What an ICP is
An ideal customer profile describes the businesses that get the most value from you and are most likely to buy. It isn't a persona with a made-up name; it's a set of criteria you can filter on.
Criteria for local businesses
- Niche: which categories? (e.g. roofers, plumbers)
- Location: where can you serve or sell?
- Size: review count, number of locations, staff
- Maturity: years in business, website present
- Signals: the problem you solve, visible in data (few reviews, no booking, no website, active ads)
- Decision-maker: owner-operated vs managed
Look at your best clients
List your five best clients and note what they share: niche, size, where they were when you started. That pattern is your ICP. If you're new, choose the niche where you have the most knowledge or results.
Turn it into filters
| ICP criterion | Prospect Cheap filter |
|---|---|
| Niche | keywords and category |
| Location | locations searched, city/state columns |
| Size | review count, followers, subscribers |
| Signal | rating, no website, has ads, launch date |
| Decision-maker reachable | has owner name, has email |
Fill-in template
We help [niche] in [locations] with [size range] who [visible problem] to [result]. The decision-maker is usually [role].
Example: "We help independent roofing companies in Florida with 20–150 reviews who aren't in the top 3 on Maps get more storm-season calls. The decision-maker is usually the owner."
Review it every quarter
Your ICP sharpens as you win and lose deals. Update the filters you use and your lists improve with it.