In this  episode, Mark Evans interviews Jim Kraus, President of the Buyer Persona Institute, about the value and mechanics of buyer personas in marketing and sales.  We discuss the definition of buyer personas, how to extract insights from customers and prospects, and the value of buyer personas in messaging, prioritization, and business performance. Jim explains the process of developing buyer personas and the key elements that make them effective.  Jim emphasizes the importance of talking to recent buyers who have made the exact buying decision that a company is trying to influence rather than relying on existing customers.