Many early-stage founders treat the ICP as a decision: a workshop, a persona slide, a paragraph in the deck. Then they go to market and wonder why the "ideal" customer keeps not buying.

I currently have at least two calls per week with AI sales automation vendors. Business is booming. They can’t onboard clients as fast as they lock in sales calls.

This usually shows up right after the first sales hires.

Not because market research doesn't belong in sales. Because sales was already doing the research. The real problem wasn't collecting customer insight. It was making sure it survived the meeting and created direction.

The vision is clear, conviction is high, and trust is built around the person behind the company. That trust replaces the need for a structured business case.

My own experiments suggest that this is the wrong place to apply it.

The first time I was targeted by a fully automated outbound campaign, I was genuinely curious.

And here is why.

No fixed salary. Pay a higher commission when revenue comes in. Keep cash available for building the business.

The Product: Outside-In GTM Read