Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

What is an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the type of company or customer that gets the most value from your product, has the highest likelihood of success, and represents your best long-term fit. It guides teams to focus on accounts where success is most likely.

While buyer personas describe individuals, ICPs describe organizations or account characteristics.

ICP Components

Firmographic Criteria:

• Industry/vertical
• Company size (employees, revenue)
• Geography/region
• Business model (B2B, B2C, SaaS)

Technographic Criteria:

• Current tech stack
• Integration requirements
• Technical maturity

Behavioral Criteria:

• Problem urgency
• Budget availability
• Decision-making process
• Growth trajectory

Why ICP Matters for Customer Success

Customers who fit your ICP typically:

• Onboard faster and more smoothly
• Achieve value realization quicker
• Have higher retention rates
• Generate more expansion revenue
• Become better advocates

ICP-Fit vs. Bad-Fit Customers

ICP-Fit: High likelihood of success, low support burden, strong retention

Bad-Fit: Struggle to adopt, high support costs, likely to churn

Protecting the ICP during sales helps CS teams focus on customers who can actually succeed.

Creating Your ICP

1. Analyze your best customers (highest NRR, longest retention)
2. Identify common characteristics
3. Validate with sales and CS feedback
4. Document and share across teams
5. Refine based on new data