Stop wasting time on buyer personas (here's what actually matters)

I have a bit of a controversial take: Buyer personas can be a huge waste of time.

Now, don't get me wrong. Understanding your customer is super important.

The business that knows their customer the best, wins.

But here's where most businesses go wrong...

They get caught up in surface-level demographics instead of understanding what truly drives customers' decisions.

Yes, demographics can be important in specific situations. If you're targeting a very distinct market (like teenage fashion enthusiasts or women in business), these details matter.

But for most businesses, detailed demographic profiles aren't nearly as helpful as you might think.

Think about it...

A 25-year-old startup founder and a 50-year-old corporate executive might look completely different on paper (age, income, location).

But both could be lying awake at night worrying about the exact same thing: "Is my team performing at their best?"

The truth is, there are only two things you really need to know about your customer:

1. What problem keeps them up at night?
2. What does success look like for them?

That's it. Everything else is just noise.

You could spend weeks creating detailed personas...

but if you can't answer these two simple questions, you're missing what really matters.

Here's to focusing on what's important,

Joel