The 7 Deadly Sins When Building Your ICP

Personal beliefs aside, there’s a surefire way to ensure your ICP falls short of its potential. These aren’t just minor mistakes; they’re so critical to your strategy that they’re best described as sins. Fall into these traps, and you risk losing valuable prospects, derailing your strategy, and limiting your company’s growth potential. Let’s dive into what these sins are and how to avoid them.

1. The Sin of Assumption: Relying Solely on Intuition

Basing your ICP on gut feelings alone may seem efficient. But, it’s a surefire way to miss the mark. Intuition without data leads to insights that don’t reflect reality.

Why It Matters:
Data-driven ICPs are grounded in reality. They provide a strategy that can be tested, validated, and effectively adopted by all teams. Without data, your ICP is nothing more than guesswork.

2. The Sin of Neglect: Ignoring Existing Customers

Your current customers are a goldmine of insights. Focusing exclusively on attracting new business while ignoring your existing base is a wasted opportunity.

Why It Matters:
Existing customers can reveal patterns in needs, behaviors, and purchasing habits that sharpen your ICP.

3. The Sin of Stagnation: Using Outdated Information

Customer preferences, market conditions, and competitive landscapes change constantly. Using stale data is a surefire way to miss opportunities and stay behind the competition.

Why It Matters:
An up-to-date ICP ensures you’re targeting prospects who align with today’s market dynamics, not yesterday’s trends.

4. The Sin of Oversimplification: Focusing Too Much on Demographics

Demographics like industry, company size, and location provide a starting point, but they don’t tell the whole story. Overemphasizing these metrics creates a shallow profile.

Why It Matters:
Deeper insights into behaviors, challenges, and goals drive more precise targeting and messaging, setting you apart from competitors.

5. The Sin of Shortsightedness: Overlooking the Buying Committee

In B2B sales, decisions rarely rest on a single person. Failing to account for the broader buying committee means missing key influencers and blockers.

Why It Matters:
A B2B purchase typically involves 6-10 decision-makers. Without addressing all stakeholders, deals are more likely to stall or fall apart.

6. The Sin of Complacency: Neglecting to Validate Your ICP

An ICP isn’t a "set-it-and-forget-it" tool. Without validation, your profile could be full of issues that undermine your entire GTM strategy.

Why It Matters:
Testing your ICP ensures it reflects reality, enabling you to pivot as needed and focus on the right opportunities.

7. The Sin of Isolation: Building Your ICP in a Silo

Creating an ICP without input from sales, marketing, and customer success leads to a profile that reflects narrow perspectives and fails to address the full customer journey.

Why It Matters:
Cross-functional collaboration ensures your ICP captures insights from every stage of the customer lifecycle. Without this input, you risk creating a profile that’s misaligned with what is happening on the frontlines. A shared ICP fosters alignment and drives better outcomes across all teams.

The Takeaway

Avoiding these 7 deadly sins starts with a commitment to precision, adaptability, and continuous improvement. Steer clear of these pitfalls, and you’ll build a profile that doesn’t just guide your strategy but powers your success.