Substance 3D sales guide overview > Prepare to engage

Target personas

It's important to understand what type of customer you are speaking to before you start the sales conversation. IT managers have different needs and concerns than creative managers or users.

Do your research before the call to identify your contact's role in their organization. Use the stakeholder mapping template to identify each of your stakeholders, analyze their roles and interests, and prioritize who needs more attention based on their role and interest.

And use the target personas below to get a better idea of what their responsibilities, deliverables, and challenges may be.

IT manager

Get to know the specific requirements of IT.

Titles	Responsibilities	Deliverables	Challenges
Operations Manager System Manager IT Manager/Director Director of Technology Infrastructure Manager	Planning, coordinating, and directing activities that have to do with the technology and information systems of a company	Deploy software and apps across the organization in a timely manner Evaluate the needs of users to ensure the organization is efficient, effective, and productive	Finding easy-to-use tools with a low learning curve Enabling high-quality outputs Streamlining team tasks and workflows Finding solutions that fit within the software budget and are easy to manage Protecting corporate systems and data

Titles

Responsibilities

Deliverables

Challenges

Operations Manager

System Manager

IT Manager/Director

Director of Technology

Infrastructure Manager

Planning, coordinating, and directing activities that have to do with the technology and information systems of a company

Deploy software and apps across the organization in a timely manner

Evaluate the needs of users to ensure the organization is efficient, effective, and productive

Finding easy-to-use tools with a low learning curve

Enabling high-quality outputs

Streamlining team tasks and workflows

Finding solutions that fit within the software budget and are easy to manage

Protecting corporate systems and data

Creative leader

Get to know the specific requirements creative leaders and art directors.

Titles	Responsibilities	Deliverables	Challenges
Creative Manager/Director Design Director Art Director Print & Media Director	Overseeing the creation of visual concepts to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate prospects and customers	Product prototypes Packaging mock-ups Presentations Creative campaigns Catalog content Pitch decks 3D animated shots and scenes Branded content Marketing & communication assets Final content (product, campaign, game, movie, assets)	Quickly delivering higher volumes of content to market Establishing and maintaining brand differentiation

Titles

Responsibilities

Deliverables

Challenges

Creative Manager/Director

Design Director

Art Director

Print & Media Director

Overseeing the creation of visual concepts to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate prospects and customers

Product prototypes

Packaging mock-ups

Presentations

Creative campaigns

Catalog content

Pitch decks

3D animated shots and scenes

Branded content

Marketing & communication assets

Final content (product, campaign, game, movie, assets)

Quickly delivering higher volumes of content to market

Establishing and maintaining brand differentiation

Business leader

Get to know the specific requirements of business leaders.

Titles	Responsibilities	Deliverables	Challenges
President CEO Owner/Principal Marketing Director/Manager CIO Innovation Business Strategist	Running and/or owning a business	Design of products, campaigns, services, and events for customers, vendors, and internal and external systems Development of collections of images, icons, templates, fonts, and other asset libraries that match brand standards Designs for print, web, social, and digital platforms Review and approval of designs, artwork, photography, graphics, and assets created by other staff members Iteration on ways to collaborate, edit, and store files	Growing sales (attracting new business and improving product design and development) Breaking through via differentiation and innovation Building brand identity and authority Staying aligned and breaking down silos Maintaining competitive pricing

Titles

Responsibilities

Deliverables

Challenges

President

CEO

Owner/Principal

Marketing Director/Manager

CIO

Innovation Business Strategist

Running and/or owning a business

Design of products, campaigns, services, and events for customers, vendors, and internal and external systems

Development of collections of images, icons, templates, fonts, and other asset libraries that match brand standards

Designs for print, web, social, and digital platforms

Review and approval of designs, artwork, photography, graphics, and assets created by other staff members

Iteration on ways to collaborate, edit, and store files

Growing sales (attracting new business and improving product design and development)

Breaking through via differentiation and innovation

Building brand identity and authority

Staying aligned and breaking down silos

Maintaining competitive pricing

Creative end user

Get to know the specific requirements of creatives.

Titles	Responsibilities	Deliverables	Challenges
Aspiring 3D creatives Graphic Designer Photographer Creative Director Director of Photography Product Designer Art Director Digital Producer Fluent 3D users 3D Artist 3D/AR/VR Consultant Retail 3D Artist Video Game Designer VFX Artist Technical Art Director Technical Artist	Aspiring 3D creatives Creating compelling imagery for products and package shots Accurately portraying products and features in marketing imagery Creating marketing collateral for campaigns, websites, catalogs, and other communications Driving creative direction and production for brands Fluent 3D users Creating high-end 3D art used in film, gaming, product design, or architecture Creating 3D model prototypes to sell to clients Rendering, modeling, and texturing products for product demos and websites Designing skills training and workshops for other aspiring 3D artists Helping develop a 3D pipeline and integrate a 3D workflow Creating 3D and AR/VR experiences	Aspiring 3D creatives Product prototypes Packaging mockups Presentations Creative (still campaign images) Catalog layouts Environment imagery Pitch decks Fluent 3D users 3D animated shot/scenes VFX plates (rendered still images used for compositing into film) Prototypes	Aspiring 3D creatives Time needed to learn 3D tools Time needed to create in 3D macOS and 3D are not a good match Fluent 3D users Frustrations with 3D workflows Keeping up with the pace of industry change Technical issues like UV mapping

Titles

Responsibilities

Deliverables

Challenges

Aspiring 3D creatives

Graphic Designer

Photographer

Creative Director

Director of Photography

Product Designer

Art Director

Digital Producer

Fluent 3D users

3D Artist

3D/AR/VR Consultant

Retail 3D Artist

Video Game Designer

VFX Artist

Technical Art Director

Technical Artist

Aspiring 3D creatives

Creating compelling imagery for products and package shots

Accurately portraying products and features in marketing imagery

Creating marketing collateral for campaigns, websites, catalogs, and other communications

Driving creative direction and production for brands

Fluent 3D users

Creating high-end 3D art used in film, gaming, product design, or architecture

Creating 3D model prototypes to sell to clients

Rendering, modeling, and texturing products for product demos and websites

Designing skills training and workshops for other aspiring 3D artists

Helping develop a 3D pipeline and integrate a 3D workflow

Creating 3D and AR/VR experiences

Aspiring 3D creatives

Product prototypes

Packaging mockups

Presentations

Creative (still campaign images)

Catalog layouts

Environment imagery

Pitch decks

Fluent 3D users

3D animated shot/scenes

VFX plates (rendered still images used for compositing into film)

Prototypes

Aspiring 3D creatives

Time needed to learn 3D tools

Time needed to create in 3D

macOS and 3D are not a good match

Fluent 3D users

Frustrations with 3D workflows

Keeping up with the pace of industry change

Technical issues like UV mapping