Definition
An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a description of the type of company that gets the most value from your product or service and is most likely to buy, stay and refer others.
ICP vs buyer persona
- ICP — describes the company: industry, size, location, situation.
- Buyer persona — describes the person inside it: role, goals, worries.
You need both: the ICP tells you which businesses to list; the persona tells you how to talk to the decision-maker.
What goes into an ICP
- industry or niche
- size (reviews, staff, revenue, followers)
- location
- maturity (new vs established)
- visible signals of need
- who decides
Turn it into filters
The point of an ICP is to make lists better. Each criterion should map to something you can filter: keywords, categories, locations, rating ranges, review counts, ads, MRR, subscribers. See ICP for local businesses.
Keep it evidence-based
Build it from your best existing customers, then refine it as you win and lose deals.
Example
"Independent HVAC companies in Ohio with 30–150 Google reviews, a website, and a Maps rank outside the top three for their city — usually owner-run." Every part of that maps to a filter.
Key takeaways
- An ICP describes companies; a persona describes people.
- Base it on your best customers.
- Turn every criterion into a list filter.