Buyer Persona Template for User Research

Most B2B products have 1-3 buyer personas. If you sell to both mid-market and enterprise, the buyer is often a different role at each tier (Director vs VP vs C-level). Create one persona per distinct buying pattern you observe. If two buyer types follow the same process, criteria, and objections, they are the same persona regardless of title.

An [ICP](/glossary/ideal-customer-profile-icp) describes the company: industry, size, tech stack, growth stage. A buyer persona describes the person within that company who makes the purchase decision. Your ICP tells you which companies to target. Your buyer persona tells you how to sell to the person inside those companies. You need both.

Yes. Sales reps talk to buyers every day. They know the real objections, the questions buyers ask first, and the competitors that come up in every deal. Start your research with 2-3 internal sales interviews before moving to buyer interviews. Then validate the finished persona with the sales team. If they do not recognize the person described, your persona needs more work.

Create separate personas for each distinct role in the buying committee. A typical B2B deal involves 3-5 people: the champion (who finds you), the decision maker (who signs), the technical evaluator (who validates), and the blocker (who can say no). Each has different criteria and objections. Focus your buyer persona on the decision maker, and create lighter-weight profiles for the others.

For most B2C products, the buyer and user are the same person, so a standard [user persona](/templates/user-persona-template) is sufficient. The exception is products bought by parents for children, by employers for employees, or by one household member for another. In those cases, the buyer/user split applies and this template is useful. ---