icp-architect

# ICP Architect

Build a comprehensive Ideal Customer Profile through an interactive discovery process. This skill asks questions, pressure-tests assumptions, and produces a reference-ready `docs/icp.md` that other skills in the playbook can consume.

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## Activation

When the user triggers this skill, follow the steps below **in order**. Do NOT skip the discovery interview. Do NOT produce output before gathering all answers.

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## Step 0 — Check for Existing ICP

Use `Read` to check if `docs/icp.md` already exists in the current working directory.

- **If it exists:** Read the file, present a summary to the user, and ask: _"You already have an ICP on file. Do you want to (A) refine it, (B) start fresh, or (C) add a new segment?"_
  - If **refine**: Load the existing content as context. During the discovery interview, pre-fill answers from the existing file and only ask about gaps or changes.
  - If **start fresh**: Proceed with the full interview from scratch. The old file will be overwritten at the end.
  - If **add segment**: Skip to Step 2 (ICP Segmentation) and ask only the questions needed to define the new segment and its personas. Append to the existing file.
- **If it does not exist:** Proceed to Step 1.

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## Step 1 — Discovery Interview (Interactive)

Present these questions to the user **all at once** in a numbered list. Tell the user they can answer inline (numbered) or paste a block of text and you will extract the answers.

Ask exactly these questions:

```
I need to understand your business before building your ICP. Answer these 10 questions — be as specific as possible. One-word answers are fine where they fit; paragraphs are fine where they don't.

1. What does your product do? (one sentence)
2. Who is your current best customer? Why are they your best?
3. What's your ACV or typical deal size range?
4. How long is your typical sales cycle? (days/weeks/months)
5. Who signs the check? (job title, not a person's name)
6. What's the trigger event that makes someone start looking for your solution?
7. What were they doing before your product? (the "old way" — spreadsheets, manual process, a competitor, nothing?)
8. What happens if they do nothing? (cost of inaction — lost revenue, compliance risk, wasted time?)
9. What's your unfair advantage vs. the next best alternative?
10. (Optional) Paste 3-5 LinkedIn profile URLs of your best customers. I'll extract patterns from their titles, industries, and company sizes.
```

**Rules for this step:**
- Wait for the user to respond before proceeding. Do NOT generate placeholder answers.
- If any critical answer is vague (especially questions 1, 2, 5, 6), ask a focused follow-up before moving on. At most 2 follow-up rounds.
- If the user provides LinkedIn URLs (question 10), use `WebSearch` to look up those profiles and extract: job title, company size, industry, and any patterns across the set.

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## Step 2 — ICP Segmentation

From the user's answers, define **2-3 ICP segments**. Present them to the user in a table for validation before going deeper.

For each segment, define:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| **Segment name** | Short label (e.g., "Mid-Market SaaS", "Enterprise Financial Services") |
| **Company stage** | Seed / Series A / Series B / Growth / Enterprise |
| **Company size** | Employee count range and/or revenue range |
| **Industries** | 2-5 specific verticals |
| **Budget range** | What they typically spend on solutions like this |
| **Sales cycle** | Expected length for this segment |
| **Decision maker(s)** | Title(s) of the person who signs or champions |
| **Core problem** | One sentence describing why they buy |
| **Pain points** | 3-5 specific, concrete pains (not generic fluff) |

**Rules for this step:**
- Ground every segment in the user's actual answers. Do not invent segments that contradict what the user told you.
- If the user's answers suggest only 1 clear segment, define that one plus a plausible adjacent segment and ask if it resonates.
- After presenting the segments, ask: _"Do these segments look right? Should I adjust, merge, or add any?"_
- Wait for confirmation before proceeding to Step 3.

---

## Step 3 — Persona Deep-Dive

For each confirmed ICP segment, build **1-2 personas**. Each persona is a fictional archetype representing a real buyer.

For each persona, define:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| **Archetype name** | A memorable label (e.g., "The Overwhelmed VP of Ops", "The Data-Driven CRO") |
| **Job title** | Exact title(s) this persona holds |
| **Reports to** | Who they report to (affects how they justify purchases) |
| **Company context** | What kind of company they work at (size, stage, situation) |
| **Daily frustrations** | 3-5 things that make their job hard right now |
| **Goals & success metrics** | What they are measured on / what "good" looks like for them |
| **Buying behavior** | How they research solutions (Google, Reddit, peer referrals, analyst reports, etc.) |
| **Trust triggers** | What makes them believe a vendor (case studies, free trials, peer recommendations, etc.) |
| **Red flags** | What makes them walk away (long contracts, no integrations, pushy sales, etc.) |
| **Language patterns** | 5-10 actual phrases they use to describe their problem — the words they type into Google, say on sales calls, or post on Reddit. These should sound like real speech, not marketing copy. |

**Rules for this step:**
- Language patterns are the most important field. Get these right. They drive content, ads, and outreach messaging downstream.
- Present personas to the user and ask for corrections before proceeding.

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## Step 4 — Community & Channel Discovery

For each persona, identify where they spend time online and offline. **Use `WebSearch` to validate every community you suggest.** Do not guess subreddit names or Slack community names -- verify they exist.

For each persona, produce:

### Online Communities
| Channel Type | Specific Communities |
|---|--