ICP for Selling Services to Crypto Startups (Step-by-Step)

December 22, 2025 · 10 min read

Crypto Leads Generating Specialists

This guide is for agencies and service providers selling services to token-based crypto startups, including marketing, PR, audits, dev, listings, and tooling. It is not a guide for token issuers looking for investors or token buyers.

Cold outreach is not dying, but your targeting can drift. When your list is full of wrong-stage or wrong-chain projects, even great copy gets ignored.

You will leave with:

Framework: a 4-layer ICP model you can apply to any token project
Worksheet: a copy and paste template (10 prompts) to define your buyer
Scorecard: a simple 0 to 10 lead-fit score you can add to your CRM
Examples: two ICP snapshots (PR agency vs smart-contract auditor)

If you plan to run paid campaigns later, validate the audience and message first using this case study: Don't Burn Cash on Ads: Validate Your Crypto Audience First.

Urgent Truth

Compliance is part of your ICP. Add basic exclusion filters up front (jurisdiction risk, sanctions risk, obvious scam patterns) so you do not build pipeline you cannot pursue.

Who this is for (and not for)

Good fit:

B2B agencies and service providers pitching services to token-based crypto projects
Teams who already do outbound, and want fewer "not a fit" replies
Operators who need a consistent way to segment by chain and lifecycle stage

Wrong fit:

Token issuers looking for buyers, investors, or exchange volume
Growth hackers trying to spam thousands of founders without qualification

Why ICP matters more in crypto

Token projects move fast, rebrand often, and buy services in compressed windows. That makes generic ICP advice from SaaS feel incomplete.

Crypto founders are also scam-sensitive. If your offer lands on the wrong kind of project, the reply is not just "no", it is often a hard block, a spam report, or a reputation hit you did not need.

A good ICP acts like a targeting firewall:

Time: filter out projects that cannot buy yet
Inbox: reduce irrelevant sends that risk spam complaints
Team: build compliance checks into your pipeline

The 4-layer ICP framework

Treat these layers as gates. If a lead fails a gate, you either nurture it or exclude it.

Service category fit

Start with what you sell and what a "successful client" looks like for you. If you are unsure which service categories token projects buy across lifecycle stages, use this positioning guide: Services for crypto projects (what sells).

Define:

Deliverable: what you ship in 7 to 30 days
Proof: what you can show without exaggerating
Buyer role: who signs and who implements
Non-negotiables: requirements you need to deliver (access, timelines, budget floor)

Chain ecosystem fit

Next, decide where you can deliver with confidence. Chain fit is not just preference, it affects tooling, community channels, and buyer expectations.

Capture:

Primary chain focus (example: Solana, Ethereum L2, Base, BSC)
Ecosystem language and community norms (Discord-first vs Telegram-first)
Technical constraints (indexing, wallet types, contract standards)

Exclude:

Chains you cannot support operationally right now
Ecosystems where your proof does not translate

Lifecycle timing fit

A project can be legit and still be a bad lead today. Timing is the difference between "interesting" and "budget is allocated".

Use a simple stage model and tag every lead to one stage:

Stage	Typical buyer focus	Good-fit services (examples)
Pre-launch	Security, launch readiness, narrative clarity	Audit or security review, launch comms plan, GTM prep
Listing window	Liquidity, credibility, partner readiness	Listing advisory, market-making discovery, PR burst
Post-launch growth	Retention, volume sustainability, partnerships	Growth sprints, ongoing PR, SEO and content, analytics

Budget and intent fit

Finally, separate "curious" from "committed". Intent signals do not need to be perfect, they need to be consistent.

Positive signals:

Shipping cadence (active product updates, commits, changelogs)
Hiring for growth, BD, or security roles
Clear goals tied to a window (audit before launch, listing after launch)

Negative signals:

No working website or a placeholder landing page
Anonymous contact with no way to verify identity
Unrealistic asks (guarantees, hype, or prohibited promises)

Alignment across your team

An ICP should not live in one person's head. Keep the rules visible, and review them on a schedule.

Function	Mission
Marketing	Track which segments respond, and update targeting assumptions.
Sales	Test qualification questions, and keep stage tags consistent.
Delivery / Service Leads	Confirm you can deliver for the chains and timelines you target.
Legal & Compliance	Maintain exclusion rules and escalation paths (consult counsel when needed).

Data points to collect for each project

You do not need a perfect dataset. You need a consistent record that lets you segment and qualify fast.

Minimum fields to store (keep them consistent across tools):

Website: {website}
Token URL: {tokenUrl}
Chain: {blockchain}
Contract: {tokenAddress}
Name and ticker: {tokenName} and {tokenSymbol}

Context fields that make your ICP actionable:

Service category (what you would sell them)
Lifecycle stage (from the table above)
Budget or intent note (one sentence)
Compliance notes (if any)
Last touch and next action (so the lead does not go stale)

Sourcing note: if you build lists manually, start with a reliable discovery workflow like finding token projects on CoinMarketCap to pitch your services. If you buy static databases, read this first: why static crypto email lists fail.

If you want the end-to-end operating system (from sourcing to CRM routing to outreach), use this guide: Crypto project acquisition for agencies and providers.

Pro Tip

Set one alert that matches your ICP. Example: "new token on your target chain plus a real website". Route it to a human review step before it touches outbound sequences.

Build your ICP in 30 minutes

This is the fastest way to get to an ICP you can use in the real world.

1) Fill the worksheet

Copy and paste these prompts into your notes, CRM, or a doc:

Outcome, what result do we deliver (in plain English)?
Segment, which service category do we sell (PR, audit, dev, listings, tooling)?
Chain, which ecosystems do we prioritize, and why?
Timing, which lifecycle stage is the easiest close for us right now?
Buyer, which role is the primary decision maker?
Access, what do we need from the client to deliver cleanly?
Proof, what assets reduce scam fear (case study, portfolio, team page)?
Exclusions, which projects should we never contact?
Triggers, what signals tell us "reach out this week"?
Offer, what is the one sentence pitch we will test first?

2) Add the 0 to 10 scorecard

Score each lead from 0 to 2 on five criteria. Total possible score is 10.

Service fit (0 to 2)
Chain fit (0 to 2)
Stage fit (0 to 2)
Budget and intent fit (0 to 2)
Compliance fit (0 to 2)

Use the total to decide your next action:

0 to 3, exclude or ignore for now
4 to 6, nurture and revisit on a schedule
7 to 10, prioritize for outreach this week

3) Validate and iterate

Run a small test against real leads. The goal is not volume, it is feedback.

Pick 25 to 50 projects that match your draft ICP
Tag them by chain and stage
Track which segments reply with clear next steps
Adjust exclusions and triggers based on what you learn

Real-world ICP examples by service type

Use these as patterns, not as scripts.

PR agency ICP snapshot

Focus:

Chains where PR distribution and partnerships matter
Teams approaching a launch or listing window
Buyers who have an owned website and a clear narrative

Qualification questions:

What launch milestone is next (TGE, exchange listing, major partnership)?
Who owns PR approvals and budget?

Negative filters:

"Pay in tokens only" requests
Anonymous teams with no verifiable footprint

Smart-contract auditor ICP snapshot

Focus:

Projects with active contracts and a clear deployment timeline
Teams that treat security review as a requirement, not an afterthought
Buyers with technical contacts available for Q and A

Qualification questions:

What contracts are in scope, and what chain standards apply?
Who is the technical owner who can answer questions quickly?

Negative filters:

Teams asking for guaranteed outcomes or rushed sign-offs
Projects unwilling to share code or commit to remediation

Common ICP mistakes (and fixes)

Copying a competitor's ICP without matching your delivery strengths
Fix: start from your own best clients, then reverse-engineer the common traits.
Treating hype as intent
Fix: prefer signals tied to shipping, hiring, and lifecycle windows.
Ignoring compliance until late-stage deals
Fix: add exclusions early, and document escalation rules.
Letting the ICP go stale
Fix: schedule a review cycle, and update stage definitions when markets shift.
Over-segmenting before you have data
Fix: start with 2 to 3 segments, then split only after you see repeatable patterns.

If you want more manual discovery sources, this form shares a list of coin trackers: coin tracker list.

Where LeadGenCrypto fits

If you already have an ICP, LeadGenCrypto can help you operationalize it with fresher data and cleaner workflows:

Verified leads of newly launched token-based crypto projects delivered daily
Each lead includes a website, token address, blockchain, token name and symbol, and verified email(s), and often Telegram
Export to CSV for simple workflows, or pull leads via the Public API for automation
Filter delivery by blockchain network so your ICP stays tight
Upload email or token URL exceptions to avoid duplicates and protect budget

To keep segmentation clean, pair your ICP with Filters and Exceptions: /docs/core-features/filters-and-exceptions/.

Next step

Start with one free lead and test your ICP assumptions in the real world: /docs/core-features/leads/.

Who this is for (and not for)​

Why ICP matters more in crypto​

The 4-layer ICP framework​

Service category fit​

Chain ecosystem fit​

Lifecycle timing fit​

Budget and intent fit​

Alignment across your team​

Data points to collect for each project​

Build your ICP in 30 minutes​

1) Fill the worksheet​

2) Add the 0 to 10 scorecard​

3) Validate and iterate​

Real-world ICP examples by service type​

PR agency ICP snapshot​

Smart-contract auditor ICP snapshot​

Common ICP mistakes (and fixes)​

Where LeadGenCrypto fits​

Next step​

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