Step 2. Defining Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

If you're the CEO or Founder who's been doing most of the selling at your company, you probably know or have a good idea of what your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) looks like. To build consistent messaging and targeting, make sure everyone on your team knows who to sell to and what to say. It doesn't matter how good your team of sellers is or how good your product is, if they are attempting to sell it to the wrong person or company, you won't get any traction. Plus, you'll waste a lot of time and money. Let's define your ICP. Below are the questions you need to ask yourself: - What are the ideal characteristics of my best customers? - Where did they learn about us? - What’s their employee/department size, revenue, and industry? - Is purchasing my product a group effort? - Who makes the buying decisions in this group? - On average, how long did they take to close from the date of your first meeting? - What do they all have in common? Going through this exercise will sharpen your prospect focus, shorten your sales cycle, and increase revenues. Before you have your salespeople call anyone, they should know your ICP. One other thing: You may get some sales from a great Salesperson to a Prospect that doesn't fit your ICP, or really won't get much use out of your product. In the end, you will not have a long-term relationship with this customer and may end up with a bad reference. Don't stray. Stay focused. Your Sales Playbook has an ICP section. Feel free to add your own criteria. This video shows how to define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) so your team stops chasing bad fits and starts booking meetings that close. You’ll get a simple method to map firmographics, roles, trigger events, and problem sets that match your product. A clear ICP lifts win rates, shortens sales cycles, and cuts CAC. It sharpens messaging, improves qualification, and reduces demo no-shows. It also guides pricing, packaging, and your outbound list build. Founders leading sales and fractional sales leadership teams use ICPs to focus pipeline on deals that stick and renew. 3 Biggest Takeaways 1, Documentation is key for scaling: While a founder or CEO often inherently knows their best customers, new sales hires do not. Defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) in a shared sales playbook prevents team members from "flailing" and wasting resources on the wrong leads. 2. Identify common characteristics: A strong ICP is built by researching your most successful existing customers to find commonalities in industry, employee size, revenue, and other specific traits. 3. Laser focus equals efficiency: Being strict about calling only on prospects that fit the ICP protects your "sweet spot." Attempting to sell to everyone is a waste of time and money, whereas sticking to the profile ensures you don't leave your best potential deals on the table. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Q. What is an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)? A. An ICP is a detailed description of the type of company or customer that gets the most value from your product or service and, in return, provides the most value to your business. It is the "sweet spot" where your sales team should focus all their efforts. Q. Why can't I just let my sales team sell to anyone who is interested? A. Allowing salespeople to chase every lead is often a "total waste of time and money." While you might occasionally close a deal outside your ICP, you will lose far more opportunities by not focusing on the prospects most likely to convert and remain loyal customers. Q. How do I begin defining my ICP if I’ve been the main salesperson? A. Start by looking at your current best customers. Analyze what they have in common—such as their industry, company size, or specific needs—and use those shared characteristics to build your profile. Q. Where should the ICP be stored for the team to access? A. The ICP should be a dedicated section within your sales playbook. This ensures that every current and future member of your sales team has a clear, documented reference for who they should be targeting. Q. Should I ever pursue a lead that falls outside the ICP? A. While outliers happen, you should be "very strict" about your team sticking to the defined ICP. Consistency in targeting ensures your team isn't distracted by low-probability leads and stays focused on where your business actually comes from. Don't see your question? Ask me in a LinkedIn DM.