An ideal customer profile (ICP) describes the kind of company that is a strong fit for your offer. In B2B sales, it combines the problem you solve with practical criteria such as company size, business model, location, and operating needs. It helps you decide which accounts to research—and which to leave out.
ICP, buyer persona, or buying signal?
They answer different questions. Keep them separate so a recent event does not distract you from whether you can actually help.
- ICP · Which company?
- A self-serve B2B software company with 20–200 employees. These are account-level fit criteria.
- Buyer persona · Which person?
- A Head of Product responsible for activation. This suggests someone to learn from, not proof of purchasing authority.
- Buying signal · Why now?
- A new self-serve launch and an open activation-design role. These suggest a timely question, not a confirmed need for an agency.
Our buying-signals guide explains how to check the event, its source, and its relevance before reaching out.
A six-field ICP worksheet.
Start with the offer, then work outward. The example below is for a fictional design studio selling onboarding sprints; adapt the fields to what you can deliver.
Problem and outcome
What recurring problem can you solve, and what would improve?
Example: Help self-serve B2B software teams improve the journey from signup to first value.
Company characteristics
Which business model, size, and location can you serve well?
Example: B2B software companies in India with 20–200 employees.
Operating requirements
What must already be true for your offer to work?
Example: A live self-serve product and a team able to implement design changes.
Exclusions
Which conditions make the account unsuitable, even if it looks promising?
Example: Exclude businesses without a live product or those seeking only a permanent hire.
People to learn from
Which roles own the problem, and who else influences the decision?
Example: Start with the Head of Product; confirm the decision process rather than assuming it.
Evidence and unknowns
What supports each criterion, and what still needs a conversation?
Example: Check the company site and product signup. Record the source and review date; ask about budget and outside support.
Three offers. Three different profiles.
These are illustrative profiles from our interactive demo, using fictional companies. The team sizes are sample targeting choices, not benchmarks.
Design studio
Offer: Onboarding & activation sprints.
Sample ICP: B2B software companies in India with 20–200 employees and a self-serve product.
Still unknown: Whether the team wants an outside design partner, has budget, or already has the work covered.
RevOps consultancy
Offer: CRM setup & sales handoffs.
Sample ICP: B2B SaaS companies in India with 50–250 employees, using HubSpot and expanding their sales team.
Still unknown: Whether the current process needs work, whether another partner is involved, or whether external support is a priority.
Recruiting agency
Offer: Specialist engineering hiring.
Sample ICP: Fintech software companies in India with 30–150 employees and multiple open backend engineering roles.
Still unknown: Whether agencies are accepted, which roles need support, and whether an internal recruiting team is already handling them.
Try these businesses in the interactive example to see the company profile, source extracts, fit checks, and a suggested first message.
How do you know the profile is useful?
- Start with evidence. If you have customers, examine who gets value, what they needed, and where delivery was difficult. A memorable logo is not enough to define a segment.
- Research a small sample. Write down which criteria you can verify from public sources and which require an interview. Keep unknown values as unknown; do not turn them into a fit score.
- Talk to the people doing the work. Ask how they handle the problem now, what a change would involve, and whether the outcome you offer matters.
- Review what happened. Track qualified conversations and delivery fit, alongside why accounts were ruled out. A reply alone does not validate an ICP.
- Revise deliberately. Record what changed and why. Keep different offers in separate profiles if their requirements conflict.
A useful profile makes it easier to say both “worth exploring” and “not for us.” It stays a working hypothesis until your research and customer experience support it.
Turn the profile into a GTM play.
Use the ICP to set the account boundaries, a signal to investigate timing, and a relevant question to open the conversation. Our GTM play guide connects those pieces into a repeatable process.
In Cnvrted, describe your target customer to Orka and review the companies and context it returns. Check the evidence before choosing whom to contact. Book a GTM demo if you want to work through your own market with the team.
