Write an ICP that actually scores
Specific enough to separate good fits from noise.
Your ideal customer profile is the input everything downstream runs from. Scoring, drafting, and which prospects reach you are all decided by it, so specificity pays off directly.
Vague versus useful
| Vague | Useful |
|---|---|
| Software companies | US software companies of 50–200 people |
| Businesses that need help | Firms where operations is a named role, not the founder's spare time |
| Anyone in manufacturing | UK manufacturers running legacy ERP, 100–500 staff |
The test: could someone read your profile and correctly reject a company? If not, it is not a profile, it is a category.
What to include
- Industry and size — the coarse filter.
- Geography — if it matters to you, say so; it will not be inferred.
- The role you sell to — not the company, the person.
- The trigger — what makes a company a fit now. A recent hire, a launch, a stated problem.
That last one is what separates a list you can open conversations with from a list you cannot.
Steps
- Open Prospecting.
- Write the profile. Keep several if you sell to distinct segments — each runs independently and keeps its own results.
- Point the profile at the campaign its strong matches should enroll into.
You're done when a scored list contains companies you would have picked by hand, and excludes ones you would not.
Gotchas
- A vague profile produces vague scores. "Software companies" matches everyone, so everything scores medium and the ranking tells you nothing.
- Several narrow profiles beat one wide one. They score independently and you can tell which segment is actually working.