How Teams Outgrow Their First Version of Niche Scoring for B2B SaaS

v1 scoring picks your first ICP. v2 picks your second. The criteria change.

What v1 Scores For

• Reachability with no brand.
• Pain you can ship a v0.5 against.
• Decision speed (cash burn matters).
• Crowding (you have no moat yet).

What v2 Scores For

• Adjacency to existing accounts.
• Expansion potential per logo.
• Brand leverage (your existing customers refer in).
• Product overlap (shipping a new vertical is one PRD, not five).

Common v1-to-v2 Mistakes

• Re-using v1 weights. Reachability matters less when you have inbound.
• Ignoring brand drag. Some new ICPs muddy positioning.
• Scoring expansion candidates without sales input.

When to Move

When inbound from off-ICP buyers exceeds 20 percent of pipeline, the market is telling you. Score the candidates and pick.