Beginner

What you'll do

Research and build personas by connecting with professionals who match your target audience, including those who've never heard of your product.
Use LinkedIn's massive professional network combined with automated, personalized outreach.
Book interviews with your target personas to gather genuine insights.
Create your Ideal Customer Profile and eliminate guesswork from your sales process, because you can't sell effectively if you don't know who you're selling to.

tools used in this playbook:

La Growth Machine
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STEP
1

Define your research objectives

Before reaching out to anyone, clarify exactly what you want to learn about your target persona.

Start by identifying your core research questions.

Here are questions our Product Marketing Manager asked when she was building LGM’s personas:

  • What does their typical day look like?
  • What are their biggest challenges and pain points?
  • What motivates them professionally?
  • Which tools and platforms do they use daily?
  • How do they make purchasing decisions?
  • Where do they go for industry information?
  • What's their role in the decision-making process?
  • Who else influences their choices?

Pro tip: Create a simple research document with 8-12 specific questions you want answered. This will guide your outreach messaging and ensure every conversation delivers valuable insights.

STEP
2

Identify your target persona segments

Segment your target persona into specific, actionable groups. This makes your messaging more relevant and increases response rates.

Define your segments based on:

  • Job titles and seniority levels (e.g., Sales Development Representative vs. Head of Sales)
  • Company size (Startup: 1-50 employees, Scale-up: 51-200, Enterprise: 200+)
  • Industry verticals (SaaS, E-commerce, Manufacturing, etc.)
  • Geographic location (especially important for regional differences)
  • Years of experience (Junior: 1-3 years, Mid-level: 3-7 years, Senior: 7+ years)

Recommended approach: Create 2-3 distinct segments rather than one broad group. For example:

  • Segment A: Sales Ops (2-5 years experience) at SaaS startups
  • Segment B: Head of Sales (5+ years experience) at scale-up companies

Sample size: Target 10-15 conversations per segment to identify meaningful patterns while keeping your outreach manageable.

STEP
3

Find your perfect interview targets

Now, you need to find exactly the right people to interview before you build your outreach campaign. The more precise your targeting, the better your response rates will be. You can use two different tools for this:

  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn Sales Navigator is the traditional approach for finding B2B professionals. It gives you access to LinkedIn's massive database with advanced filtering capabilities.
  • La Growth Machine's Database: Combines company intelligence with contact discovery in one tool. Using Lookalike Search, you start with the companies that match your ideal customer profile and then narrow it down based on job titles.

Pro tip: The ABM approach through LGM Database often yields higher-quality conversations because you're talking to personas at companies that actually fit your target market, rather than just anyone with the right job title.

STEP
4

Set up your La Growth Machine campaign

Rather than starting from scratch, duplicate this campaign used by our Product Marketing Manager to contact our LGM personas. It includes:

  • Outreach via LinkedIn to allow for a less formal initial exchange than an email (it also feels less intrusive this way).
  • A personalized AI Voice Message: because it’s unexpected and personalized, so you stand out.
  • Follow-up via email, because using a multichannel approach increases the chance of getting a response by 3.5x.

Most importantly, make sure the copywriting in the outreach values the person you are contacting. They should feel appreciated and important to you. It’s crucial to show that you are seeking insights, not making a sale. Remember, it’s an exchange, not a pitch.

STEP
5

Execute strategic follow-up and relationship building

Once people respond positively, your goal shifts to extracting maximum insights while building genuine professional relationships.

  • Reply within 2 hours during business hours when someone shows interest
  • Offer multiple scheduling options: the easiest is to provide a calendar link so they can find a time that works best without a lot of back and forth.

During the interview:

  • Start with appreciation: "Thank you so much for making time"
  • Stick to your research questions but allow natural conversation flow
  • Take detailed notes (ask permission to record so you don’t have to take notes by hand)
  • Ask for referrals: "Do you know other [Job Title] professionals who might be willing to chat?"

STEP
6

Analyze and document your persona insights

Transform your conversations into actionable persona documentation that your entire team can use to understand your ICP.

Create comprehensive persona profiles, including:

  • Demographics & background:
  • Daily responsibilities:
  • Challenges & pain points
  • Tools & technology stack
  • Buying behavior

To make it easier, we created a template that you can use to document your personae: find it here.

STEP
7

Duplicate the campaign template to get started

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