. Pain Summary I need to be selling strong products and services with the necessary tools to close the business. I need well-qualified leads and a strong team to beat the competition and close deals. I need to have a clearly defined comp plan that is easy to understand. I need to get paid! I need a strong pipeline and viable leads to meet my quota.

13. Solution (anti-pain) This step literally involves turning the pain on its head to see what the direct opposite of the pain is. This is a Wordsworth exercise that can be excruciating. It takes 2 to 4 hours per persona and best to do it in day two because the first two steps burn people out. Again, small easy to read statements of solution. Must be easily mapped back to the pain each solves.

14. Solution (anti-pain) Statement XYZ has proven competitive referenceable products/services. XYX provides access to well-targeted and qualified leads. XYZ’s sales effort is supported by a team of well-qualified experts. EX: Solution Architects (well-qualified experts)

15. Market Problem Statement This is a summary of all the pain statements - it makes a blanket statement for what problems exist in your market place that need fixing. (25 words max)

16. Market Problem Statement The best sales executives struggle to find companies with great products, great sales support, and great leads that have a rewarding and easy to understand comp plan.

17. Positioning Statement This is a single statement that summarizes all of the solution statements. This ultimately is what your company means to the candidate. Here you have varying versions of the statement 25, 50 and 100 words depending upon the need.

18. Positioning Statement At XYZ we are driven by our sales culture and our entire organizational structure is built to assist the Sales Executive to sell and deliver business. We have a simple compensation structure that rewards success, and it is not complicated when multi-national deals are involved. Our Sales Executives are always rewarded and recognized for their contributions, and we continually evaluate our compensation to make sure it remains the most competitive option for the highest performing sales professionals.

19. Sample Talk Track - SALES

20. Build Narrative Tell the story of the pain and how it is solved. Make it tangible and real. If you have done all the other steps properly than this should be easy.

22. We have a simple compensation structure that rewards success, and it is not complicated when multi-national deals are involved.

23. Our Sales Executives are always rewarded and recognized for their contributions, and we continually evaluate our compensation to make sure it remains the most competitive option for the highest performing sales professionals.

24. What are the 5 things you need to be on the lookout for to make sure the comp plan is well defined?

25. Are your comp plans complicated when multi-national deals are involved?

27. Share with your leadership to add value to the business

28. Ensure that your products/services, compensation, sales process, etc. are continuously evolving to stay ahead of the competition

29. Keep your messaging fresh and relevant

31. Sample Content Strategy - SALES

32. Thank you!