1. Target Persona Worksheet
Contents
• Getting the most out of this tool
• Target Persona worksheet (printable)
• Expanded instructions
• About Lateral Mind

2. Getting the most out of this tool © 2012 Boris Grinkot and Tim Lombardo. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution3.0
Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Find this and other tools for product development and conversion maximizationat http://lateralmind.com.
This worksheet helps you
maintain a systematic process
for strategic decision making.
There is no secret sauce. It helps
you articulate ideas, collaborate
with team members, draw out
any hidden assumptions, and
maintain a record for future
reference and modifications.
• Working with a team: If you are working as a team, have each team
member fill out a copy of this worksheet individually to give all ideas a
chance to be heard. After each person completes their work, you can
start collaborating on the final version.
• Printing and writing: You may find it easier to use sticky notes, rather
than write on the worksheet. Also you may find it useful to print it on a
larger format paper (e.g., 22”x36”), especially when working or
presenting to a group. Instructions for each cell are included in tiny font
for large-format printing.
• Editing: Expect to revise your entries several times. Absolutely do not
attempt to wordsmith the early versions. The idea is to articulate the
ideas as quickly as possible, so that you have a starting point for
discussion.
• Relevance: After you got your initial ideas out, you may find that you
need to split your worksheet into separate personas. There is a
subjective balance between how granular you want to get. If the
definition is too narrow, it may be represent a segment too small to
cater to separately. If it’s too broad, it may become useless as a way to
direct a distinct strategy. We suggest that you err on the side of being
too granular, and then combine the personas if necessary.
Battle-tested ideas that will help you get the most out of this tool:

3. Target Persona Worksheet © 2012 Boris Grinkot and Tim Lombardo. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution3.0
Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Find this and other tools for product development and conversion maximizationat http://lateralmind.com.
GOALS / ASPIRATIONS BEHAVIOR / WORKFLOW
FEAR / PAINFACTS
I N I T I A L / B A S I C
R E F I N E D / D E T A I L E D
1 2
34
5
Facts will help you distinguish and reference customer segments (marketing) or interview subjects (product development).
Think beyond demographics and consider situational/experiential attributes.
What are the pain points that they are your prospective customers currently experiencing in their daily personal or business
lives? Avoid thinking in terms of your product/solution. Instead, focus on their perspective and write it in their words.
How do they currently overcome the fear/pain described in step (2)? Avoid thinking in terms of your product/solution.
Describe the product/solution they are currently using, if any. Focus on their perspective and write it in their words.
Where do your prospective customers want to be, based on the fears/pains described in step (2) and the current
workflow/workaround/behavior described in step (3)? Avoid thinking in terms of your product/solution. Focus on their
perspective and write it in their words.
VN. 2.0

4. Expanded instructions © 2012 Boris Grinkot and Tim Lombardo. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution3.0
Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Find this and other tools for product development and conversion maximizationat http://lateralmind.com.
GOALS / ASPIRATIONS BEHAVIOR / WORKFLOW
FEAR / PAINFACTS
I N I T I A L / B A S I C
R E F I N E D / D E T A I L E D
1 2
34
5
Facts will help you distinguish and reference customer
segments (marketing) or interview subjects (product
development). Think beyond demographics and
consider situational/experiential attributes.
What are the pain points that they are your
prospective customers currently experiencing in their
daily personal or business lives? Avoid thinking in
terms of your product/solution. Instead, focus on
their perspective and write it in their words.
How do they currently overcome the fear/pain
described in step (2)? Avoid thinking in terms of your
product/solution. Describe the product/solution they
are currently using, if any. Focus on their perspective
and write it in their words.
Where do your prospective customers want to be,
based on the fears/pains described in step (2) and the
current workflow/workaround/behavior described in
step (3)? Avoid thinking in terms of your
product/solution. Focus on their perspective and
write it in their words.
VN. 2.0
At the end of the cycle, refine the facts about the
persona to make it easier in practice to identify/contact
the right individuals.

5. About Lateral Mind
Our mission is to
help companies
adopt advanced
methodologies
through training
and advisory
services.
• Opportunity analysis
• Design of experiments
• Organizational learning
Challenge Assumptions, Maximize Results
“Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two–and only two–basic
functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.”
– Peter Drucker
To schedule a workshop with your team or to explore the possibility of a consulting engagement, please
reach us at contact@lateralmind.com. To learn about our ongoing research and opportunities to
participate, please visit http://lateralmind.com/research.
Innovation – Product
Find product-market fit with validated learning
Creating products and adding new features is a
continuous challenge for startups and organizations.
Under extreme uncertainty, making assumptions about
customer needs and expectations can prove lethal.
Product managers and entrepreneurs are under pressure
to make vital decisions with little information, if they are
given the option at all. Teams are often compromised due
to the challenges of making decisions without data, basing
them on opinions of how to move forward.
We assist teams in making the change to data-driven
decisions using methodologies such as customer
development, lean and discovery driven growth. By
adjusting the focus from building the next product, to
systematically testing assumptions, your team will be able
to reduce risk while minimizing resource demands.
This means a longer runway before seeking additional
capital. If the capital is external (e.g., VCs), this means
keeping more equity because you have significantly
reduced risk.
• Customer development
• Innovation accounting
• Risk management and reporting process
Marketing – Conversion
Improve the ROI of traffic generation with CMx™
Getting a visitor to the website is only half the battle.
Conversion rates make the difference between a
successful and an unsuccessful campaign. Before you
spend another dollar on traffic generation, you must
ensure that your website can convert it.
Conversion maximization provides an opportunity for
marketers to demonstrate measurable and immediate
results.
However, the website is often not treated as a marketing
channel. As a result, there is no systematic way to address
conversion. Changes to the website are done ad-hoc,
either by influential stakeholders (sales, product
managers, etc.) or by executives based on arbitrary
opinions.
We provide marketers with a workflow to address website
conversion systematically, a methodology to help identify
conversion barriers and make deliberate and scientifically
validated changes to the website. This produces both
revenue impact and process improvement.
• Web analytics audit
• Page and funnel re-design
• Testing platform selection and management