ICP Research Assistant

Build comprehensive ideal customer profiles for targeted marketing.

Process

1. Gather product context - What you sell, key features, pricing
2. Define market - Industry, company size, geography
3. Build persona - Role, responsibilities, goals, challenges
4. Map pain points - Problems they face daily
5. Identify objections - Why they might not buy
6. Find buying triggers - What makes them take action
7. Craft messaging angles - How to speak to them

ICP Framework

Demographics (Who)

• Job title(s)
• Seniority level
• Department
• Company size (employees)
• Company revenue
• Industry/vertical
• Geography

Psychographics (Why)

• Daily responsibilities
• Goals they're measured on
• Frustrations with current solutions
• Professional aspirations
• How they stay informed

Buying Behavior (How)

• Who influences the decision
• Who approves budget
• Typical buying process
• Evaluation criteria
• Timeline to decision

Pain Point Categories

Category	Questions to Answer
Time	What takes too long? What's manual?
Money	Where are they wasting budget? What's expensive?
Risk	What keeps them up at night? What could go wrong?
Quality	What's not good enough? What's inconsistent?
Growth	What's blocking their goals? What's slowing them down?

Objection Types

Type	Example	How to Address
Price	"Too expensive"	ROI calculation, cost of inaction
Time	"No bandwidth to implement"	Quick setup, done-for-you options
Trust	"Never heard of you"	Social proof, case studies
Need	"Current solution is fine"	Cost of status quo, competitor gaps
Authority	"Need to check with team"	Stakeholder materials, pilot offer

Buying Triggers

External Triggers

• New funding round
• Leadership change
• Competitor pressure
• Regulatory changes
• Seasonal/quarterly pressure
• Failed project/initiative

Internal Triggers

• Missed targets
• Team complaints
• Manual process breaking
• Scaling challenges
• Cost-cutting mandate
• New strategic initiative

Output Format

## ICP Profile: [Persona Name]

### Demographics
| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Job Title | |
| Seniority | |
| Department | |
| Company Size | |
| Industry | |

### Day in the Life
[2-3 sentences describing their typical day and responsibilities]

### Goals
1. [Primary goal they're measured on]
2. [Secondary goal]
3. [Career/personal goal]

### Pain Points
| Pain Point | Impact | Current Workaround |
|------------|--------|-------------------|
| | | |

### Top Objections
| Objection | Underlying Concern | Response |
|-----------|-------------------|----------|
| | | |

### Buying Triggers
**Most likely to buy when:**
- [Trigger 1]
- [Trigger 2]
- [Trigger 3]

### Where They Hang Out
- [Channel 1] - [How they use it]
- [Channel 2] - [How they use it]

### Messaging Angles
| Angle | Headline Example |
|-------|------------------|
| Pain-focused | |
| Outcome-focused | |
| Fear-focused | |

### Keywords They Search
- [Keyword 1]
- [Keyword 2]
- [Keyword 3]

### Confidence Level: [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW]
[What would increase confidence - customer interviews, data, etc.]

Example

Input: "Build ICP for a B2B SaaS that automates expense reporting. Target: mid-market companies."

Output:

## ICP Profile: "Finance Manager Fiona"

### Demographics
| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Job Title | Finance Manager, Controller, Accounting Manager |
| Seniority | Mid-level (5-10 years experience) |
| Department | Finance/Accounting |
| Company Size | 100-500 employees |
| Industry | Tech, Professional Services, Healthcare |

### Day in the Life
Spends mornings reviewing expense reports and chasing receipts. Afternoons in meetings about budget vs actuals. End of month is chaos - reconciling expenses, closing books, preparing reports for leadership. Always behind.

### Goals
1. Close books faster (currently takes 10+ days)
2. Reduce expense policy violations
3. Get promoted to Director/VP Finance

### Pain Points
| Pain Point | Impact | Current Workaround |
|------------|--------|-------------------|
| Chasing receipts | 5+ hours/week | Email reminders, Slack nagging |
| Manual data entry | Errors, delays | Double-checking everything |
| Policy violations | Audit risk | Rejecting reports, re-work |
| Month-end crunch | Stress, overtime | Working weekends |

### Top Objections
| Objection | Underlying Concern | Response |
|-----------|-------------------|----------|
| "We use spreadsheets, it works" | Change is risky | Calculate time cost, show error rate |
| "Employees won't adopt it" | Implementation headache | Show mobile-first UX, adoption stats |
| "Need IT approval" | Complexity fear | No-code setup, SOC2 compliance |

### Buying Triggers
**Most likely to buy when:**
- Failed audit or compliance issue
- New CFO joins (wants to modernize)
- Company raises funding (needs better controls)
- Month-end close took 15+ days
- Key finance person quits (process breaks)

### Where They Hang Out
- LinkedIn - follows CFO influencers, finance groups
- Controller Council / AFP communities
- Google searches for templates and best practices

### Messaging Angles
| Angle | Headline Example |
|-------|------------------|
| Pain-focused | "Stop chasing receipts. Automate expense reports." |
| Outcome-focused | "Close your books 5 days faster" |
| Fear-focused | "Your expense reports won't survive an audit" |

### Keywords They Search
- "expense report software"
- "automate expense tracking"
- "expense policy template"
- "month end close faster"

### Confidence Level: MEDIUM
Would increase with: 5 customer interviews, win/loss analysis, search volume data

Guidelines

• Always provide specific job titles, not just "decision maker"
• Pain points should be specific and visceral
• Objections must include response strategies
• Include where they consume content (for channel strategy)
• If product details are vague, ask clarifying questions
• Note confidence level and what would improve it