Chapter 01
Define an ICP that actually works
Why it matters
A vague ICP produces vague lists. “Tech SMBs in Europe” is not an ICP, it’s a directory.
The method
- Start from your 10 best customers: size, industry, buying trigger, who signed.
- Look for what they had in common right before buying, not just their profile.
- Also write an anti-ICP: accounts that look like customers but never sign.
Here are my 10 best customers with, for each, industry, size, the signer’s role and what triggered the purchase: [paste]. Find the common patterns, propose an ICP in 5 criteria that can be checked on LinkedIn, then an anti-ICP in 3 criteria. Flag any criterion too vague to use.