YOUR SITUATION
Your market is broad. Too many companies look like a fit.
A company may enter the list because its industry looks right, even when the offer or the decision process is a poor fit.
Test the criteria on an existing list or a sample of new companies. Compare fit, exclusions and reasons for priority.
02 / WHAT HAPPENS
Your definition of a good customer is broad or changes from one team member to another.
ICP means ideal customer profile: the criteria you use to decide where your offer may be relevant. Prioritisation determines what to investigate first, not who will buy.
03 / WHERE THE DIFFICULTY APPEARS
What you need to establish
Which criterion really matters to your offer, and what condition would rule a company out?
A question to start withWhich conditions are essential, which are preferences, and what would rule a company out?
04 / WHAT YOU RECEIVE
What you receive.
An ideal customer profile, inclusion and exclusion criteria, a list of signals and a prioritisation method. Each priority should be explainable using the information available.
WHAT CHANGES FOR YOUR TEAM
Your team can explain why one company comes before another.
The team uses shared criteria to decide where to start and what not to pursue yet.
WHO IT MAKES SENSE FOR
For businesses facing an overly broad market, lists that are hard to prioritise or criteria that differ from one salesperson to another.
05 / WHAT WE WORK ON
What we work on.
We start with the offer and, where available, experience with existing customers. We separate requirements from preferences: business activity, size, geography, buying process and relevant situations.
We also define exclusions. A company can look attractive on a list and still be a poor fit for how you deliver.
Then we select signals and roles worth following. We test the criteria on a sample of companies to see whether they are usable.
06 / HOW WE WORK
How we work.
A working discussion, criteria definition, testing on examples and refinement. We agree on the number of examples and the document format at the start.
07 / WHAT REMAINS TO BE CLARIFIED
An ICP match does not confirm need or interest. Conversations show whether your criteria describe relevant commercial situations.
Criteria help with selection. They do not establish a need, a budget or an intention to buy.
08 / HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE
Two companies share an industry and size. One operates in the area you can serve; the other does not. The initial filter includes both, but your criteria distinguish them.
09 / NEXT STEP
What to do next.
Apply the criteria to a small set of companies. Adjust inclusion and exclusion rules before expanding the research.