One of my favorite film characters of all time is Indiana Jones played by Harrison Ford in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. Many of us will forget that he is actually Dr. Indiana Jones, the illustrious professor and expert in occult archeology. No doubt, some of us can recall the Indiana Jones persona. We likely have vivid images of his leather jacket and fedora styled hat.
What most of us will remember is the character of Indiana Jones was the focal point of an action packed story to find the Ark of the Covenant. Steven Spielberg weaves a series of adventurous cliffhangers and obstacles to tell the story of his quest to recover the Ark. Through Spielberg’s masterful storytelling, we saw how Indiana Jones reacted to overcoming confrontations with the Nazi’s and the Egyptians. We learned much about who he was. How he interacted with his enemies and love interest.
Much in the same way, this is how we learn about buyer personas. If we were left with only a composite persona of Indiana Jones, all we may have known is that he was an illustrious professor. The Indiana Jones persona itself would not have revealed the intricate story of the quest for the lost Ark of the Covenant. Nor would it have provided the many memorable scenes.
Buyer Personas in Action
Buyer personas have real value when they are put into action. Buying scenarios are actionable stories of usage, interactions, and buying decisions. The buyer persona becomes the main character who interacts with others to reveal the story of how and why buying decisions are made. Buying scenarios provide valuable insights into what criteria must be met and what obstacles must be overcome.
Buyer personas without research will make buying scenario development impossible. What makes them possible is learning about the buyer contextually. This requires the rigors of quantitative and third party qualitative study.
The powerful combination of buyer personas in action within buying scenarios can reveal a story of opportunities. As action filled as the story of Indiana Jones in the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
