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ICP

Also: Ideal Customer Profile

A description of the specific kind of customer your product fits best, precise enough that it rules people out.

An ICP is useful in direct proportion to how many potential customers it excludes. "Small businesses that value efficiency" excludes nobody and therefore guides nothing.

A working one changes decisions: which channel you spend time in, which feature requests you decline, what the landing page says. If your ICP has never caused you to say no to something, it isn't doing its job.

Distinct from a persona, though the terms get used interchangeably: the ICP describes the *account or segment* worth selling to, the persona describes the *human* who uses and buys.

Where this comes up

Project types where this term stops being vocabulary and starts being a decision you have to make.

MarketingCustomer PersonaBuild a sharp, evidence-based profile of the specific person who buys and uses your product — so anyone on your team knows exactly who you're building for.20 steps · ends in a document
Business PlanningMarket SegmentationIdentify which markets you could serve, narrow to the segment most worth pursuing first, and build the case for why that's the right beachhead.19 steps · ends in a document
MarketingChannel ScorecardCompare your candidate marketing channels side by side — scored on reach, cost, effort, and your own unfair advantages — and pick the one or two that earn your next 90 days.20 steps · ends in a document
MarketingGo-to-Market StrategyDefine how you'll reach and convert your first meaningful customer cohort — with a clear channel strategy, a sales motion, and a realistic path from zero to traction.20 steps · ends in a document