By far, the biggest mistake SaaS founders make is thinking everyone can use their product. It’s the fastest way to waste time on bad leads, weak messaging, and confused sales calls.

You need an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) — a clear, detailed description of exactly who your product is built for. When you nail your ICP, your outreach, content, and product decisions become 10x easier.

Here’s a step-by-step framework to help you build yours (and avoid the pain of chasing the wrong customers).

What Is an ICP?

Your Ideal Customer Profile is a detailed description of the type of company or person who is most likely to buy your product, use it consistently, and stick around.

It’s not just demographics — it’s about fit, pain, and purchase power.

A good ICP helps you:

• Find better leads

• Craft sharper messaging

• Close deals faster

• Reduce churn

Here is an Example of a Well Constructed ICP

Why is This a Good ICP?

This ICP is specific and actionable. It clearly defines company size, revenue, and industry, so targeting is easy. It identifies a clear buyer (VP of Sales) and supporting influencers, which helps streamline outreach.

The pain point is real and urgent. Lost deals and wasted time due to messy sales processes can be measured and quantified. It also points to where these customers spend time, making marketing channels obvious.

Most importantly, the product directly solves their problem. This makes the ICP focused, practical, and immediately usable.

How to Build Your ICP

Define the customer profile:
Company size, revenue, industry, location, job titles, technical level, and whether they’re a decision-maker or influencer.

Identify the buyer and decision process:
Be sure you know who can approve the purchase, who else is involved, and what objections they may have.

Define their pain:
Write down the specific problem they face, why it’s painful enough to pay for, and what they’re currently doing to solve it.

Know where they spend time:
Identify online communities, social platforms, content sources, and events where your customers hang out.

Create a target list:
Start by listing real companies and then find the people (On LinkedIn) who fit your profile to test if your ICP is workable.

Common ICP Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many SaaS founders make avoidable mistakes when defining their Ideal Customer Profile. Here are the most common ones and how to fix them:

Being too broad
Targeting “any SaaS company” or “any sales team.”
Solution: Narrow your ICP to a specific industry, company size, and problem.

Confusing ICP with buyer persona
Your ICP is the type of company. A buyer persona is the person inside that company.
Solution: Define both separately. You sell to a company but speak to a person.

Ignoring internal blockers
Founders often focus only on the decision-maker and forget who else is involved.
Solution: Map out everyone, including influencers, blockers, finance, and legal.

Focusing on demographics, not pain
Listing company size and revenue isn’t enough.
Solution: Define the specific problem your product solves. Everything else supports that.

Not updating your ICP as you grow
Many founders define their ICP once and never revisit it.
Solution: Revisit and refine your ICP regularly based on data and feedback.

How to Put Your ICP to Work

Once you’ve defined your ICP, don’t let it sit in a doc no one reads. Put it to work immediately:

• Use it to filter your outbound leads and sales pipeline. If a prospect doesn’t fit your ICP, don’t chase them.

• Shape your messaging around their pain points and language. Every landing page, cold email, and sales deck should speak directly to this customer.

• Focus your content, partnerships, and promotions where your ICP spends time — the communities, events, and platforms you listed.

• Revisit your ICP every quarter. As you learn more from real customers, keep tightening and refining it.

Your ICP isn’t a one-time exercise.

It’s an operating tool that ensures every sales, marketing, and product decision is focused on the right customers—the ones who will buy, stay, and grow with you.

Download This ICP Development Guide

If you need more help, you can use this guide to develop your ICP. Just make a copy of the Google doc and start filling it out.

Prompt Trend of the Week: Action Figures

You’ve seen it everywhere: founders, influencers, even your neighborhood barista have all been reimagined as plastic-clamshell-packaged icons of hustle.

These action figure-style images are blowing up because they blend nostalgia, internet-core aesthetics, and hyper-specific archetype. Oh, and they are hilarious.

Here is a prompt you can use to make your own:

"An action figure in a plastic toy package, like a classic 90s collectible. The figure is wearing a [type of clothing] and holding a [object in hand]. Accessories include [accessory 1], [accessory 2], and [accessory 3]. The packaging says '[edition name]' with bold colors and [theme/vibe] vibes. Stylized, professional lighting, realistic toy texture, on [background style]. Use this photo [attach a headshot] for the face."

Ready to apply this to your SaaS?

You can read all the growth playbooks in the world, but if you’re not turning these steps into real customers, you’re just spinning your wheels.

That’s why I created Vibe Your SaaS — a hands-on, tactical coaching program built for technical SaaS founders who want to stop guessing and start growing.

• I’ll help you define your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

• Build your first real marketing plan

• Launch a campaign that actually drives leads

• And stop wasting months “planning” without results

Spots are limited.
If you’re serious about growing your SaaS, book a free intro call here → Schedule an intro all now. Let’s vibe.