Sales teams often define their ICP at a high level, but struggle to operationalize it in a way that consistently drives the right opportunities at the right time.
That’s the perspective of Ryan Sonnenberg, Director of Growth at Take Command. For him, it all comes down to precision and timing—“the right deal at the right time” —and building the internal and external systems that make that possible.
Ryan focuses on three areas to make ICP actionable and revenue-driving:
Build a Data-Driven ICP
It starts with grounding the ICP in real data across key dimensions like verticals, company size, and geography. At Take Command, that meant going deeper than state or metro — scoring 700+ ZIP codes nationwide on the economic spread between small group rates and individual ACA plans, then tiering markets as Must Win, Emerging, or Watch. Instead of casting a wide net, the goal is to narrow the focus to where there is the highest probability of success.
This means identifying patterns across existing customers and the broader market:
- Which verticals convert faster
- Which company sizes expand more effectively (for ICHRA, the 20–500 employee band consistently outperforms)
- Which ZIPs show the strongest economic signals — where individual plans are materially cheaper than small group
A data-driven ICP allows teams to move from “who could buy” to “who is most likely to buy now.”
Drive Internal Alignment on High-Intent Accounts
Once the ICP is defined, Ryan emphasizes the importance of alignment across the entire go-to-market team.
It’s not enough for sales to know the target. Marketing, SDRs, and leadership all need to be focused on the same set of high-intent accounts and the same priority markets — the Must Win metros where the economics, carrier access, and broker density all align.
This creates clarity on:
- Where to spend time
- Which accounts deserve deeper engagement
- How to prioritize pipeline efforts across geographies
When teams align around intent — and around the same tiered view of the market — it becomes easier to build momentum and avoid wasted effort on low-probability deals.
Enable External Affiliates to Extend Reach
Ryan also highlights the role of affiliates and external partners — for Take Command, that’s the network of Benefit Consultants who own the employer relationship — in scaling ICP execution. These partners can help extend reach into target accounts, but only if they are enabled correctly.
That means showing up with intelligence, not just a pitch: cross-referencing the consultant’s own book of business against the Tier 1 ZIP map, arriving with three to five named employer candidates already matched to the highest-opportunity markets, and equipping them with a talk track tailored to their state’s carrier landscape.
When affiliates align on a data-driven approach, they don’t just generate volume—they help surface the right opportunities, in the right markets, at the right time.
At the core of Ryan’s approach is a simple but powerful idea: focus creates results. By defining ICP through data, aligning teams around intent, and enabling partners to execute with precision, organizations can consistently land “the right deal at the right time.”
