Do you know what your ICP is? Your ICP is your “ideal customer profile,” and it tells you which people you should spend time with. Your time is your most valuable resource. My new book, A Mind For Sales, talks about this issue. Because your time is so precious, you can’t afford to spend it doing anything unproductive. Productivity means bringing the highest return possible on your time.

Video:  Who is your perfect customer? 

Let’s be serious here, how many of your prospecting conversations lead to a sale? I bet it’s a low number.  The challenge lies in not knowing if the conversation will lead you anywhere until you actually have it, and even then, you still don’t know. This is why it’s important for you to clearly define your ideal customer, so you know what they look like in terms of needs, etc. Then, if the prospect isn’t similar to your ideal customer profile, you should question if you’re using your time wisely. 

When you know your ICP and stick to it, you’ll discover that you have more time to spend with better prospects.  Furthermore, when you do this, you will close more sales and both faster and at a higher price. It’s why I like to say, you can’t take a Walmart shopper and make them a Nordstrom customer. 

Knowing your ICP also allows you to prospect and sell with integrity. The reason is simple- when you stay in your lane, you won’t find yourself making excuses, creating false expectations, or doing other stupid things that compromise who you are. I share a particular line in A Mind For Sales and repeat it throughout. It goes like this…

When you sell with integrity, you will get customers who have integrity.

The most successful salespeople are always those who know how to leverage their time. Over and over again, I have seen that the way you create more time is by spending it with great prospects.  When you know your ICP, it’s amazing how much “MHD” you can save.  “MHD” stands for minutes, hours, days.  That is time you will never have again, so use it wisely. 

Before you go thinking that the biggest value of an ICP is so you can save time, think again! There’s more, a whole lot more. When you are clear on who fits your ICP and who to spend time with, it’s amazing how much more confident you are because you understand them better.  When you understand your prospect better, you communicate better; because you ask better questions and you share better information. In turn, your prospect gains confidence which encourages them to open up faster. I bet you can see where this is leading; it’s leading to a faster sale.  Boom! Once again, you’re saving time by creating more value for your prospect in making the most of their time. 

If there is one thing that pays to get right in your sales process, it is clearly laying out who your ideal customer is and the outcomes you create for them.  Whenever I work with salespeople, this is where I start. I tell them to list all of their customers in one column and then all of the outcomes they’ve given their customers, by working with them, in the next column. This is not about what you sell, it’s about why you sell and how the customer benefits in buying from you. When you have a firm understanding of your ICP, you’ll be amazed at how much easier everything else is in the selling process. 

The subject of ICP, “ideal customer profile” is discussed in my new book, A Mind For Sales that officially launches tomorrow, March 31. I strongly urge you read it, because it’s more than a book. It is a collection of helpful messages that will not just change your view of sales and your customer but change your perspective on life. Pre-order today and get ahead of the game!  

If you haven’t been following me on Facebook, jump on today at 1 PM CT for another LIVE Q&A session. I will discuss A Mind For Sales and how it is so relevant for the turbulence in our world right now.

In honor of my new book’s launch tomorrow, you’re invited to join me TODAY from 4 PM – 7 PM on Facebook and YouTube for the A Mind For Sales Launch Party! I will join in LIVE with fresh insights from the book and some exciting giveaways. You’ll also have the chance to chime-in with questions. Go follow me on social media to learn more.

Copyright 2020, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog.  Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.