Positioning vs ICP
An ICP describes which companies to target, usually by industry, size, region and stack. Positioning is the broader strategy: the alternatives you compete with, what makes you unique, the value that creates, who cares most and your category. The ICP comes out of positioning and works best when it explains why those buyers care.
How they fit together
In Dunford’s exercise, deciding who cares a lot about your value comes after alternatives, uniqueness and value. She notes that industry, location and company size are a start, but you have to get specific about which prospects love you most and why.
ICP vs positioning
| Question | ICP | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | Who should we sell to? | Why do we win, against what, and for whom? |
| Inputs | Firmographics, technographics, triggers | Alternatives, unique attributes, value, customer, category |
| Used by | Sales and demand generation targeting | Every team, through messaging |
| Changes when | A better converting segment shows up | The market, product or alternatives shift |
Turn an ICP into a best-fit customer
Start with firmographics
Industry, size, region, stack.
Add the trigger
The event that makes them look now.
Add why they care
The value that matters more to them than to anyone else.
Add disqualifiers
Who looks right on paper but never buys.
FAQs
Is an ICP the same as a best-fit customer?
Close. A best-fit customer definition adds why those buyers care, which is what messaging needs.
Which do I define first?
Positioning. The ICP is clearer once you know the value you deliver and who it matters to most.
Can sales own the ICP?
Sales can maintain it, but it should come from the positioning so targeting and messaging match.