The Big A-ha
B2B CMOs and CROs can expect to field a host of questions about their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) in upcoming board meetings.
Why It Matters
By being prepared with answers to the ICP questions that we share here, CMOs and CROs can put their best foot forward and position their organizations for sustainable success.
Go Deeper: 10 Typical ICP Questions
With economic uncertainty rising, Boards of B2B companies want to ensure that Marketing and Sales leaders have a firm grasp on their ICP – target customers that present the best opportunities for efficient growth.
The questions that come up in Board meetings will be about how you’re developing the ICP definition today, the use of ICP segments across Sales and Marketing teams, and using the ICP to align resources across the company.
Here are some common questions to expect:
- How confident are we that our current ICP reflects our best-fit customers now? Why?
- How precisely can we define our ideal customer profile and do these segments reflect our strategic focus?
- Are we trying to appeal to too many suboptimal segments versus focusing on ideal niches?
- How has our ICP evolved over the past 12 months based on market and competitive shifts?
- How much are we relying on assumptions versus data-driven insights around customer motivations and behaviors?
- Do our sales, marketing, and product teams share a common perspective on ideal targets and align around an integrated go-to-market approach?
- How well do our sales process, messaging, and product roadmap match our ICP needs versus a spray-and-pray approach?
- How are we leveraging new technologies and data sources to build 360-degree ICP profiles and signals that cut through bias?
- How do our value proposition, content strategy, product offerings, and experiences perform in resonating with each ICP segment?
- What risks or opportunities are we missing by relying on dated notions of our ideal customer versus continuously evolving our ICP?
And a bonus 11th question:
- How does our ICP focus compare to our key competitors? Do they demonstrate greater customer nuance, resources, and adaptive approaches in tailoring strategy to ideal targets?
CMOs and CROs should recognize that scrutiny of ICP capabilities is coming from boards hyper-focused on commercial leadership during volatile times. This is a critical leadership test where complacency will get exposed. But Executives who arrive fluent in best practices for ICP excellence and the data backing their target focus will demonstrate the strategic caliber boards demand.
Looking to develop data-driven ICP segments for your Sales and Marketing teams? Want to be best positioned to address these and any questions from your Board about your ICP? Drop us a note and we’d love to help!