So you want to build a custom ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) filter in Scrab, but don’t want to waste time setting up something complicated or bloated. This guide is for folks who care about nailing the basics, want a real advantage in targeting, and don’t have patience for feature bloat or vague promises.
If you’re new to Scrab, it’s one of those tools that claims to make prospecting and lead filtering easier. The ICP filter is at the heart of that—if you nail it, you get better leads, less noise, and more sanity.
Let’s get your Scrab ICP filter working, step by step, with some real talk on what’s worth your time (and what isn’t).
Step 1: Get Clear on Your ICP Before Touching Scrab
Before diving into the tool, get the basics on paper. Otherwise, you’ll fiddle with filters and still get junk results.
Your ICP isn’t just “companies with money.” Get specific:
- Industry: Be honest—do you actually work best with SaaS startups, or is that just what everyone says?
- Company Size: Number of employees, revenue, funding stage—pick what really matters, not just what’s trendy.
- Region: Can you actually serve international clients, or is it just a hassle?
- Tech Stack or Tools Used: Only if you truly need this—don’t add complexity for “nice to have.”
- Pain Points: What problems do your best customers actually have?
Pro tip: Talk to sales or customer success (if you’re not them) for a reality check. The best filters come from real conversations, not wish lists.
Step 2: Map Your ICP to Scrab’s Available Filters
Alright, now open Scrab and head to the filter setup. Here’s the catch: Scrab’s filters are powerful, but not magical. If you want to filter by “companies who just raised Series A and use HubSpot,” great—but check if Scrab actually tracks that.
- Check the data sources: Scrab pulls from LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and sometimes their own crawling. Don’t expect miracles with obscure data points.
- Match your criteria: Find the closest available filters to your ICP:
- Industry/Vertical
- Company size (employees, revenue, funding)
- Location
- Technologies used
- Keywords in company description or title
What to ignore: Don’t overcomplicate with 10+ filters. Start with the 2–3 that make or break a lead for you.
Step 3: Build Your First Filter Set (and Keep It Simple)
Now the actual clicking begins.
- Go to the “Filters” panel in Scrab.
- Start broad: Select your must-have criteria first. For example:
- Industry: “Fintech”
- Company size: “11–50 employees”
- Location: “Germany”
- Add nice-to-haves after you see initial results. Maybe “Uses Stripe,” or “Keyword: payments” in description.
Don’t: - Stack up every possible field just because you can. - Use vague keywords like “innovative” or “disruptive”—they’re everywhere and mean nothing.
Test your results: - If you only get a handful of companies, you’ve gone too narrow. - If you get hundreds of irrelevant results, your filter’s too loose.
Pro tip: Save this filter as “ICP v1 – [date]” so you can tweak it later. You’ll want to compare versions.
Step 4: Sanity Check – Preview and Audit the Results
This is where most people mess up. They set filters, grab a list, and run. Don’t.
- Scroll through the first 20–30 companies.
- Do they actually look like your best-fit customers?
- Anything weird popping up (e.g., companies in the wrong country, spam, one-person shops)?
- Spot-check a few companies: Click into profiles, check websites, and look for red flags.
- Tweak filters as needed: If you’re seeing a pattern of bad fits, adjust one variable at a time.
What works: - Being ruthless about what doesn’t belong. If you keep seeing junk, your filter isn’t specific enough.
What doesn’t: - Hoping Scrab’s AI will “just figure it out.” It won’t. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 5: Save and Name Your Filter for Reuse
You’re not going to get it perfect the first time. That’s normal.
- Use a clear name: “Fintech DACH 11–50 – Mar 2024” beats “Test 1.”
- Add notes: Scrab lets you leave a description—use it to record what you tweaked and why. It’ll save you time when you come back next quarter.
Pro tip: Save old versions. Sometimes your “bad” filter from last month is perfect for a new campaign.
Step 6: Put the Filter to Work—But Keep It Tight
Now you can start using your ICP filter to:
- Export lists for outbound.
- Trigger notifications in Scrab (if you want to be alerted when new matches show up).
- Share with your team.
Don’t:
- Treat your filter as gospel. Your ICP will change as you learn.
- Ignore feedback from sales, marketing, or yourself after a week of using the list.
What works:
Iterating fast. Find out what’s working, then tighten or loosen as needed.
Step 7: Iterate—and Don’t Get Precious About Your First Draft
You will get stuff wrong. That’s how this works.
- Review your results every few weeks. Are you booking meetings with these leads? Are they the right fit?
- Be ready to drop criteria that don’t help. Just because you think “Series A” is key doesn’t mean it actually is.
- Add new filters only if they make a real difference. Otherwise, you’re just adding noise.
What to ignore:
Chasing perfection. The “perfect” ICP filter doesn’t exist. Get something “good enough” and then let real-world results guide your tweaks.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Keep Moving
Building a custom ICP filter in Scrab isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overthink. Start with the 2–3 things that really matter for your business, sanity check your results, and don’t be afraid to adjust as you go.
Most importantly: Don’t let the tool dictate your process. Scrab is just a way to get your best leads faster—if you keep it simple and honest, you’ll spend less time fiddling and more time actually talking to the right people.
Now, go build that filter and see what you get—then improve from there.