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An ICP, or Ideal Customer Profile, describes the companies that are the best fit for your business. In 1eyeᴬᴵ, ICPs are not just notes in your Knowledge Base. They power how 1eyeᴬᴵ evaluates signals, scores the companies behind your buyers, builds target lists, and helps your team decide which businesses are worth pursuing. A clear ICP helps 1eyeᴬᴵ separate the contacts worth pursuing from the noise.

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Why ICPs are critical

Every business needs a clear ICP. Without an ICP, your team may know that a contact is visiting your website, submitting a form, or matching a Target Page, but you won’t know whether the company behind that contact is actually worth pursuing. For example, a website visitor is not automatically a good buyer. A high signal count doesn’t automatically mean their company is a good fit. The important question is: is this company the kind of business we should pursue? That is what an ICP helps answer.

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Why 1eyeᴬᴵ relies on ICPs

1eyeᴬᴵ uses ICPs as the company-level strategy layer across your GTM workflow. ICPs help 1eyeᴬᴵ understand: which companies are a good fit; which companies should be prioritized; which companies should be ignored; which buyers should be added to target lists; which companies should be enriched; which buyers should move toward a Destination. Signals tell 1eyeᴬᴵ that activity happened. ICPs tell 1eyeᴬᴵ whether that activity came from a company that matters.

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What an ICP contains

An ICP describes a target company segment. A good ICP may include: company type, industry, business model, company size, geography, revenue range when relevant, growth stage, use case, pain points, buying triggers, technologies used when relevant, examples of companies that fit. For example: “B2B SaaS companies with 50-1,000 employees that have RevOps, sales, marketing, or data teams and need better account intelligence, enrichment, routing, and GTM workflow automation.” That is much stronger than: “Software companies.”

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Where to find ICPs

You can find ICPs in the Knowledge Base.
  1. Open your 1eyeᴬᴵ workspace
  2. Go to Knowledge Base
  3. Select the ICPs tab
  4. Review the ICPs created for your workspace
  5. Open an ICP to view details, description, examples, and related companies
The ICPs tab shows the company segments 1eyeᴬᴵ uses to evaluate and prioritize target companies.

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What you can see in the ICPs tab

The ICPs table may include: ICP name, Short name, Description, Created by, Created date, Updated date. When you open an ICP, you may see: Name, Short name, Description, Example companies, Created date, Updated date. Example:

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ICP name

The ICP name should clearly describe the target company segment. Good ICP names are specific and easy to understand. Examples: B2B SaaS Companies, Data Infrastructure Companies, AI-Native GTM Companies, Enterprise Sales Organizations, Revenue Operations Teams, Multi-Location Healthcare Groups, Hospitality Groups, Private Schools, Wellness Centers. Avoid names that are too broad. Weak ICP names: Tech, Companies, Business, Enterprise. Better ICP names: B2B SaaS Companies, Enterprise Sales Organizations, Private Recovery Centers, Hospitality Groups.

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ICP short name

The short name is a compact label used in the product. Short names help ICPs appear cleanly in badges, tables, filters, and on contact cards across Website Signals and Buyers. Use short names that are clear enough for your team to recognize quickly.

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ICP description

The description is the most important part of the ICP. 1eyeᴬᴵ uses the ICP description to understand what kinds of companies should match. A strong ICP description should explain: what the companies do; why they are a fit; what problems they have; what use cases matter; what traits make them relevant; what kinds of companies should be included or excluded. Example: “B2B SaaS companies with growing sales, marketing, RevOps, or data teams that rely on clean account data, enrichment, routing, scoring, and workflow automation to run GTM. These companies typically need better visibility into target accounts, active contacts, intent signals, and campaign execution.” This gives 1eyeᴬᴵ much better context than: “SaaS companies.”

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Example companies

Example companies help make an ICP more concrete. When you open an ICP, you may see companies associated with that ICP. Example companies help your team and 1eyeᴬᴵ understand what “good fit” looks like. For example, an ICP for Hospitality Groups might include example companies such as: Examples should represent the kinds of companies you actually want 1eyeᴬᴵ to find and prioritize.

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How ICPs are created

1eyeᴬᴵ can create initial ICPs for your workspace based on your company website, domain, and available business context. Your team should review the generated ICPs before using them for targeting. 1eyeᴬᴵ gives you a starting point, but your team should make sure the ICPs reflect your actual GTM strategy. Review each ICP for: accuracy, specificity, market relevance, company type, business model, use case, buying triggers, segment priority.

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How ICPs are used across 1eyeᴬᴵ

ICPs are used throughout the platform. They help power: website signal evaluation; company evaluation for every buyer; target list building; credit efficiency; exclusions and prioritization logic. ICPs are one of the most important inputs in 1eyeᴬᴵ. If your ICPs are weak, your targeting will be noisy. If your ICPs are sharp, 1eyeᴬᴵ can help you find and prioritize much better companies.

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ICPs and Website Signals

When website activity comes in, 1eyeᴬᴵ evaluates the contact’s company against your ICPs. Activity may come from: website visits, tracked form activity, Target Page matches. When the company matches an ICP, 1eyeᴬᴵ shows an ICP badge on the contact’s card in Website Signals. Example: ICP - DATA-INFRA. This helps your team understand that the contact is not just active — their company is also a fit. You can also filter Website Signals directly by ICP. See Website Signals for the full filter walkthrough.

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ICP match explanations

When a company matches an ICP, 1eyeᴬᴵ may provide an explanation. Example: “Horizon Data is a B2B data infrastructure company with a modern GTM motion and a likely need for enrichment, account intelligence, and workflow automation. It matches the Data Infrastructure ICP.” Use the explanation to understand why 1eyeᴬᴵ matched the company. If the explanation does not make sense, update the ICP description or add exclusions.

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ICPs and Buyers

ICPs are used to evaluate the companies behind your Buyers. ICPs define the type of company. Buyers are the real people — at real companies — your team may want to pursue. ICPs help 1eyeᴬᴵ move from strategy to real contacts worth pursuing.

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ICPs and Target Lists

ICPs are one of the best ways to build Target Lists. A target list can include contacts filtered by ICP. For example:
You can use ICPs to filter for contacts at matching companies, then use personas to narrow to the right person at each one.

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ICPs and Personas

ICPs and personas work together. ICPs define the companies. Personas define the people inside those companies. A company can match an ICP, but you still need the right person inside that company. A person can match a persona, but their company may not be a good fit. The best targets usually have both: company ICP fit and contact persona fit.

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ICPs and Exclusions

Exclusions help protect your ICPs from noise. Even if a company looks similar to your ICP, you may not want to target it. Use exclusions for: your own company, existing customers, competitors, vendors, partners, agencies, poor-fit companies, companies your team does not want to contact. For example, if a competitor matches your ICP traits, add it to Exclusions so 1eyeᴬᴵ does not treat it as a target company.

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Example ICPs for Snowbricks

For Snowbricks, a B2B AI data company, example ICPs may include: These ICPs help 1eyeᴬᴵ understand which companies Snowbricks should care about.

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Example ICP detail

Here is what a strong ICP detail could look like. This gives 1eyeᴬᴵ a clear definition of what to look for.

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Strong ICP vs weak ICP

A weak ICP is too broad. Weak ICP: “Technology companies.” Better ICP: “B2B SaaS companies with 50-1,000 employees that have RevOps, sales, marketing, or data teams and rely on enrichment, account intelligence, routing, scoring, and workflow automation to run GTM.” A weak ICP creates noisy matches. A strong ICP gives 1eyeᴬᴵ enough context to make better decisions.

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How to review ICPs

Review each ICP before relying on it for signals or lists. For each ICP, check: is the name specific? Is the short name easy to understand? Is the description detailed enough? Does it describe the right company type? Does it mention relevant use cases? Does it include the right industries? Does it avoid poor-fit companies? Does it reflect your actual GTM strategy? Are example companies accurate? Would your team agree this is a real target segment? If the answer is no, edit the ICP.

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When to create a new ICP

Create a new ICP when you want to target a distinct company segment. Add a new ICP when: you are entering a new market; you sell to multiple company types; you want separate lists for different segments; you need to message a segment differently; you want to test a new vertical; you want to separate SMB, mid-market, and enterprise motions; 1eyeᴬᴵ did not create an ICP your team needs. For example, Snowbricks may create separate ICPs for: B2B SaaS Companies, Data Infrastructure Companies, Enterprise Sales Organizations. Each segment may need different messaging and different personas.

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When to edit an ICP

Edit an ICP when it is creating poor matches or missing good companies. Edit an ICP if: the description is too broad; the ICP includes companies you do not want; the ICP misses companies you do want; the company size is wrong; the industry is wrong; the use case is unclear; the ICP overlaps too much with another ICP; the example companies are misleading; your GTM motion has changed. ICPs should improve over time.

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How to write a strong ICP description

Use this structure: “[Company type] that [business context] and need [use case]. These companies typically have [traits], face [pain points], and are a fit because [reason].” Example: “B2B SaaS companies with growing GTM teams that need better account intelligence, enrichment, routing, scoring, and workflow automation. These companies typically have multiple sales and marketing tools, active RevOps teams, and a need to prioritize target accounts based on signals and fit.” This gives 1eyeᴬᴵ clear targeting context.

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ICP quality checklist

A strong ICP should include: clear company type; clear business model; relevant industry or category; useful company size range when relevant; relevant use cases; pain points; buying triggers; example companies; exclusions or boundaries; distinction from other ICPs. A weak ICP usually has: generic wording; too many industries; no clear use case; no company size guidance; no buying trigger; no examples; too much overlap with another ICP.

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Best practices

  • Keep ICPs specific — Broad ICPs create noisy signals and poor target lists.
  • Use ICPs as strategy, not just labels — ICPs should define real segments your team wants to pursue.
  • Create separate ICPs for separate motions — If the company type, pain point, or messaging is different, use a separate ICP.
  • Add example companies — Examples make the ICP easier to understand and validate.
  • Review ICP matches regularly — If matches look wrong, update the ICP.
  • Use exclusions with ICPs — Exclusions keep competitors, customers, vendors, partners, and poor-fit companies out of targeting.
  • Connect ICPs to personas — For each ICP, know which personas matter inside those companies.
  • Use ICPs to build target lists — ICPs should help you evaluate and prioritize companies, not just sit in the Knowledge Base.
  • Let signals improve your ICPs — If certain companies engage but never convert, tighten your ICP. If unexpected companies convert, create or update an ICP.
  • Keep ICPs current — As your product, market, and GTM strategy change, your ICPs should evolve.

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Troubleshooting

  • ICP matches are too broad — Your ICP may be too generic. Try adding company size guidance, industry boundaries, clearer use cases, buying triggers, example companies, or exclusions.
  • ICP matches are too narrow — Your ICP may be too restrictive. Try broadening company size, adding adjacent industries, expanding use cases, adding more example companies, or removing unnecessary constraints.
  • The wrong companies are matching — Review the ICP description. Check whether it includes wording that could match poor-fit companies. Also check whether those companies should be added to Exclusions.
  • Good companies are not matching — Check whether your ICP description is missing important traits. Add more detail about the company type, use case, industry, or buying trigger.
  • ICPs overlap too much — If two ICPs match the same companies, clarify the difference. For example, one ICP may be for B2B SaaS companies, another for Data Infrastructure companies, another for Enterprise Sales Organizations. Each ICP should represent a distinct targeting angle.
  • I do not know how many ICPs to create — Start with 3-5 ICPs. Create enough ICPs to cover your main target segments, but not so many that your team cannot manage them.
  • I do not know whether something is an ICP or persona — Use this rule: ICP = company type, Persona = person type.

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FAQ

An ICP, or Ideal Customer Profile, defines the types of companies your team wants to target.
1eyeᴬᴵ uses ICPs to evaluate company signals, build target lists, and prioritize accounts.
Yes. 1eyeᴬᴵ can create initial ICPs based on your company website, domain, and workspace context.
Yes. Always review and refine ICPs before using them for targeting or lists.
ICPs define target companies. Personas define buyers inside those companies.
Yes. Use multiple ICPs for different company segments, markets, verticals, or GTM motions.
Yes. You can edit ICP name, short name, description, and example companies when available.
The short name is the compact label used in badges, filters, and tables.
Example companies are companies that represent the ICP. They help make the ICP easier to understand and validate.
When a contact’s company shows website activity, 1eyeᴬᴵ evaluates the company against your ICPs. If it matches, the contact’s card may show an ICP badge and explanation.
You can filter for contacts by ICP and build target lists around specific company segments.
Make ICPs specific, add use cases, include example companies, define boundaries, and keep exclusions updated.

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Next step

Next, go to Personas to define the buyers 1eyeᴬᴵ should find inside your target companies.