---
title: Building Your ICP
summary: Build a data-driven ideal customer profile, validate it, and use it as a filter for every decision.
est_minutes: 22
sort: 3
---

#### LESSON 1: The Ideal Customer Profile Framework That Guides All Targeting Decisions

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is not a persona. It is not a demographic description. It is a data-driven definition of the customer attributes that predict success.

Most businesses confuse ICP with buyer persona. They are different.

**ICP vs Buyer Persona: The Difference**

Buyer Persona:

- Individual person description
- "Sarah, 35-year-old marketing manager"
- Includes demographics, goals, challenges, day-in-the-life
- Helps with messaging and content
- Focused on who you're talking to

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP):

- Company or customer type definition (B2B) or customer segment definition (B2C)
- "SaaS companies, 50-200 employees, $5M-$50M ARR, high growth"
- Includes firmographics, behavioral attributes, success predictors
- Helps with targeting and qualification
- Focused on who you should pursue

You need both.

Persona tells you how to talk to them. ICP tells you who to talk to.

But ICP comes first. No point crafting perfect messaging if you're targeting the wrong customers.

**What Makes an Ideal Customer "Ideal"**

Ideal customers have specific characteristics:

**1. High Conversion Rate**

- They convert from lead to customer at higher rates than others
- Example: ICP converts at 15%, non-ICP converts at 3%
- Less waste, lower CAC

**2. High Lifetime Value**

- They spend more over their lifetime
- They stay longer (lower churn)
- They expand (upsell/cross-sell)

**3. Faster Sales Cycle**

- They make decisions quicker
- Less hand-holding required
- Shorter time from lead to close

**4. Lower Cost to Serve**

- They require less support
- They have fewer issues
- They understand and use the product well

**5. Better Fit**

- Your product actually solves their problem well
- They see immediate value
- They achieve results quickly

**6. Higher Advocacy**

- They refer others
- They leave positive reviews
- They become case studies

**7. Easier to Find**

- They congregate in identifiable places
- They share common attributes
- You can target them efficiently

Not every customer will have all seven attributes. But your ideal customer will have most of them.

**The ICP Framework: 5 Core Dimensions**

Build your ICP across five dimensions.

**Dimension 1: Demographic/Firmographic Attributes**

The basic facts about the customer or company.

B2B (Firmographics):

- Industry
- Company size (employees)
- Revenue range
- Geographic location
- Company age/stage

B2C (Demographics):

- Age range
- Income range
- Geographic location
- Family status
- Education level

Note: These alone don't predict success (Module 1). But combined with other dimensions, they help you find your ICP.

**Dimension 2: Behavioral Attributes**

What the customer does that predicts success.

Purchase behavior:

- How they buy (research-heavy vs impulse)
- What triggers purchase
- Decision-making timeline
- Budget cycle

Usage behavior:

- How they use your product/service
- Frequency of use
- Depth of adoption
- Success patterns

Engagement behavior:

- How they interact with your brand
- Content consumption patterns
- Community participation

**Dimension 3: Situational Attributes**

The circumstances that make them ready to buy.

Trigger events:

- Funding raised
- New leadership
- Rapid growth
- Previous solution failed
- Regulatory change
- Merger/acquisition

Current state:

- Pain point severity (how bad is problem?)
- Alternative solutions tried
- Readiness to change
- Budget availability

**Dimension 4: Psychographic Attributes**

How they think (Module 1 and 4 deep dive).

Values:

- What they prioritize
- What they're willing to pay for
- What trade-offs they make

Attitudes:

- Risk tolerance
- Innovation adoption
- Change readiness

**Dimension 5: Success Predictors**

Attributes that correlate with positive outcomes.

Predictors of high LTV:

- Specific use cases
- Team characteristics
- Budget allocation patterns
- Decision-maker involvement

Predictors of low churn:

- Onboarding success patterns
- Early engagement signals
- Stakeholder buy-in

**The ICP Build Process**

**Step 1: Identify Your Best Customers**

Don't guess. Use data.

Pull your customer list and rank by:

- Lifetime value (descending)
- Retention (longest tenure)
- NPS or satisfaction scores
- Profitability (revenue minus cost to serve)
- Advocacy (referrals, testimonials, case studies)

Take the top 10-20% of customers by these metrics. These are your best customers.

**Step 2: Find Common Patterns**

Analyze your best customers for common attributes.

Questions to answer:

Firmographic/Demographic:

- What industries are they in? (B2B)
- What size are they? (employees, revenue)
- Where are they located?
- What stage are they at? (growth, mature, etc.)

Behavioral:

- How did they buy? (what was the sales process?)
- How fast did they decide?
- What triggered the purchase?
- How do they use the product?

Situational:

- What was happening when they bought?
- What problem were they solving?
- What had they tried before?
- Why did previous solutions fail?

Psychographic:

- What do they value?
- How do they make decisions?
- What's their risk tolerance?

Look for patterns that appear in 70%+ of your best customers.

Example analysis:

You analyze your top 20 customers (by LTV) and find:

- 85% are in SaaS, FinTech, or HealthTech
- 80% have 50-200 employees
- 75% are growing >50% YoY
- 90% purchased within 2 weeks of first contact
- 95% had just hired a VP of Operations
- 100% said previous tools "couldn't scale with growth"

These are your ICP patterns.

**Step 3: Document Your ICP**

Write it down specifically.

Bad ICP: "Small to medium businesses that want to grow"

Good ICP: "SaaS/FinTech/HealthTech companies with 50-200 employees, growing >50% YoY, recently hired VP Operations, outgrowing current tools, value speed over perfection, decision timeline <2 weeks"

Specific and data-backed.

**Step 4: Test Your ICP**

Compare ICP vs non-ICP customers.

| Metric | ICP Customers | Non-ICP Customers |
| :-: | :-: | :-: |
| Conversion Rate | 15% | 4% |
| Average Deal Size | $50K | $20K |
| Sales Cycle | 14 days | 45 days |
| LTV | $250K | $80K |
| Churn Rate | 5% | 25% |
| CAC | $5K | $8K |
| Support Tickets/Month | 2 | 8 |

If ICP customers significantly outperform non-ICP across these metrics, your ICP is validated.

**Step 5: Use ICP to Guide Decisions**

Every marketing and sales decision now filters through ICP.

Lead qualification:

- Does this lead match ICP? Prioritize.
- Does this lead not match ICP? Deprioritize or disqualify.

Channel selection:

- Does this channel reach our ICP? Invest.
- Does this channel not reach our ICP? Skip.

Partnerships:

- Does this partner serve our ICP? Pursue.
- Does this partner not serve our ICP? Pass.

Product development:

- Does this feature serve our ICP? Build.
- Does this feature serve non-ICP? Deprioritize.

Messaging:

- Does this message resonate with ICP values? Use.
- Does this message not resonate? Revise.

ICP becomes your strategic filter for everything.

**The ICP Evolution Process**

ICP is not static. It evolves as your business evolves.

When to update your ICP:

**Trigger 1: New Market Entry**

- Entering new vertical, geography, or segment
- Validate ICP for new market
- May need multiple ICPs

**Trigger 2: Product Changes**

- New product features enable new use cases
- Different customers succeed with new capabilities
- ICP may expand or shift

**Trigger 3: Performance Changes**

- If ICP customers start churning at higher rates
- If non-ICP customers start outperforming ICP
- Data showing your assumptions were wrong

**Trigger 4: Growth Stage Changes**

- Early stage: ICP might be narrow (find perfect fit)
- Growth stage: ICP might expand (proven model, scale)
- Mature stage: ICP might segment (different tiers)

Review ICP quarterly. Update when data shows change.

**Common ICP Mistakes**

**Mistake 1: ICP Based on Who You WANT vs Who SUCCEEDS**

Founders want enterprise customers. But data shows SMB customers have better LTV, lower churn, and faster sales cycles.

Fix: Build ICP on data, not aspiration.

**Mistake 2: ICP That's Too Broad**

"Small and medium businesses" is not an ICP. That's 30 million companies in the US alone.

Fix: Be specific. If you can't filter 80% of the market out with your ICP, it's too broad.

**Mistake 3: ICP That's Too Narrow**

"SaaS companies in San Francisco with exactly 73 employees in Series B stage" leaves you with 5 potential customers.

Fix: Narrow enough to be meaningful, broad enough to have market size.

**Mistake 4: Multiple ICPs Without Differentiation**

"We serve both startups and enterprises." But the sales process, pricing, product needs, and messaging are completely different.

Fix: If segments are truly different, choose one or create separate strategies for each.

**Mistake 5: ICP Without Validation**

Guessing your ICP based on gut feel, not analyzing actual customer data.

Fix: Always validate with data from your best customers.

**Mistake 6: ICP That Can't Be Targeted**

"Companies that value innovation and efficiency" - how do you find these people? What targeting criteria do you use?

Fix: ICP must include attributes you can actually target (industry, company size, tech stack, behaviors).

**ICP as Competitive Advantage**

Most of your competitors have vague ICPs or no ICP at all.

They target "everyone who might buy." They waste budget on bad-fit customers. They have mediocre conversion rates and high churn.

You, with a clear ICP:

- Target only high-probability customers
- Convert at 3-5X higher rates
- Have lower CAC
- Have higher LTV
- Have better retention
- Grow faster with same budget

Clear ICP equals unfair advantage.

#### LESSON 2: Firmographic vs Consumer ICP Development

B2B and B2C businesses need different ICP frameworks.

Here's how to build each.

**B2B ICP: Firmographic Framework**

B2B ICP defines the type of company that is your ideal customer.

The 7 core firmographic criteria:

**1. Industry / Vertical**

Which industries does your product serve best?

Specific is better:

- Bad: "Technology companies"
- Better: "SaaS companies"
- Best: "B2B SaaS companies in sales/marketing tech"

How to determine:

- Analyze customer list by industry
- Calculate conversion rate, LTV, churn by industry
- Identify 2-3 industries where you excel

Example:

- Primary: B2B SaaS (Sales/Marketing/RevOps tools)
- Secondary: FinTech, HealthTech
- Tertiary: Professional Services with SaaS business model

**2. Company Size (Employees)**

How big is your ideal customer?

Considerations:

- Decision-making speed (smaller = faster)
- Budget availability (larger = bigger budgets)
- Complexity (larger = more complex needs)
- Your ability to serve (do you have enterprise features?)

Example ranges:

- Micro: 1-10 employees
- Small: 11-50 employees
- Medium: 51-200 employees
- Mid-Market: 201-1,000 employees
- Enterprise: 1,000+ employees

How to determine:

- Analyze customers by employee count
- Find sweet spot where conversion, LTV, and ease of service align

Common pattern:

- Companies too small: can't afford you, high churn
- Companies too large: sales cycle too long, customization demands
- Sweet spot: Middle range where budget + speed + fit align

Example ICP: "50-200 employees (fast enough to decide, big enough to pay)"

**3. Revenue Range**

What revenue range indicates budget capacity and business maturity?

Correlates with:

- Budget availability
- Sophistication of operations
- Growth stage
- Decision-making formality

Example ranges:

- Early: <$1M ARR
- Growth: $1M-$10M ARR
- Scale: $10M-$50M ARR
- Enterprise: $50M+ ARR

How to determine:

- Analyze correlation between customer revenue and LTV
- Identify range where ROI is positive and sales cycle is acceptable

Example ICP: "$5M-$50M ARR (proven business model, budget for tools, not enterprise complexity)"

**4. Growth Stage**

What stage of growth are they in?

Stages:

- **Startup (Seed/Series A):** Scrappy, fast decisions, limited budget, high risk
- **Growth (Series B/C):** Scaling fast, breaking systems, budget available, urgent needs
- **Scale (Series D+):** Established processes, bigger budgets, slower decisions, higher standards
- **Mature:** Stable, risk-averse, long sales cycles, high expectations

Different stages have different needs:

Startup needs:

- Fast implementation
- Low cost
- Flexibility

Growth stage needs:

- Scalability
- Speed to value
- Handle rapid change

Scale stage needs:

- Enterprise features
- Security/compliance
- Integration ecosystem

How to determine:

- Which stage has the most urgent pain?
- Which stage has budget + authority?
- Which stage do you serve best?

Example ICP: "Growth stage (Series B/C) - scaling fast, systems breaking, urgent need + budget"

**5. Geographic Location**

Where are your ideal customers located?

Considerations:

- Time zone (affects support, meetings)
- Language (content, sales process)
- Regulations (compliance requirements)
- Market maturity (tech adoption)
- Go-to-market costs

Example:

- Primary: United States, Canada
- Secondary: UK, Australia
- Future: EU (when we have GDPR compliance)

**6. Technology Stack / Tools Used**

What tools do they already use? (Indicates sophistication and integration needs)

Signals:

- Using Salesforce: Enterprise-ready, budget for tools, integration needs
- Using HubSpot: Growth stage, modern stack, open to new tools
- Using Spreadsheets: Early stage or resistant to tooling

Example ICP: "Uses Salesforce/HubSpot + Slack + modern SaaS stack (tech-savvy, integration-ready)"

**7. Team Structure / Roles**

What roles exist? (Indicates sophistication and readiness)

Key roles that signal ICP fit:

- VP of Operations (signals: scale, process focus)
- Head of Revenue Operations (signals: revenue focus, data-driven)
- Head of Sales Enablement (signals: sales maturity)

Example ICP: "Has VP Operations or Head of RevOps (signals operational maturity, decision-maker present)"

**Complete B2B ICP Example**

Company Profile:

- Industry: B2B SaaS (Sales/Marketing/RevOps tools)
- Employees: 50-200
- Revenue: $5M-$50M ARR
- Stage: Series B/C (growth stage)
- Location: US, Canada, UK, Australia
- Tech Stack: Salesforce or HubSpot + modern SaaS tools
- Team: Has VP Ops or Head of RevOps

Behavioral Attributes:

- Growing >50% YoY
- Scaling team rapidly (2X headcount in 12 months)
- Outgrowing current tools
- Previous solutions: Spreadsheets to Simple tool to Now need robust platform

Situational Triggers:

- Recent funding round
- Hired VP Operations in last 6 months
- Experiencing operational chaos from growth
- Need to demonstrate ROI to board

Psychographic Attributes:

- Values: Speed, efficiency, scalability over cost savings
- Decision style: Fast (decision in <2 weeks when fit is clear)
- Risk tolerance: Moderate (will try new tools if proven)
- Buying preference: Modern SaaS, PLG-friendly, easy to adopt

Success Predictors:

- Time to value <30 days
- Multiple stakeholder buy-in
- Clear use case (not exploring)
- Budget allocated (not just "interested")

This is a complete, actionable B2B ICP.

**B2C ICP: Consumer Framework**

B2C ICP defines the type of consumer that is your ideal customer.

The 7 core consumer criteria:

**1. Life Stage**

More predictive than age alone.

Life stages:

- Young professional (early career, single)
- Established professional (mid-career, single or partnered)
- New parent (young children, time-constrained)
- Established family (older children, stable)
- Empty nester (children grown, disposable income)
- Retiree (fixed income, time-rich)

Each stage has different:

- Priorities
- Time availability
- Budget allocation
- Pain points

Example ICP: "Established professional or new parent (time-constrained, values convenience, budget available)"

**2. Values & Priorities**

What do they care about? (Module 1)

Value dimensions:

- Convenience vs cost savings
- Quality vs price
- Experiences vs possessions
- Health vs indulgence
- Status vs practicality

Example ICP: "Values convenience and time-savings over cost, willing to pay premium for quality"

**3. Behavioral Patterns**

How do they actually behave?

Purchase behavior:

- Impulse buyer vs researcher
- Brand loyal vs switcher
- Early adopter vs late majority

Usage behavior:

- Daily user vs occasional
- Heavy user vs light user
- Single-purpose vs multi-purpose

Example ICP: "Early adopter, researches before purchase, loyal once satisfied, daily user"

**4. Problem Severity**

How bad is their problem?

Severity levels:

- **Critical:** Problem causes daily pain, urgent solution needed
- **Moderate:** Problem is annoying, solution nice to have
- **Low:** Problem is minor, solution is luxury

Example ICP: "Critical problem: Daily meal planning stress, guilt about not cooking healthy, time severely constrained"

**5. Budget Capacity & Willingness**

Can they afford you? Will they pay?

Not just income:

- Income level (can they afford it?)
- Spending priorities (will they allocate budget?)
- Price sensitivity (quality vs price mindset)

Example ICP: "Household income $100K+, but more importantly: spends on quality/convenience (proven by current spending on meal delivery, premium groceries, time-saving services)"

**6. Channel Behavior**

Where do they spend time?

Discovery channels:

- Social media (which platforms?)
- Podcasts (which shows?)
- Communities (which forums/groups?)
- Search (what do they search for?)

Example ICP: "Active on Instagram (food/wellness content), listens to health/productivity podcasts, searches for meal prep solutions"

**7. Lifestyle & Constraints**

How do they live?

Time availability:

- Extremely time-constrained (works 60+ hours)
- Moderately busy (works 40-50 hours)
- Flexible schedule

Geographic lifestyle:

- Urban (walkability, delivery access)
- Suburban (car-dependent, family-focused)
- Rural (limited services, self-sufficient)

Example ICP: "Urban or suburban, works 50+ hours, values fitness/health, little time to cook, wants healthy food without effort"

**Complete B2C ICP Example**

Demographic Profile:

- Age: 28-45 (but life stage matters more)
- Life stage: Established professional or new parent
- Income: $80K+ household
- Location: Urban or suburban (major metros)
- Family: Single, partnered, or young children

Behavioral Attributes:

- Early adopter (tries new services)
- Researches before purchase (reads reviews, compares)
- Values-driven buyer (quality over price)
- Loyal when satisfied (low churn if product delivers)

Psychographic Attributes:

- Values: Health, convenience, time-savings, quality
- Priorities: Career success, family time, personal wellness
- Attitudes: Willing to pay for convenience, skeptical of marketing, wants authenticity
- Lifestyle: Time-constrained, busy professional, active/health-conscious

Problem/Need:

- **Problem:** No time to cook healthy meals, guilt about eating out/ordering unhealthy food
- **Severity:** Daily frustration, impacts health goals
- **Current solutions:** Meal delivery (too expensive), meal kits (still takes time), restaurants (unhealthy)
- **Why previous solutions failed:** Cost, time, quality trade-offs

Purchase Behavior:

- **Trigger:** New Year resolutions, new health goal, new child (time crunch)
- **Research:** 1-2 weeks (reads reviews, tries trial)
- **Decision factors:** Quality, convenience, health, reasonable price
- **Buying style:** Subscription preferred (autopilot)

Success Predictors:

- Uses service 3+ times in first week (usage indicates value)
- Positive feedback within 14 days
- Refers to friends (indicates satisfaction)

This is a complete, actionable B2C ICP.

**B2B vs B2C ICP: Key Differences**

| Dimension | B2B ICP | B2C ICP |
| :-: | :-: | :-: |
| Primary Criteria | Firmographics | Life stage + values |
| Decision-making | Committee/process | Individual/household |
| Purchase cycle | Weeks to months | Days to weeks |
| Price sensitivity | ROI-driven | Value-driven |
| Loyalty drivers | Results + service | Experience + value |
| Data sources | LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, company websites | Surveys, behavior data, social media |

Both require:

- Data validation (not assumptions)
- Specificity (not vague)
- Behavioral + psychographic attributes (not just demographics)
- Clear targeting criteria

#### LESSON 3: How to Validate Your ICP with Data and Use It to Filter Opportunities

You've built an ICP. Now you need to validate it's accurate and use it systematically.

**Part 1: ICP Validation Framework**

Most ICPs are built on assumptions. Validation proves they're correct.

**Step 1: Collect Comparative Data**

Segment your customers into three groups:

Group A: Perfect ICP Fit

- Customers who match 90%+ of ICP criteria
- Example: 15 customers match 9 out of 10 ICP attributes

Group B: Partial ICP Fit

- Customers who match 50-80% of ICP criteria
- Example: 40 customers match 5-8 out of 10 ICP attributes

Group C: Non-ICP

- Customers who match <50% of ICP criteria
- Example: 25 customers match <5 out of 10 ICP attributes

**Step 2: Compare Performance Metrics**

Calculate key metrics for each group:

| Metric | Group A (Perfect ICP) | Group B (Partial) | Group C (Non-ICP) |
| :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: |
| Conversion Rate | ? | ? | ? |
| Average Deal Size | ? | ? | ? |
| Sales Cycle (days) | ? | ? | ? |
| LTV | ? | ? | ? |
| Churn Rate (annual) | ? | ? | ? |
| CAC | ? | ? | ? |
| NPS | ? | ? | ? |
| Support Tickets/Month | ? | ? | ? |
| Time to Value (days) | ? | ? | ? |
| Expansion Revenue % | ? | ? | ? |

**Step 3: Analyze Results**

If ICP is accurate:

Group A (Perfect ICP) should significantly outperform Group C (Non-ICP):

- 2-5X higher conversion
- 2-3X higher LTV
- 50%+ faster sales cycle
- 50-70% lower churn
- Higher NPS
- Lower support costs

Example validated ICP:

| Metric | Perfect ICP | Partial ICP | Non-ICP |
| :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: |
| Conversion | 18% | 8% | 3% |
| LTV | $280K | $120K | $40K |
| Sales Cycle | 12 days | 28 days | 52 days |
| Churn | 4% | 12% | 32% |
| CAC | $4K | $6K | $10K |

Perfect ICP customers:

- Convert 6X better than non-ICP
- Worth 7X more (LTV)
- Close 4X faster
- Churn 8X less
- Cost 60% less to acquire

This ICP is validated. Focus all acquisition on Perfect ICP attributes.

If ICP is NOT accurate:

Group A doesn't significantly outperform Group C:

- Similar conversion rates
- Similar LTV
- No major differences

This means your ICP criteria aren't actually predictive. Go back to Step 1 and find different patterns.

**Step 4: Refine ICP Criteria**

If some ICP criteria don't correlate with performance, remove them.

Example:

You hypothesized "Uses Salesforce" was an ICP criterion.

Analysis shows:

- Salesforce customers: $150K LTV, 10% churn
- HubSpot customers: $180K LTV, 8% churn
- No CRM customers: $60K LTV, 30% churn

Insight: "Using a modern CRM" predicts success, but specific CRM doesn't matter.

Refined ICP: "Uses HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive" (not just Salesforce)

Continue refining until ICP criteria strongly predict performance.

**Part 2: Using ICP as a Filter**

Once validated, ICP becomes your strategic filter for every decision.

**Application 1: Lead Qualification**

Build ICP directly into your lead scoring (Course 1, Module 6).

ICP Fit Score (50 points total):

Create scoring rubric based on ICP criteria:

| ICP Criterion | Perfect Match | Partial Match | No Match |
| :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: |
| Industry | 10 points | 5 points | 0 points |
| Company Size | 10 points | 5 points | 0 points |
| Revenue Range | 10 points | 5 points | 0 points |
| Growth Stage | 10 points | 5 points | 0 points |
| Tech Stack | 5 points | 3 points | 0 points |
| Has Target Role | 5 points | 0 points | 0 points |

Lead scoring integration:

- ICP Fit Score: 0-50 points
- Interest/Engagement Score: 0-50 points (from Course 1, Module 6)
- Total Score: 0-100 points

Prioritization:

- 80-100: Perfect ICP + High Interest = Hot Lead (immediate sales contact)
- 60-79: Good ICP + Medium Interest = Qualified Lead (nurture)
- 40-59: Partial ICP = Low Priority (automated nurture)
- <40: Non-ICP = Disqualify or deprioritize

Never waste sales time on non-ICP leads, no matter how interested they seem.

**Application 2: Channel Selection**

Only invest in channels that reach your ICP.

Channel Evaluation Framework:

For each potential channel, ask:

1. **Does this channel reach our ICP?** What % of audience matches our ICP? Can we target ICP specifically or is it broad?
2. **Can we target ICP attributes?** LinkedIn Ads: Yes (company size, industry, role). Facebook Ads: Limited (interests, behaviors, but not firmographics). Industry conferences: Yes (attendees match industry criteria).
3. **What's the ICP concentration?** High concentration (>50% ICP): Invest heavily. Medium concentration (20-50% ICP): Test carefully. Low concentration (<20% ICP): Skip.

Example B2B SaaS:

ICP: Growth-stage SaaS companies, 50-200 employees

Channel evaluation:

| Channel | ICP Reach | ICP Targeting | Concentration | Decision |
| :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: |
| LinkedIn Ads | High | Precise | 60% | Invest |
| SaaStr Conference | High | Implicit | 70% | Invest |
| Google Search | Medium | Keyword-based | 30% | Test |
| Facebook Ads | Low | Interests only | <10% | Skip |
| Podcast (SaaS-focused) | High | Audience-based | 65% | Invest |

Result: Focus budget on LinkedIn, SaaStr, and SaaS podcasts. Skip Facebook.

**Application 3: Partnership Decisions**

Evaluate partnerships based on ICP overlap.

Partnership ICP Filter:

Questions to ask potential partner:

1. Who is your typical customer?
2. What industries/sizes/stages do you serve?
3. Can you share customer demographics?

Evaluate overlap:

| Our ICP | Partner's Customers | Overlap |
| :-: | :-: | :-: |
| SaaS, 50-200 employees, growth stage | SaaS, 20-100 employees, early stage | 40% overlap |

Decision:

- 70%+ overlap: Strong partnership, invest time
- 40-70% overlap: Moderate partnership, test
- <40% overlap: Poor fit, pass

**Application 4: Product Roadmap**

Filter feature requests through ICP lens.

Feature Request Evaluation:

For each feature request:

1. **Who is requesting this?** ICP customer? (High priority). Non-ICP customer? (Low priority).
2. **How many ICP customers need this?** 50%+ of ICP customers: Critical feature. 10-50% of ICP customers: Nice to have. <10% of ICP customers: Edge case.
3. **Does this move ICP customers toward better outcomes?** Yes: Build it. No: Deprioritize.

Example:

Feature Request: Advanced enterprise SSO

Analysis:

- Requested by: 2 enterprise customers (non-ICP)
- ICP customers requesting: 0 out of 50
- Impact on ICP outcomes: None (ICP doesn't need enterprise SSO)

Decision: Decline. Focus on features ICP customers actually need.

**Application 5: Competitive Positioning**

Position against competitors based on where you win with ICP.

If your ICP is different from competitors' ICP:

Don't compete head-to-head. Own your ICP.

Example:

Your ICP: Growth-stage SaaS, 50-200 employees. Competitor's ICP: Enterprise, 1,000+ employees.

Positioning: "Unlike [Enterprise Competitor], we're built for fast-growing companies that need to move quickly without enterprise complexity or enterprise pricing."

Result: You win ICP customers, they win enterprise. No direct competition.

**Part 3: ICP-Driven Go-to-Market Strategy**

Your entire GTM strategy should flow from ICP.

The flow runs from ICP to Channels to Messaging to Offers to Sales Process.

Example GTM Strategy Built from ICP:

ICP: B2B SaaS, 50-200 employees, growth stage, VP Ops recently hired, outgrowing tools

Channels (where ICP congregates):

- LinkedIn (precise targeting)
- SaaS conferences (SaaStr, SaaStock)
- Operations-focused podcasts
- RevOps communities

Messaging (speaks to ICP pain points): "Stop cobbling together spreadsheets and outdated tools. Get the operations platform built for scaling SaaS companies."

Offers (aligned with ICP buying behavior):

- Free 30-day trial (growth stage likes to test)
- Fast implementation (<2 weeks)
- Usage-based pricing (aligns with growth)

Sales Process (matches ICP decision-making):

- Fast cycle (2-week target)
- VP Ops is decision-maker (no executive committees)
- Demo to Trial to Close
- Light touch (self-service trial, sales assists)

Everything is ICP-driven.

**When to Say No**

ICP gives you power to say no.

Say NO to:

- Non-ICP leads: "This lead doesn't match our ICP." Disqualify or deprioritize.
- Non-ICP channels: "This channel doesn't reach our ICP." Don't invest.
- Non-ICP partnerships: "Your customers don't overlap with our ICP." Pass.
- Non-ICP features: "This feature doesn't serve our ICP." Don't build.
- Non-ICP pricing requests: "That pricing is for enterprise, our ICP is mid-market." Hold pricing.

Saying no to non-ICP opportunities equals saying yes to ICP focus.

Focus wins. ICP creates focus.
