This is where all the research gets synthesised into a clear picture of exactly who to target and how to win their business. It builds 2–3 ICP hypotheses, scores them across market size, competitive intensity, and product fit, then defines a sharp positioning strategy grounded in the competitive gaps uncovered in Step 3.
Read the full prompt below, upload your four context files from Steps 1–4, and share any details about your best current customers or messaging you’ve already tested.
Start a new chat for this prompt. And use the latest ChatGPT/Claude model with extended thinking/deep thinking enabled and web search turned on.
The Prompt
# ICP Validation & Positioning
You are a B2B go-to-market strategist specializing in customer segmentation and market positioning. You have four context files uploaded to this chat covering company background, market research, competitive intelligence, and TAM mapping. Now your job is to define exactly who the company should target and how they should position themselves to win.
## YOUR TASK
Read all four uploaded context files first. Then synthesize the findings to build a validated Ideal Customer Profile and a positioning strategy grounded in market reality — not assumptions. This step is the bridge between research (Steps 1–4) and execution (Steps 6–10). Everything downstream — account sourcing, channel selection, keywords, and messaging — depends on getting the ICP and positioning right.
**Analysis rules:**
1. **Ground every recommendation in evidence from the previous steps.** If you recommend targeting mid-market healthcare companies, point to the specific TAM segment data, buyer landscape findings, and competitive gaps that support that recommendation.
2. **Separate "who you're currently selling to" from "who you should be selling to."** The company's existing customers are a data point, not a destination. The ICP may confirm current customers or point somewhere different.
3. **Be specific enough to be useful.** "Mid-market B2B SaaS companies" is not an ICP. "B2B SaaS companies with 100–500 employees, $10M–$50M ARR, with a VP of Operations or RevOps leader who owns the buying decision" is an ICP.
4. **Positioning must be relative.** "We're the best" isn't positioning. Positioning is defined against alternatives — what you do differently from the specific competitors analyzed in Step 3, for the specific buyers defined in this step.
---
## BEFORE YOU START
**Upload all four context files** from the previous steps:
- `01-company-context.md` (company background)
- `02-market-research.md` (market research findings)
- `03-competitive-intel.md` (competitive intelligence)
- `04-tam-mapping.md` (TAM mapping and segment prioritization)
**Additional ICP inputs from the user (if available):**
- Your best customers today — who are they and why do you consider them "best"? [e.g., "Our top 5 customers are mid-market SaaS companies. They renew at 95%+ and expand usage within 6 months" / "We don't have enough customers yet to see patterns"]
- Customers you don't want — any segments or types that are a bad fit? [e.g., "Enterprise deals take too long for our current team" / "We've tried agencies and they always churn" / "No exclusions yet"]
- Positioning you've tested — any messaging or angles that have worked or failed? [e.g., "Leading with AI gets attention but confuses buyers" / "Cost savings resonates more than efficiency" / "Haven't tested much yet"]
---
## ICP ANALYSIS
### 1. ICP Hypothesis Building
Using the segment prioritization from Step 4, buyer landscape from Step 2, and competitive gaps from Step 3, build 2–3 ICP hypotheses. Each hypothesis represents a distinct target customer profile the company could pursue.
**For each ICP hypothesis, define:**
**Firmographic profile:**
- Industry or vertical
- Company size (employees and/or revenue)
- Geography
- Business model or company type (e.g., SaaS, e-commerce, professional services)
- Any qualifying characteristics (e.g., "recently raised Series B," "has a dedicated RevOps team," "using legacy tool X")
**Buyer profile:**
- Primary decision-maker: title, department, reporting line
- Key influencers in the buying process
- Champions vs. blockers — who internally pushes for solutions like this, and who resists?
- Day-to-day responsibilities and KPIs they're measured on
**Pain profile:**
- Primary pain points this buyer faces (be specific — not "they need to be more efficient" but "they're spending 15+ hours/week on manual reporting that delays pipeline decisions")
- What triggers them to start looking for a solution? (The event, not the ongoing pain)
- What happens if they don't solve this problem? (The cost of inaction)
- What have they already tried? (Internal workarounds, competitors, doing nothing)
**Buying profile:**
- How do they discover solutions? (Channels, sources, peer networks)
- What does their evaluation process look like?
- Typical budget range and budget holder
- Average buying cycle length
- Key objections or concerns during the sales process
### 2. ICP Scoring & Prioritization
Score each ICP hypothesis across these dimensions:
|Dimension|Description|Weight|
|---|---|---|
|Market size|How large is this segment? (from Step 4)|High|
|Growth rate|Is this segment expanding? (from Step 2)|Medium|
|Competitive intensity|How crowded is this segment? (from Step 3)|High|
|Product fit|How well does the current offering solve this buyer's problem?|High|
|Sales efficiency|Can the company reach and close this buyer with current resources?|Medium|
|Expansion potential|Is there upsell/cross-sell opportunity within this segment?|Medium|
**For each ICP hypothesis, provide:**
- A score of Strong / Moderate / Weak on each dimension, with one-line reasoning
- An overall priority recommendation: Primary ICP / Secondary ICP / Deprioritize
- The key risk or assumption that could change this recommendation
### 3. Primary ICP Definition
Based on the scoring, define the recommended Primary ICP in a single, comprehensive profile that includes all firmographic, buyer, pain, and buying characteristics. This should be specific enough that a sales rep could read it and immediately know whether a prospect fits or doesn't.
Also define 1 Secondary ICP — the next best segment to pursue once the primary is established, or as a test alongside it.
---
## POSITIONING STRATEGY
### 4. Competitive Positioning
Using the competitive gaps and white space identified in Step 3 and the Primary ICP defined above, develop positioning that answers:
**The core positioning statement:** For [Primary ICP — specific buyer], who [key pain point/trigger], [Company] is the [category/frame of reference] that [key differentiator]. Unlike [primary competitors], we [unique value].
**Supporting positioning pillars (3 maximum):** Each pillar should be:
- A specific claim the company can make
- Differentiated — competitors can't credibly make the same claim
- Provable — there's evidence (case studies, product capabilities, data) to back it up
- Relevant — the Primary ICP actually cares about this
For each pillar, provide:
- The claim in one sentence
- Why competitors can't match it (cite competitive intelligence from Step 3)
- What evidence the company has or needs to prove it
- Which buyer pain point it addresses
### 5. Positioning Validation Checklist
Before the company commits to this positioning, flag:
- **Assumptions that need testing** — e.g., "This positioning assumes buyers prioritize speed over cost. Validate with 5–10 buyer interviews."
- **Evidence gaps** — e.g., "You'll need at least 2 case studies in the healthcare vertical to make pillar #2 credible."
- **Risks** — e.g., "If Competitor A launches their announced mid-market tier, pillar #3 becomes less differentiated."
---
## OUTPUT SUMMARY
End with:
### Recommended ICP & Positioning at a Glance
A single-page summary containing:
- Primary ICP: who they are, what they care about, how they buy (5–6 sentences max)
- Secondary ICP: same format (3–4 sentences)
- Core positioning statement
- 3 positioning pillars (one sentence each)
- Top risk or assumption to validate
This summary should be something the company can print, pin to a wall, and reference daily.
---
## CONTEXT FILE FOR NEXT STEP
After completing the above, create a downloadable file called `05-icp-positioning.md` structured as follows:
---
# ICP & Positioning Summary
## Primary ICP
- Industry/vertical:
- Company size:
- Geography:
- Key buyer title:
- Primary pain point:
- Buying trigger:
- Budget range:
- Buying cycle:
## Secondary ICP
[Same fields, condensed]
## Core Positioning Statement
[The full "For [buyer], who [pain], [Company] is the [category] that [differentiator]" statement]
## Positioning Pillars
1. [Pillar 1 — one sentence]
2. [Pillar 2 — one sentence]
3. [Pillar 3 — one sentence]
## Key Assumptions to Validate
[Bullet list of the most critical assumptions that could change the ICP or positioning]
## Competitive Differentiators
[3–4 bullet points summarizing what the company does differently from the competitors that matter most to the Primary ICP]
---
Keep this file under 500 words.
Tell the user: _"Download the context file below. When you're ready for Step 6 (Company Account Sourcing), start a new chat, upload all five context files, and paste in the Step 6 prompt."_