| name | icp-research-assistant |
| description | Use when user says "build a buyer persona", "who is my ideal customer", "research my ICP", "define my target audience", "who am I selling to". Build detailed B2B buyer personas with pain points, objections, buying triggers, and messaging angles. Use when given a product and market to research ideal customer profiles, creating buyer personas, or needing to understand who you're selling to before launching campaigns. |
| metadata | {"platform":"Google and Meta"} |
ICP Research Assistant
Build complete ideal customer profiles for targeted marketing.
Process
- Gather product context - What you sell, key features, pricing
- Define market - Industry, company size, geography
- Build persona - Role, responsibilities, goals, challenges
- Map pain points - Problems they face daily
- Identify objections - Why they might not buy
- Find buying triggers - What makes them take action
- Craft messaging angles - How to speak to them
ICP Framework
Demographics (Who)
- Job title(s)
- Seniority level
- Department
- Company size (employees)
- Company revenue
- Industry/vertical
- Geography
Psychographics (Why)
- Daily responsibilities
- Goals they're measured on
- Frustrations with current solutions
- Professional aspirations
- How they stay informed
Buying Behavior (How)
- Who influences the decision
- Who approves budget
- Typical buying process
- Evaluation criteria
- Timeline to decision
Pain Point Categories
| Category | Questions to Answer |
|---|
| Time | What takes too long? What's manual? |
| Money | Where are they wasting budget? What's expensive? |
| Risk | What keeps them up at night? What could go wrong? |
| Quality | What's not good enough? What's inconsistent? |
| Growth | What's blocking their goals? What's slowing them down? |
Objection Types
| Type | Example | How to Address |
|---|
| Price | "Too expensive" | ROI calculation, cost of inaction |
| Time | "No bandwidth to implement" | Quick setup, done-for-you options |
| Trust | "Never heard of you" | Social proof, case studies |
| Need | "Current solution is fine" | Cost of status quo, competitor gaps |
| Authority | "Need to check with team" | Stakeholder materials, pilot offer |
Buying Triggers
External Triggers
- New funding round
- Leadership change
- Competitor pressure
- Regulatory changes
- Seasonal/quarterly pressure
- Failed project/initiative
Internal Triggers
- Missed targets
- Team complaints
- Manual process breaking
- Scaling challenges
- Cost-cutting mandate
- New strategic initiative
Output Format
## ICP Profile: [Persona Name]
### Demographics
| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Job Title | |
| Seniority | |
| Department | |
| Company Size | |
| Industry | |
### Day in the Life
[2-3 sentences describing their typical day and responsibilities]
### Goals
1. [Primary goal they're measured on]
2. [Secondary goal]
3. [Career/personal goal]
### Pain Points
| Pain Point | Impact | Current Workaround |
|------------|--------|-------------------|
| | | |
### Top Objections
| Objection | Underlying Concern | Response |
|-----------|-------------------|----------|
| | | |
### Buying Triggers
**Most likely to buy when:**
- [Trigger 1]
- [Trigger 2]
- [Trigger 3]
### Where They Hang Out
- [Channel 1] - [How they use it]
- [Channel 2] - [How they use it]
### Messaging Angles
| Angle | Headline Example |
|-------|------------------|
| Pain-focused | |
| Outcome-focused | |
| Fear-focused | |
### Keywords They Search
- [Keyword 1]
- [Keyword 2]
- [Keyword 3]
### Confidence Level: [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW]
[What would increase confidence - customer interviews, data, etc.]
Example
Input: "Build ICP for a B2B SaaS that automates expense reporting. Target: mid-market companies."
Output:
## ICP Profile: "Finance Manager Fiona"
### Demographics
| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Job Title | Finance Manager, Controller, Accounting Manager |
| Seniority | Mid-level (5-10 years experience) |
| Department | Finance/Accounting |
| Company Size | 100-500 employees |
| Industry | Tech, Professional Services, Healthcare |
### Day in the Life
Spends mornings reviewing expense reports and chasing receipts. Afternoons in meetings about budget vs actuals. End of month is chaos - reconciling expenses, closing books, preparing reports for leadership. Always behind.
### Goals
1. Close books faster (currently takes 10+ days)
2. Reduce expense policy violations
3. Get promoted to Director/VP Finance
### Pain Points
| Pain Point | Impact | Current Workaround |
|------------|--------|-------------------|
| Chasing receipts | 5+ hours/week | Email reminders, Slack nagging |
| Manual data entry | Errors, delays | Double-checking everything |
| Policy violations | Audit risk | Rejecting reports, re-work |
| Month-end crunch | Stress, overtime | Working weekends |
### Top Objections
| Objection | Underlying Concern | Response |
|-----------|-------------------|----------|
| "We use spreadsheets, it works" | Change is risky | Calculate time cost, show error rate |
| "Employees won't adopt it" | Implementation headache | Show mobile-first UX, adoption stats |
| "Need IT approval" | Complexity fear | No-code setup, SOC2 compliance |
### Buying Triggers
**Most likely to buy when:**
- Failed audit or compliance issue
- New CFO joins (wants to modernize)
- Company raises funding (needs better controls)
- Month-end close took 15+ days
- Key finance person quits (process breaks)
### Where They Hang Out
- LinkedIn - follows CFO influencers, finance groups
- Controller Council / AFP communities
- Google searches for templates and best practices
### Messaging Angles
| Angle | Headline Example |
|-------|------------------|
| Pain-focused | "Stop chasing receipts. Automate expense reports." |
| Outcome-focused | "Close your books 5 days faster" |
| Fear-focused | "Your expense reports won't survive an audit" |
### Keywords They Search
- "expense report software"
- "automate expense tracking"
- "expense policy template"
- "month end close faster"
### Confidence Level: MEDIUM
Would increase with: 5 customer interviews, win/loss analysis, search volume data
Guidelines
- Always provide specific job titles, not just "decision maker"
- Pain points should be specific and visceral
- Objections must include response strategies
- Include where they consume content (for channel strategy)
- If product details are vague, ask clarifying questions
- Note confidence level and what would improve it
