Goal-Directed Buyer Personas

Mar 2017

Reboot Buyer Insights To Drive B2B Growth

B2B companies are faced with the most transformative era in business history. On a greater scale than that of the first Industrial Revolution over a century ago, we are witnessing a technological and digital revolution that will disrupt business-to-business profoundly in the next 10 years. The scale of which is still unpredictable and undoubtedly will continue to have more disruption in store for businesses over the next decade. The scale of disruption will mean the B2B buyer and seller dynamic will continue to be rocked. We are seeing many industries feel the impact of new technologies upending previously accepted norms of…

Article by Tony Zambito

Feb 2017

How The Content Illusion Is Leading Marketing Astray In The Era Of Digital Transformation

In the past five years, the often-unquestioned hymnal has been that to succeed in today’s digital world, businesses must produce content. Produce high-quality content, yes. But, produce massive amounts of it to get in front of customers. According to various statistics on the Internet, we are living in a world where every minute over 200 million items of online content is produced. Where nearly 1500 blog posts are posted every minute. Whereby over 200 million email message are sent every minute. The amount of content exploding online is staggering. Leaving the content dilemma facing many organizations – how to stand…

Article by Tony Zambito

Jan 2017

New Approaches To Understand Customers Needed In A Digital Transformation World

In numerous surveys of CEOs in the past few years, predictably, you will find growth strategies as one of the top priorities going into any new year. Strikingly, in these same few years, you will also find developing customer understanding also on the list of CEO priorities. What is changing in the past two years, is that CEOs are focused on globalization and digital transformation. Per recent surveys by IBM, KPMG, and Gartner, you will find that more than half of CEOs surveyed believe their organizations will be significantly transformed by digital-centric globalization. What becomes clear considering these surveys is…

Article by Tony Zambito

Jan 2017

Rethinking Buyer Personas In An Era Of Digital Transformation

In the past five years, we have seen exponential disruption each year in multiple markets. Digital technologies and resulting transformation turning markets literally inside out. Fundamentally reshaping markets in five years’ time compared to the fifty to seventy years it may have taken to build up a market. Take for instance the iconic yellow cab, a fixture in New York City for decades. In the past few years, the yellow cab companies have been unable to stem a rapid decline from the onslaught of Uber, Lyft, Juno, Via, and other ride platforms. Revenues falling by as much as 40% and many…

Article by Tony Zambito

Nov 2016

Is Your Organization Ready For Market Strategy In A Digital Economy?

The digitization of the global economy is resulting in a tidal wave of new business and operating models throughout the world. Sparking rapid forms of innovations and turning existing markets upside down with new market rules and design. Digital disruption means organizations must stay alert to how an existing market strategy may have to undergo reinvention. Well before the impact of the next tidal wave of change hits with full force. Change can happen in just a few short years. Causing shifts in organizational, consumer, and customer behaviors. Digital disruption can affect both consumer and business markets simultaneously. For instance,…

Article by Tony Zambito

Oct 2016

Rethinking Market Strategy In A Digital Economy

The primary course of conversation in the past few years for CMO’s and their marketing teams has centered around customer centricity, customer experience, and content marketing. For good reasons too. Customer behaviors have significantly shifted in the last decade impacting conventional thinking on the role of marketing and sales and their abilities to connect with customers. We have also seen organizations struggle with how best to adapt to new market dynamics related to customer behaviors and the role of content in reaching customers. What CMO’s need to be on guard for is falling prey to a myopic view of customers…

Article by Tony Zambito

Sep 2016

Pursuit Of Goals Drive Buyer’s Journey

One of my favorite apps is the Starbuck’s app. Being a coffee lover, the app is a major convenience for getting coffee at the nearest Starbuck’s location. Admittedly, the app serves very well as a motivator to stop at Starbuck’s versus elsewhere. So that I continue to reach the goal of enough stars to get the occasional free drink plus other offers. It has long been established in the disciplines of the social sciences that individual and team motivation to achieve a goal or set of goals are powerful drivers influencing choices and decisions. For example, the Starbuck’s app definitely…

Article by Tony Zambito

Sep 2016

Confusing Customer Segmentation, Buyer Profiling, and Buyer Personas Harms Marketing

In the 15 years since originating the concept of buyer personas in 2001, there has been one issue that continues to plague fully understanding exactly where, how, and why buyer personas can be beneficial. Compounding the issue today is the prevalent use of the term buyer persona to describe customer segmentation and buyer profiling efforts. The issue I am referring to is the confusion that can surround distinguishing between customer segmentation, buyer profiling, and buyer personas today. If you are a CMO or a marketer and you find yourself having a sudden realization that perhaps you are not quite sure…

Article by Tony Zambito

Aug 2016

Are Your Buyer Personas Data Overkill?

As the concept of buyer personas has crept into the conscious of both B2C and B2B Marketing, so has misguided representations of buyer personas become prevalent. With many touted frameworks and processes being representative of buyer personas in name only. These misrepresentations have also led to a tendency to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into crafting buyer personas. For example, an organization I helped recently had previously utilized a framework, labeled buyer persona in name only, which consisted of a matrix of 15 plus categories. Why do I say labeled in name only? This approach of having 15 plus…

Article by Tony Zambito

Jul 2016

How Understanding The Goals And Intent Of Buyers Can Transform Marketing

People and professionals in organizations can have different intentions while working towards the accomplishment of organizational, as well as, individual goals. Understanding the difference between intent-driven and goal-driven behaviors allows for deeper levels of understanding buyers (customers). Leading to more effective online engagement, content design, and sales conversations. The relationship between intent and goals is a very important one. Understanding this relationship allows for a deeper analysis of buying behavior and what truly is driving purchase decisions. Primarily, it helps with making sense of the tasks and activities buyers perform. Tasks Versus Goals This is also an important principle behind…

Article by Tony Zambito