Customer Analysis Tool: Identify Buyer Roles and Needs

Customer Analysis - Interactive Web Tool

This semi-annual tool looks beneath the surface of each customer relationship, separating who uses a product from who wants it and who actually approves the purchase. For marketing and sales teams who need campaigns that speak to multiple decision-makers, not just one buyer persona. Work through each customer segment to define your Offer and Appeal strategy, then export a printable summary table.

How to Use This Customer Analysis Tool

This interactive tool will help you identify who you are targeting, what they want and why, who makes the buying decision, and what you offer and why it appeals to each buyer. Complete each step to incrementally build a complete Customer Analysis.

Step 1: Customers

Identify your key customers. Which customers are the focus of your sales and marketing efforts?

Step 2: Market

For each customer, identify whether they are a Consumer market (personal use) or a Company market (business use).

Step 3: Identify Buyers and Offers

For each customer, identify the User (who directly experiences or benefits from it), the Technical Buyer (who evaluates fit and specifications), and the Economic Buyer (who makes the buying decision). Then describe your Offer and Appeal strategy: what you intend to offer, and why it will appeal to each of these three audiences.

This helps us look below the surface level at each customer and design sales and marketing campaigns that address their specific needs. To appropriately serve our customers, we often need to make appeals to multiple audiences, since the User, Technical Buyer, and Economic Buyer are not always the same person.

Step 4: Results

Review your completed analysis in table format. You may print the results or save them as a PDF for your own records.

Private, no-account workspace: Your responses are used temporarily to create this tool’s analysis. ConsultaPedia does not save your responses or results in a user database. Print, download, or copy any results you want to keep before leaving this tool.

Step 1: Identify Your Key Customers

Focus on your most important customers. Choose customer segments based on their contribution to your overall profitability and revenue, not simply the segments that are easiest to describe.

Please identify your type of business:

Identify Key Customer Segments (Identify a minimum of 3, up to a maximum of 9)

Please identify KEY customer segments - they should be selected based on their contribution to your overall profitability and sales revenue.

Tip: Start with 3 to 5 of your most important customer segments. You can always return and expand your analysis to include more segments later.

Click this icon for help - Help Information

Customer Segment:
A customer segment refers to a group of customers who share similar characteristics and needs, making them likely to respond in a similar way to a marketing strategy or product offering. Identifying and targeting specific customer segments allows businesses to tailor their marketing efforts and offerings more effectively, thereby increasing the likelihood of success. Here are three strategies for segmenting your customer base:
Strategy 1 - Demographic Segmentation: This involves dividing the market based on demographic variables such as age, gender, income, education, occupation, marital status, and family size.
Example customer segment: A company selling luxury skincare products might target "affluent women aged 30-50 who live in urban areas and have a college education".Other example customer segments in this category might be "Affluent Men Seeking High-End Skincare Solutions" or "Young Professionals in Their 20s".

Strategy 2 - Psychographic Segmentation: This segmentation strategy categorizes consumers based on their lifestyle, interests, values, beliefs, attitudes, and personality traits.
Example customer segment: A fitness apparel brand might target "health-conscious individuals who are passionate about exercise, outdoor activities, and leading an active lifestyle". Other example customer segments in this category might be "Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts" or "Yoga and Mindfulness Practitioners".

Strategy 3 - Behavioral Segmentation: This segmentation method groups consumers based on their behaviors, such as purchasing habits, usage patterns, brand loyalty, and decision-making processes.
Example customer segment: An online streaming service might target subscribers who "frequently binge-watch TV shows and movies". Other example customer segments in this category might be "Casual Viewers" or "Genre Enthusiasts".

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Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., former Interim Director of the East Los Angeles County Small Business Development Center and author of "How To Organize, Start and Manage a Small Business" Full bio. © 2026 About This Page