How to define your ideal customer profile (ICP) for B2B prospecting
A 5-step method to define your ideal customer profile, pick the right decision-makers and turn it into a prospect list that replies.
A successful outbound campaign starts long before the first email: it starts with the question "who should we write to?". Your ICP, or ideal customer profile, is the answer. Here is how to build one for B2B, and then how to put it to work.
ICP vs buyer persona: what is the difference?
- The ICP describes the company: sector, size, location, situation. It answers the question "which companies should we target?".
- The persona describes the person you contact inside that company: role, responsibilities, problems, objections. It answers "who should we contact, and how do we win them over?".
You need both: a great-fit company approached through the wrong person will not reply.
Step 1: start from your best customers
List your ten best customers against three criteria: how much revenue they bring in, how easily they signed and how satisfied they are. For each one, note the sector, size, country, what was going on when they signed and who championed the project internally. What they have in common is the outline of your ICP.
If you are starting without customers, begin with the companies for which your offer solves the most expensive problem.
Step 2: describe your ideal company
| Criterion | Example |
|---|---|
| Sector | Manufacturing, B2B services, software companies |
| Size | 50 to 500 employees |
| Region | UK, Ireland, Benelux |
| Trigger event | Hiring sales reps, opening a new site, raising funds |
| Exclusion | Current customers, competitors, companies already equipped |
Trigger events are often the most profitable criterion: a company hiring ten sales reps has, at that precise moment, a need the others do not.
Step 3: identify the right contacts
Within the same company, several people play a part:
- the user, who lives with the problem every day;
- the decision-maker, who signs off the budget;
- the influencer, who shapes the choice (IT, procurement).
Prioritise the role that feels the problem and has the authority to act on it. In an SME, that is often the managing director; in a large company, a head of department.
Step 4: describe the problem in their words
For each persona, write one sentence describing the problem you solve, the way they would say it themselves. "Our sales reps spend too much time looking for prospects" lands far better than "sales pipeline optimisation". That sentence will become the heart of your emails.
Step 5: test, measure, adjust
An ICP is never set in stone. Run campaigns on two or three different segments, then compare the positive reply rate and the number of meetings booked for each. Then focus your volume on the segments that respond, and review your ICP every quarter.
To launch those campaigns, follow our B2B cold email guide.
Mistakes to avoid
- An ICP that is too broad ("all SMEs"), which waters down your messages.
- An ICP built only on criteria that are easy to filter (size, sector), with no buying signal.
- Forgetting exclusions, and ending up emailing your own customers or competitors.
- Never revisiting the profile in the light of your results.
Frequently asked questions
How many segments should I target at first?
Two or three, no more: enough to compare, few enough to keep your messages specific.
Do I need a different ICP for each country?
Often, yes: company sizes, job titles and outreach rules vary from one country to another.
How do I find contacts that match my ICP?
With B2B contact databases filtered by sector, size and role, combined with news and hiring signals. At Lead Matrix, our technology does this research and we validate it with you during the targeting workshop.
What is the difference between an ICP and a target market?
Your target market covers every company that could buy from you; your ICP is the subset most likely to buy quickly and stay as customers.