Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Quick definition

A detailed description of the type of company that gets the most value from your product or service, and from which you get the most value.

Detailed explanation

An Ideal Customer Profile is the foundation of every successful B2B sales strategy. It describes not only demographic characteristics such as company size and industry, but also psychographic traits such as pain points, goals, and decision-making processes. A good ICP helps you focus your sales and marketing efforts on the companies where you have the most success. This leads to higher conversion rates, shorter sales cycles, and better customer retention.

Synonyms

Target customer profilePerfect customer

Examples

1

A SaaS company defines their ICP as: "B2B software companies with 50-200 employees, €5-20M revenue, active in Netherlands/Belgium, with an existing CRM but without automated sales processes."

2

A consultancy focuses on: "Family businesses in manufacturing, 2nd or 3rd generation, 100-500 employees, struggling with digitalization and new market development."

When to use this?

Use an ICP when setting up your outbound sales strategy, optimizing your marketing budget, or helping your sales team identify and approach the right prospects.

Match-day approach

At Match-day, we start every project with a thorough ICP workshop. We analyze your current customer base, identify patterns among your best clients, and translate this into concrete search criteria for LinkedIn and other prospecting systems. Your ICP becomes a living document that we continue to refine based on conversion data.

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Related terms

Strategy

Buyer Persona

A semi-fictional profile of your ideal individual buyer, based on market research and real customer data.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)(ABM)

A strategic approach where marketing and sales collaborate to target specific high-value accounts with personalized campaigns.

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)(ICP)