Page 77 · Module 03, Know Your Market · this screen continues that page
All 108 frameworksIdeal Customer Profile (ICP)
Your conversion rates are low, your sales cycles are long, and your customers vary wildly in
The prompt
Copy & paste readyLabelsReplace theseSwap the role below
Pro tip, from the book
Define your negative ICP with the same rigour as your positive one. The accounts that look like perfect fits but churn in 90 days have a pattern. Ask AI to help you find it. Disqualifying bad-fit accounts early is more valuable than closing them, a churned customer costs you more than a lost deal.
Who should run this prompt
Module role profileWho should read your competitive landscape? Every market looks different depending on where you are standing. A market researcher sees data. A competitor's strategist sees opportunity. A customer sees none of your positioning — only their own problem. Use this page to choose the right lens before drawing any conclusions about the market you operate in.
Choose any role to drop it into the prompt above. Only the highlighted opening clause changes — the rest of the prompt stays exactly as printed.
◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist◈ outside the organisation
How to make any role sharper
- Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
- Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
- Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
Use this when
The problem it solveshow much they value your product. You're spending equal time on accounts that become long-term partners and accounts that churn in 90 days.
How the framework works
From the printed pageThe Ideal Customer Profile defines the specific type of company or individual who will get the most value from your product, buy fastest, pay most, and stay longest. It is not a target audience, it is a precise description of your best-fit customer based on firmographic, behavioural, and situational criteria. Building sales and marketing around your ICP dramatically improves conversion, reduces churn, and focuses your team on the accounts most likely to grow.
The method, in four moves
Do these in orderStart by analysing your existing best customers, look for patterns in industry, size, role, and problem.
Define your ICP in at least five dimensions: industry, company size, role, trigger event, and outcome sought.
Build a negative ICP too, the profile that looks like a fit but consistently disappoints.
Review and update your ICP every six months as you learn more from real customers. Stop selling to everyone. Start selling to the right one. The most common ICP mistake is building from assumptions rather than interviewing your 10 best customers. They will tell you exactly why they bought and what they'd lose without you. Your assumptions will be wrong.
Where the framework comes from
B2B sales and marketing best practice — ICP methodology widely adopted 2010s
Pairs well with
As printed with this frameworkModule 03 — Know Your Market
See your competitive landscape clearly before you move.
10 frameworks, printed on pages 70–89.
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