Spoiler alert: Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) should follow your strategy, not define it.
Here's a conversation I’ve heard many times before:
“We’re ready to launch.”
“Awesome! Who are you targeting?”
“Everyone.”
And that's when I know they're about to waste a lot of time and money.
Most companies approach ICP like this:
The result? Diluted messaging that is written for everyone and no one at the same time, scattered product development that doesn’t prioritize capabilities that will help them become a category leader, and a desperate chase after whatever “shiny” opportunity appears next.
You end up pivoting three times in 12 months because you never figured out who you were actually serving. Each pivot meant starting over on marketing, rebuilding features, and confusing your existing customers.
The truth is, your ICP isn't an input to your business strategy. It's an output.
Step 1: Define Your Unique Strategic Position
Your positioning determines your ICP, not the other way around.
Instead of "Who can I serve?"
Ask: "What specific problem are we uniquely positioned to solve better than anyone else?
Step 2: Identify Who Has That Specific Problem
Your strategic position naturally filters for company size, segment, trial stage, or therapeutic area where you're best suited.
Instead of "How do we expand our addressable market?"
Ask: "Where do we have the strongest position?"
Step 3: Let Your ICP Guide Everything
Once you have clarity on strategic position and ICP, every decision becomes easier. The shiny objects disappear into the background.
Instead of "What features do potential customers want?"
You start asking: "What capabilities will make us unshakeable within our ICP?"
Most companies have the same concern: They think they are limiting their potential.
But you're not. You're focusing resources.
When you define a strategic position first, your ICP emerges naturally and everything else (messaging, product, operations) aligns automatically.
So stop asking who you should target.
Start asking: What strategic ground can you own and dominate?
Your ICP will follow. And so will your revenue.
