Buyer Persona

Overview

This skill forces the creation of personas grounded in functional objectives (Jobs-to-be-Done) rather than superficial demographics. By focusing on the Job Performer and their Struggling Moments, it ensures that product and marketing efforts address actual customer needs.

Iron Law

NO PERSONA WITHOUT A VALIDATED JOB-TO-BE-DONE Personas built on demographics alone (e.g., "Millennial Mark") lead to "fluffy" marketing and products that fail to solve real problems. A persona must be anchored to a specific job someone is trying to "hire" a solution for.

State Machine

digraph buyer_persona_flow {
    "Discovery: Interviews" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Step 1: Identify Job Performer" [shape=box];
    "Step 2: Define Main Job & Needs" [shape=box];
    "Gate: Validated Job?" [shape=diamond];
    "Step 3: Layer Psychographics" [shape=box];
    "Step 4: Draft PR/FAQ" [shape=box];
    "Persona Approved" [shape=doublecircle];

    "Discovery: Interviews" -> "Step 1: Identify Job Performer";
    "Step 1: Identify Job Performer" -> "Step 2: Define Main Job & Needs";
    "Step 2: Define Main Job & Needs" -> "Gate: Validated Job?";
    "Gate: Validated Job?" -> "Step 3: Layer Psychographics" [label="validated"];
    "Gate: Validated Job?" -> "Discovery: Interviews" [label="fuzzy"];
    "Step 3: Layer Psychographics" -> "Step 4: Draft PR/FAQ";
    "Step 4: Draft PR/FAQ" -> "Persona Approved";
}

When to Use This Skill

• When starting a new product or feature.
• When existing marketing messages are not resonating.
• When the team is confused about who the "ideal customer" really is.
• When user research identifies a recurring "struggling moment."

When NOT to Use This Skill

• For purely technical internal optimizations.
• When the "who" is a legal entity (use market-context or stakeholder-discovery).

Core Process

Step 1: Identify the Job Performer

Distinguish between the Job Performer (the person doing the work) and the Buyer (the person with the budget). A successful persona prioritizes the needs of the performer first to ensure product-market fit. (Source: Kalbach, Ch. 2)

Step 2: Define the Main Job & Needs

Use the standard syntax: verb + object + clarifier.

• Main Job: The overarching functional objective (e.g., Visit family on special occasions).
• Needs: Desired outcomes expressed as Direction + Measure + Object + Clarifier (e.g., Minimize the time it takes to share learnings).
• Iron Law Check: Ensure the job is solution-agnostic. Can they do this job without your product? (Source: Kalbach, Ch. 2)

Step 3: Layer Psychographics & Circumstances

Identify the Circumstances (time, manner, place) that trigger the job.

• Pushes/Pulls: What is pushing them away from their current solution? What is pulling them toward a new one?
• Anxieties/Habits: What worries them about changing? What old habits keep them stuck? (Source: Lenny's Newsletter / Bob Moesta)
• Proudly Exclude: Identify who the persona is not. Confidently exclude 99% of the market to win the "Hell Yeah!" 1%. (Source: Sivers, Ch. 16)

Step 4: Validate with Stories (The Truth Curve)

Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to drill into past behaviors. Do not ask for future preferences; ask for the last time they struggled with the job. (Source: Constable, Bryar)

Step 5: Draft the PR/FAQ

Write a customer-facing press release and a set of internal/external FAQs for this persona. If the "Press Release" doesn't excite the defined persona, the persona or the product is wrong. (Source: Bryar, Ch. 5)

Cross-Skill Invocations

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: stakeholder-discovery — to identify all actors in the ecosystem (approvers, technicians). RECOMMENDED SUB-SKILL: prd-writing — to turn the persona's needs into a formal requirements document.

Rationalization Table

Red Flags

These thoughts mean STOP — you are about to shortcut:

• "The persona is 'The Enterprise Buyer'" → You've ignored the Performer.
• "Our job is 'Use [Product Name] to...'" → You've embedded the solution into the job.
• "We'll build it first and find the persona later" → This is the #1 cause of product failure.

Diagnostic Checklist

• Is the "Main Job" defined using verb + object + clarifier syntax?
• Is the "Job Performer" distinct from the "Buyer"?
• Have we identified the "Struggling Moment" that triggers the job?
• Does the persona confidently exclude a large portion of the market?
• Is every claim in the persona backed by a past-behavior story (STAR method)?

Sources

• Kalbach, Jim. The Jobs to Be Done Playbook. Ch. 2, 4.
• Constable, Giff. Talking to Humans. "How To," "The Truth Curve."
• Bryar, Colin. Working Backwards. Ch. 5 (PR/FAQ).
• Sivers, Derek. Anything You Want. Ch. 16.
• Richardson, Bailey. Get Together. "Spark the Flame."
• Lenny's Newsletter. "Persona Methodology with Bob Moesta."