Icp research

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ICP research skill

Generate ideal customer profiles for B2B SaaS clients through systematic research and structured output.

Report structure

The final ICP report follows this numbered section order:

Section	Purpose
Header	Research date, website, category, confidence score (1-5)
1. Executive summary	High-level synthesis of findings and strategic recommendations
2. TAM analysis	Market sizing with targeting strategy per layer (TAM/SAM/SOM/ICP)
3. Firmographics analysis	Geographic, industry, company segment patterns, and technographics
4. Roles and personas	Core use case, Champion deep-dive, Economic Buyer deep-dive, buying journey
5. Negative ICP	Who is NOT a fit, disqualification criteria, and red flags
6. Customer proof points	Named customers, outcomes, and evidence with URLs
7. Voice of customer synthesis	Language patterns, pain points, and outcome terminology
8. ICP segment definitions	Scoring matrix, in-market signals, segment deep-dives
9. Intent signals and buying triggers	Observable signals indicating purchase readiness
10. Recommendations	Prioritization and messaging by segment
11. Data gaps	Missing information and follow-up suggestions
12. Source appendix	All sources with access dates, URLs, and confidence levels

Confidence score calculation: Count High/Medium/Low data points. Score 5 if >70% High, Score 4 if >50% High, Score 3 if mixed, Score 2 if >50% Low, Score 1 if >70% Low.

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Output dimensions

Research produces structured outputs across multiple dimensions. See references/dimension-schemas.md for complete field definitions.

TAM analysis

Market opportunity sizing with explicit methodology, assumptions, and targeting strategy.

Field	Description
TAM summary	Rich paragraph explaining total addressable market with methodology
TAM calculation table	Metric, value, source/basis, and targeting strategy for each layer
ICP row	Below SOM: highest priority segment based on research findings
Assumptions	Documented assumptions underlying each estimate

TAM table structure:

Metric	Value	Source/Basis	Targeting strategy
TAM	$XB	[Methodology]	Long-term market awareness and category leadership
SAM	$XM	[Qualification]	Segment-specific campaigns and channel strategy
SOM	$XM	[Capture estimate]	Direct sales and targeted ABM
ICP	$XM	[Research findings]	Highest-priority accounts for immediate focus

Firmographics

Company attributes that define ideal customers with segment deep-dives.

Field	Description
Geography summary	Paragraph with regional patterns and evidence
Geography table	Regions sorted by concentration, with URL + date evidence
Industry summary	Paragraph explaining vertical patterns
Industry table	Industries sorted by presence, with URL + date evidence
Company segments summary	Paragraph describing size/stage patterns
Segments table	Enterprise → Mid-market → SMB → Startup
Segment deep-dives	For each segment: Priorities, ICP-fit, Budget & sales cycle, Unique approach, Proof points
Technographics	Required tools, integrations, and tech stack indicators
Adjacent stack	Common tools and integrations

Company segment deep-dive structure:

For each segment (Enterprise, Mid-market, SMB), include:

• Priorities: Key priorities within today's market trends and dynamics
• ICP-fit: Why this segment is a good fit for our product
• Budget & sales cycle: Spending power and typical cycle length
• Unique approach: How we target this segment uniquely
• Proof points: Stats of impact from representatives with URLs and dates

Technographics

Required technology prerequisites and common stack patterns. This section identifies tools that indicate fit or readiness.

Category	Purpose
CRM	Customer relationship management (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
E-commerce	Commerce platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce)
Marketing automation	Email and automation (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Braze, Marketo)
CDP	Customer data platforms (Segment, mParticle, Rudderstack)
Analytics	Product and web analytics (Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, Posthog)
Cloud	Infrastructure providers (AWS, Azure, GCP, Vercel)
Data warehouse	Data storage (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks)
ERP	Enterprise resource planning (SAP, NetSuite, Oracle)
Communication	Team communication (Slack, Microsoft Teams)
Project management	Work management (Jira, Asana, Monday, Linear)

Technographics table structure:

Category	Required/Preferred	Common tools	Why it matters	Evidence
[Category]	Required	[Tool names]	[Product dependency or integration]	[Source] ([URL], [Date])
[Category]	Preferred	[Tool names]	[Better fit or faster time-to-value]	[Source] ([URL], [Date])

Personas

Who buys and uses the product, with explicit Champion and Economic Buyer deep-dives.

Field	Description
Persona overview	Rich paragraph summarizing buying committee structure
Personas table	Sorted: Champion → Economic Buyer → User → Influencer
Core use case	Business process definition with steps, scenarios, alternatives, drivers, outcomes
Champion deep-dive	Explicit template for the person who drives evaluation
Economic Buyer deep-dive	Explicit template for the person who controls budget
User deep-dive(s)	Additional personas who use the product daily
Use cases by role	Champion first, then by seniority
Alternatives mentioned	Competitors and substitutes with URLs
Buying journey	Champion → Economic Buyer → User columns

Core use case structure:

• Use case statement: 1-2 sentences defining the business process
• Key steps: Numbered steps in the process
• Core scenarios: 3-4 typical scenarios
• Current alternatives: Competitors, Manual, DIY approaches
• Business drivers: What drives the need
• Desired outcomes: What success looks like

Champion deep-dive structure (12 fields):

The Champion is the person who feels the pain daily, drives the evaluation, and advocates internally for the solution.

1. Titles: Title variations with context (e.g., "Manager of X, Senior Y, Lead Z")
2. Department & team size: Where they sit and typical team structure
3. Responsibilities: Key responsibilities in paragraph form (2-3 sentences)
4. Jobs to be done: 3-5 product-agnostic jobs they're trying to accomplish
5. Success metrics / KPIs: How they're measured and what success looks like
6. Challenges: Things that make their job harder (obstacles they struggle with)
7. Pain points: Problems that hurt them directly (negative impact they feel)
8. Current alternatives: How they currently achieve goals without this product
9. Problems with alternatives: Specific issues with current approach
10. Buying behavior: How they typically discover and evaluate solutions
11. Channels & influences: Communities, content, events, and influencers they trust
12. Testimonial: Verbatim quote from case study with name, title, company, and description of product usage

Economic Buyer deep-dive structure (13 fields):

The Economic Buyer is the person who controls budget and makes the final purchasing decision.

1. Titles: Title variations with context (e.g., "VP of X, Director of Y, Head of Z")
2. Department & team size: Where they sit, reporting structure, direct reports
3. Responsibilities: Key responsibilities in paragraph form (2-3 sentences)
4. Jobs to be done: 3-5 business-level jobs they're trying to accomplish
5. Success metrics / KPIs: Business metrics they're accountable for
6. Challenges: Business-level obstacles they face
7. Pain points: Business impacts that create urgency
8. What they actually care about: Beyond stated concerns — what drives decisions
9. Common objections: Typical pushback during sales process
10. What a "no-brainer" looks like: Conditions that make approval easy
11. Buying behavior: How they evaluate and approve purchases
12. Channels & influences: Where they get information and who they trust
13. Testimonial: Verbatim quote from case study with name, title, company

Negative ICP

Identifying who is NOT a fit helps sales disqualify quickly and avoid bad-fit deals.

Field	Description
Disqualification criteria	Table of attributes that indicate poor fit
Red flags	Warning signs from churned or unsuccessful customers
Objection patterns	Objections that signal poor fit vs. legitimate concerns

Intent signals and buying triggers

Observable events or behaviors indicating a company or persona is more likely to buy now.

Field	Description
Overview	Paragraph explaining signal detection strategy
Company-level signals	Events at the organization level
Persona-level signals	Behaviors from individual buyers
Signal sources	Where to detect each signal

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Sorting rules

Apply consistent sorting across all tables:

Dimension	Sort order
Decision role	Champion → Economic Buyer → User → Influencer
Company size	Enterprise → Mid-market → SMB → Startup
Frequency	Very high → High → Medium → Low
Confidence	High → Medium → Low
Customer concentration	High → Medium → Low
Priority	1 → 2 → 3 → 4
Industry presence	Strong → Moderate → Emerging

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Rich description requirements

Every section must include contextual paragraphs, not just tables. All evidence must include URL and access date.

Minimum requirements

Section	Required prose
Each macro section (1-12)	Opening paragraph (3-5 sentences) summarizing findings
Each industry vertical	2-3 sentences explaining why this industry fits and evidence
Each company segment	Deep-dive with Priorities, ICP-fit, Budget & sales cycle, Unique approach, Proof points
Champion persona	Full deep-dive with all 12 fields including Channels & influences
Economic Buyer persona	Full deep-dive with all 13 fields including Channels & influences
Core use case	Full definition with steps, scenarios, alternatives, drivers, outcomes
Each ICP segment	Deep-dive with Priorities, ICP-fit, Budget & sales cycle, Unique approach, Proof points
Negative ICP	Disqualification criteria, red flags, and objection patterns
Intent signals	Company-level and persona-level signals with detection sources
Data gaps	Paragraph explaining impact of missing data and mitigation

Paragraph quality checklist

• Opens with the key insight, not setup
• Includes specific evidence (names, numbers, sources)
• Includes URL and date for all evidence
• Explains the "so what" — why this matters
• Avoids generic language that could apply to any company

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Workflow

Phase 1: Data extraction

1. Discover key pages

   Fetch: [domain]/customers OR /case-studies OR /success-stories
   Fetch: [domain]/solutions OR /use-cases OR /industries
   Fetch: [domain]/pricing
   Fetch: [domain]/integrations OR /partners
   Search: site:[domain] case study testimonial
   Search: site:g2.com "[company]" reviews
   Search: site:linkedin.com "[company]" hiring [relevant role]
   

2. Extract raw data per source (record URL and date for each):

   • Customer names and logos
   • Job titles and roles mentioned
   • Industry and company size indicators
   • Quantified outcomes and stats
   • Verbatim quotes and pain point language
   • Use case descriptions and workflows
   • Tech stack and integrations
   • Community and content references

3. Normalize attributes

   Attribute	Normalization rules
   Geography	Map to: US, North America, EMEA, APAC, LATAM, Global
   Industry	Use standard verticals: SaaS, E-commerce, Finance, Healthcare, etc.
   Company size	Revenue bands: <$1M, $1-10M, $10-50M, $50-100M, $100M+
   Team size	Employee bands: 1-10, 11-50, 51-200, 201-500, 501-1000, 1000+
   Tech stack	Category + tool name: CRM (Salesforce), CDP (Segment)

Phase 2: Analysis and synthesis

For each segment (by industry x company size):

1. Identify patterns across extracted data
2. Define core use case with steps, scenarios, alternatives, drivers, outcomes
3. Build Champion deep-dive with all 12 fields including Channels & influences
4. Build Economic Buyer deep-dive with all 13 fields including Channels & influences
5. Map use cases to segment-specific needs
6. Identify negative ICP criteria and red flags
7. Identify intent signals at company and persona level
8. Collect proof points with testimonials for personas and segments
9. Document technographics with required and preferred tools
10. Calculate TAM estimate with targeting strategy per layer
11. Identify ICP as highest-priority segment below SOM

Phase 3: Structured output

Generate numbered sections following the report structure above.

Apply sorting rules to all tables (Champion first for personas).

Include rich descriptions with URLs and dates for all evidence.

Include deep-dives for company segments, personas (Champion and Economic Buyer explicitly), and ICP segments.

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Input requirements

Required

• Website URL: Primary company website

Optional (improves quality)

Input	Purpose
Case studies URL	Direct link to case studies page
Testimonials URL	Direct link to testimonials
Market context	Category, competitors, GTM approach
Sales call notes	Win/loss context, objections
Existing ICP docs	Validate or expand current understanding

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Anti-hallucination guardrails

1. Never invent customer names. Only cite publicly referenced customers.
2. Quote verbatim. Use exact customer language in quotes.
3. Mark confidence levels. Tag data as High/Medium/Low confidence.
4. Cite sources with URLs and dates. Include URL and access date for every claim.
5. Acknowledge gaps. Explicit "Not available" for missing data.

Confidence	Definition
High	Direct from official source, verifiable
Medium	Third-party source, multiple signals
Low	Single indirect source, inferred

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Reference files

File	Purpose
references/dimension-schemas.md	Complete field definitions for all dimensions
references/icp-output-template.md	Full report template with numbered sections
references/search-patterns.md	Detailed search queries per data type
references/examples/example-strapi.md	Worked example: Strapi (headless CMS)

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Quality checklist

• All 12 numbered sections present
• Every section has opening synthesis paragraph
• All tables sorted per sorting rules (Champion first for personas)
• TAM table includes ICP row with targeting strategy
• Technographics section included with Required/Preferred tools
• Core use case defined with steps, scenarios, alternatives, drivers, outcomes
• Champion deep-dive includes all 12 fields with Channels & influences
• Economic Buyer deep-dive includes all 13 fields with Channels & influences
• Persona deep-dives include testimonials with quotes
• Company segment deep-dives include Priorities, ICP-fit, Budget & sales cycle, Unique approach, Proof points
• Negative ICP documented with disqualification criteria and red flags
• Intent signals documented with company-level and persona-level signals
• ICP segment deep-dives include Priorities, ICP-fit, Budget & sales cycle, Unique approach, Proof points
• Customer names sourced from public references only
• Firmographics normalized to standard attributes
• VOC quotes are verbatim with source URLs and dates
• All evidence includes URL and access date
• Confidence levels assigned to all key data
• Data gaps documented with follow-up suggestions