ICP Builder Worksheet

Most outbound campaigns fail before the first email ships. They target everyone, so they resonate with no one. A defined ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) is the difference between 1% reply rates and 6% reply rates. This worksheet walks through the 12 fields Xpand uses to lock in ICP definitions for outbound and ABM clients.

Part 1: Firmographic fields (5)

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  Industry (use 2-4 specific verticals)

  Not 'B2B SaaS'. 'vertical SaaS for healthcare staffing,' 'AI infrastructure for fintech,' etc.

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  Company size by headcount

  Specify a range, e.g. 50-500 employees. Not 'mid-market.'

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  Annual revenue range (ARR for SaaS)

  1-10M ARR, 10-50M ARR, etc. Mismatch here is the most common targeting error.

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  Geography (cities, countries, or regions)

  Be specific. 'GCC' is too broad, 'UAE + KSA' is targetable.

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  Stage / funding (if applicable)

  Series A-B, post-PMF, bootstrapped, post-acquisition. Affects messaging and budget cycles.

Part 2: Technographic fields (3)

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  Tech stack signals

  Specific tools your ICP uses: 'HubSpot + Apollo' or 'Salesforce + Outreach + Gong.' Use BuiltWith or Apollo intent data to verify.

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  Tech stack anti-signals

  Tools that disqualify a prospect. 'Uses Mailchimp for sales' might mean too small.

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  Recent technology change events

  New CRM rollout, marketing automation switch, AI adoption. these are buying triggers.

Part 3: Decision-maker fields (2)

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  Primary decision-maker title

  Be precise: 'VP of Demand Gen' beats 'marketing leader.' Apollo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator filter on exact titles.

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  Influencer / champion title

  The person who carries your message internally. Often a layer below the buyer. Senior Manager, Director, Head Of, etc.

Part 4: Trigger events (2)

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  Recent trigger events that signal need

  Funding round, new exec hire, expansion into a new market, hiring spree for the role you serve, layoffs.

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  Persistent trigger signals

  Job posts open for 30+ days, bad Glassdoor reviews about a process, public comments about a problem.

Part 5: Elimination criteria (5 disqualifiers)

List 5 conditions that immediately remove a prospect even if they match the firmographic profile. This is where most ICP definitions are weakest. and where waste happens.

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  Disqualifier 1 (e.g. company is in growth-stage acquisition mode)
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  Disqualifier 2 (e.g. uses competing solution under contract for 12+ months)
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  Disqualifier 3 (e.g. has internal team of 5+ already doing what you offer)
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  Disqualifier 4 (e.g. located in a market you cannot operationally serve)
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  Disqualifier 5 (e.g. budget cycle does not match your sales cycle)

How to validate your ICP

1. 1
   Export your last 100 closed-won deals
2. 2
   Tag each deal against the 12 fields

   How many actually match your stated ICP?

3. 3
   Find the 3 fields with highest variance

   These are your real ICP signals. The fields with low variance are probably noise.

4. 4
   Rewrite the ICP using the 3 high-variance fields as the core

   Add the firmographic fields as filters, not core identity.

5. 5
   Run a 30-day outbound test against the new ICP definition

   Track reply rate and meeting-booked rate week over week.

Industry: Vertical SaaS. fintech, healthtech, legaltech
Company size: 50-500 FTE
ARR: $5M-$50M
Geography: US, UK, Canada
Tech stack signals: HubSpot + Apollo OR Salesforce + Outreach
Tech stack anti-signals: Mailchimp as sole sales tool (too small)
Decision-maker title: VP Demand Gen, Head of Demand Gen, CMO
Influencer title: Senior Manager Demand Gen, Director Growth
Trigger events: Series B+ funding in last 90 days, new CMO hire, MQL→SQL leak public on Glassdoor

Disqualifiers:
1. Recently signed 12-month contract with named competitor
2. In-house team of 5+ already running outbound
3. Less than $5M ARR (CAC math does not work)
4. Public-sector or heavily regulated procurement cycle
5. Founder still owns demand gen (not delegating yet)