chadjardine Square 1 — My Target Market
The first sprint square after Zero Square. We know the growth goal and the budget. Now we define exactly who we're selling to.
Purpose: Produce a validated Buyer Persona (and Buying Committee Map for B2B) that the entire sprint builds on. Every subsequent square — message, channels, lead capture, nurture — is anchored to this output.
Tone: Facilitative, curious, structured. One question at a time. Rule: Take the client's word for the persona in the room. Flag external validation as a recommended next step, not a prerequisite.
External Validation Note
The sprint operates on the client's best current understanding of their buyer. Before or after the sprint, recommend validating the persona externally:
- 3–5 interviews with current happy customers
- 1–2 interviews with salespeople
- 1–2 interviews with churned or closed-lost customers where possible
This surfaces gaps between how the client describes the buyer and how the buyer describes themselves — especially in Ring 1 (Priority Initiative) and Ring 3 (Perceived Barriers). Position it as a natural follow-on engagement, not a blocker.
Step 1 — B2C or B2B Path Selection
Ask:
"Before we build the persona — are your buyers primarily businesses, or individual consumers?"
- B2C path: Go directly to Buyer Persona development (Step 3).
- B2B path: Run PVP Index first (Step 2), then Buyer Persona, then Buying Committee Map (Step 4).
Step 2 — PVP Index (B2B only)
Score up to three customer segments before committing to a primary ICP. This prevents building a persona for the wrong segment.
The three scoring dimensions (1–10 each):
P — Personal Fulfillment: How much do you enjoy working with this type of client? Do these engagements energize you or drain you?
V — Value to the Market: How much does this segment genuinely need what you offer? Is the problem acute or mild?
P — Profitable: How profitable is this segment relative to others? Consider deal size, margin, sales cycle, and renewal potential.
Facilitation:
"Let's score up to three segments you've worked with or are targeting. For each one, rate it 1–10 on each dimension. The highest total score is your primary ICP for this sprint."
Capture in a simple table:
| Segment | Personal Fulfillment | Value to Market | Profitable | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Segment A] | /10 | /10 | /10 | /30 |
| [Segment B] | /10 | /10 | /10 | /30 |
| [Segment C] | /10 | /10 | /10 | /30 |
The highest-scoring segment becomes the primary ICP. All subsequent persona work focuses here.
Step 3 — Buyer Persona Development
Build one persona card for the primary buyer. Work through the five rings in order. Ask one ring at a time — don't present the full framework upfront.
Persona Header
Capture: Name (fictional), Job Title, Reports To, Industry, Company Size, Education/Background.
"Let's give this person a name and a title. Who is the primary person we're selling to — the one who feels the pain most acutely?"
Ring 1 — Priority Initiative
What triggers this person to start looking for a solution?
"What has to happen in their world for this person to suddenly start searching for what you offer? What's the event, the pressure, or the moment that makes the problem urgent?"
This is the most important ring. The answer drives channel selection, ad copy, and content strategy. Spend time here.
Ring 2 — Success Factors
What does winning look like for this person?
"When they've made the purchase and it's working — what does success look like for them personally? Not just for the business — for them. What did they achieve? What problem went away?"
Ring 3 — Perceived Barriers
Why might they not buy, even if they need it?
"What are the objections, fears, or hesitations that could stop this person from moving forward — even if they believe in the solution? What keeps them up at night about making this decision?"
Ring 4 — Decision Criteria
How do they evaluate options?
"When they're comparing vendors or solutions, what are the top three to five things they're looking at? What do they need to see to feel confident they're making the right call?"
Ring 5 — Buyer's Journey
How do they move from problem to purchase?
"Walk me through how this person typically finds a solution. Where do they start? Who do they talk to? What do they read or watch? How long does the process take?"
Note the current awareness stage:
- Unaware: Doesn't know the problem exists or has a name
- Problem Aware: Knows there's a problem, hasn't found a solution category
- Solution Aware: Knows solutions exist, evaluating options
- Product Aware: Knows your product, deciding whether to buy
- Most Aware: Ready to buy, needs a reason and a path
Day in the Life
Close the persona with a brief narrative:
"Describe a Tuesday for this person. What does their morning look like? What problems land on their desk? Where do they go for information? What does stress look like for them in this role?"
This isn't a scoring exercise — it's a grounding exercise. It makes the persona real and tests whether the room is actually talking about the same person.
Step 4 — Buying Committee Map (B2B only)
For B2B clients, the persona is one person in a larger decision. Map the full committee before moving to messaging.
The five roles to identify:
| Role | What to Capture |
|---|---|
| Decision Maker | Title, motivation, what they need to approve |
| Financial Influencer | Who controls or reviews the budget |
| Technical Influencer | Who evaluates the solution on technical merit |
| Approver | Who signs off (may be same as Decision Maker or above) |
| Champion | Who wants this to happen and will advocate internally |
For each role, capture:
- Title / Name if known
- Their primary motivation
- Their primary friction or concern
- BANT awareness: Budget / Authority / Need / Timeline
Facilitation:
"The persona we just built is probably one person in a larger conversation. Let's map everyone else who touches this decision. Who else has a say — or a veto?"
Step 5 — Customer Journey Introduction
Close Square 1 with a brief orientation to the journey. This is not a deep exercise here — it will be developed fully in Square 3 (channels) and the During squares.
"We know who this person is. Here's the question that drives Square 2 and beyond: where is this person right now in relation to your solution? Are they unaware, searching, comparing, or ready to buy?"
Note the awareness stage identified in Ring 5. This becomes the starting point for message and channel strategy.
Deliverables
| Output | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PVP Index Scores | Table | B2B only — documents ICP selection rationale |
| Buyer Persona Card | Structured summary | One card per primary persona |
| Buying Committee Map | Table | B2B only |
| Awareness Stage | Single label | Carries into Square 2 and 3 |
Produce all outputs as clean, readable artifacts at the end of the session. The Buyer Persona Card should read as a standalone reference document — someone who wasn't in the room should be able to pick it up and understand the buyer.
Facilitator Notes
- One question at a time. Don't present the five rings as a framework to fill in — work through them conversationally.
- Ring 1 is the most valuable. If the room is vague here, push. "What has to happen" is more useful than "who they are."
- The persona name matters. Giving the buyer a name (even a placeholder) changes how the room talks about them. It shifts from abstract to real.
- B2B personas often collapse the committee into one person. If the client describes a committee member when asked about the primary buyer, slow down and clarify who actually feels the pain vs. who signs the check.
- Disagreement in the room is data. If two people describe different buyers, that's not a problem to resolve quickly — it's a signal that ICP work is needed.