Your Prospecting Job was aborted and in the Outreach Hub you see that all researched companies are marked as "unqualified" – even though they clearly meet your ICP criteria? For example, organizations with over 100M in revenue are being rejected, although your filter is only supposed to exclude companies below 5M. This article explains what's happening and how to fix it.
💡 What does “Fit criteria failed” mean?
When a company receives the status "Fit criteria failed" in the Outreach Hub, it means the system's Deep Research determined that the company doesn't match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). The Prospecting Job automatically skips that company.
If all companies are rejected and the job aborts, it's usually because the fit criteria in your ICP are too narrow, too broad, or imprecise – so the system can't interpret them correctly.
🔍 Common Causes
1. ICP criteria are too vague or contradictory
If your criteria for industry, company size, persona, or pain points are too broadly defined, the Deep Research can't reliably match results against your ICP. This leads to qualified companies being incorrectly classified as “unqualified.”
2. Missing or unclear exclusion criteria
Without clear exclusion criteria (e.g., “no companies below 5M revenue”), the system can't reliably distinguish between relevant and irrelevant companies. Precision is especially important for numerical thresholds (revenue, headcount, earnings).
3. Deep Research interprets data differently than expected
In some cases, the Deep Research may interpret available data differently. For example, revenue could be listed in a different currency, or different metrics (revenue vs. budget vs. earnings) might be confused.
🔧 How to Fix It
Step 1: Review and refine your ICP setup
Go to your ICP setup and check the following:
Criterion | What to check |
Industry | Is the industry selection specific enough? Avoid overly broad categories. |
Company Size | Are revenue/headcount thresholds clearly defined with concrete numbers? |
Persona | Is the target role (e.g., IT Director, CEO) precisely described? |
Pain Points | Are the defined challenges concrete and industry-specific? |
Exclusion Criteria | Are clear boundaries set, e.g., “no companies below 5M revenue”? |
Step 2: Test new results
After adjusting your ICP, start a new Prospecting Job and carefully review the first 5 new results before letting the job run completely. This ensures that the criteria are now working correctly.
✅ Tips for a Good ICP Setup
Be specific: “IT service providers with 50–500 employees in the DACH region” is better than “technology companies.”
Use concrete numbers: “Revenue at least 5M EUR” rather than “mid-size companies.”
Define exclusion criteria: Tell the system clearly which companies it should NOT find.
Review regularly: After every adjustment, check the first results before scaling.
🙋 Still Having Problems?
If all companies continue to be rejected as “unqualified” despite adjusting your ICP, it may be a technical issue. In that case, please reach out to our support team. Use the in-app chat and type "Talk to a human" – a team member will then review your ICP setup and Deep Research logic together with you.