[GTM glossary](/glossary.txt) ICP template Market & Targeting # ICP template In short An ICP template is a reusable worksheet for writing down your ideal customer profile in a consistent format. It lists the fields to complete, such as industry, size, region, tech stack, buying triggers, and disqualifiers. The template is not the ICP itself. The ICP is the conclusion drawn from your customer data; the template is the form that keeps the conclusion complete, comparable, and easy to share across sales and marketing. ## What to include in an ICP template Keep each field answerable with data, not opinion. A field that nobody can filter on is a field that nobody will use. ### Company fields Industry or sub-industry, employee range, revenue range, headquarters or operating regions, and growth stage. ### Fit and context fields Tools the account already uses, team structure, the problem that drives a purchase, and the typical budget owner. ### Triggers and disqualifiers List events that open a buying window, such as a new sales leader or an expansion into a new market. Add traits that predict churn or stalled deals, which feed a negative ICP. ### Evidence column Next to each trait, note where it came from: closed-won analysis, churn review, or customer interviews. This keeps later edits honest. --- ## How to fill in an ICP template Work in this order so the template reflects data rather than the loudest opinion in the room. * **Pull the customer set:** Export your best customers by retention and expansion, plus recent lost and churned deals. * **Fill the fields:** Complete each field from the data. Leave a field blank if no pattern shows up. * **Review with sales and CS:** Reps and customer success often know a disqualifier that the CRM does not capture. * **Convert to filters:** Rewrite each trait as a searchable filter so the template can drive list building and scoring. --- ## Example of a completed field set Say a team sells a workflow tool. Its template might read: software and IT services companies, 100 to 500 employees, North America and Western Europe, uses a major CRM, trigger is a new RevOps hire, disqualifier is an in-house built workflow system. These values are illustrative, not a recommendation. --- ## ICP template vs. ICP analysis A template is the format. ICP analysis is the work of examining customer data to decide what goes in it. Do the analysis first, then record the result in the template. --- ## Common mistakes * **Copying a generic template unchanged:** Fields built for another business model produce a profile that fits nobody. * **No owner:** Without one person responsible, the template goes stale after the first workshop. * **Too many fields:** Ten sharp fields beat thirty vague ones. Cut anything the team never filters on. --- ## ICP template FAQs **What should an ICP template include?** At minimum it should include company traits such as industry, size, and region, plus tech stack, buying triggers, disqualifiers, and the typical buyer role. Each field should be something you can filter on, and ideally note the evidence behind it. **Is there a free ICP template I can copy?** You can build one in a spreadsheet or document in minutes. List firmographic fields, technographic fields, triggers, and disqualifiers as rows, then fill them from your closed-won and churned deals instead of copying someone else's answers. **How do you use an ICP template with your sales team?** Fill it in with sales, marketing, and customer success together, then turn each trait into a filter in your prospecting and CRM tools. Share the finished version where reps work, and review it every quarter. **What is the difference between an ICP template and an ICP?** The ICP is the actual description of your best-fit customers. The template is the structured form you use to record it. Two teams can use the same template and end up with very different ICPs. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [Ideal customer profile refresh](/glossary/ideal-customer-profile-refresh.txt) * [Target account list](/glossary/target-account-list.txt) * [ICP fit](/glossary/icp-fit.txt) ## Similar phrases * [ICP analysis (ICP)](/glossary/icp-analysis.txt) ICP analysis is the process of studying your customer and deal data to find which company traits predict wins, retention, and growth, so you can define or refine your ideal customer profile. * [Ideal customer profile (ICP)](/glossary/ideal-customer-profile.txt) An ideal customer profile (ICP) describes the type of company that gets the most value from your product and brings you the most revenue. * [Negative ICP](/glossary/negative-icp.txt) A negative ICP describes the companies you should not target because they churn, discount heavily, or cost more to serve than they are worth. * [Buyer persona](/glossary/buyer-persona.txt) A buyer persona is a research-based profile of the people who research, influence, and approve a purchase, including their goals, challenges, and objections. * [ICP scoring (ICP)](/glossary/icp-scoring.txt) ICP scoring is the method of ranking accounts by how closely they match your ideal customer profile, using weighted traits so teams can prioritize outreach and routing.