Stop Guessing: How to Identify the Right People for Your Short List

If you’ve embraced the idea of focusing your business development efforts on a short list of key relationships, you’re already ahead of the game.
But there’s one question that still trips up even seasoned professionals:

How do I know who belongs on my short list?

Too often, people build their list based on hope, not evidence. They include former clients who haven’t returned their emails in years, or aspirational contacts they “should” know but haven’t actually met.

Let’s fix that.

Not All Relationships Are Created Equal

In The Short List, I break relationships into three strategic categories:
• Clients: The ones who’ve paid you before and are likely to again
• Connectors: The ones who know your sweet-spot buyers and are happy to make intros
• Prospects: The ones who would benefit from your expertise and are open to a conversation

Simple, right? But here’s where most people go wrong:
They load up their short list with names that don’t fit any of those three categories — a wish list of high-value targets with whom they have no real traction.

If someone isn’t showing interest, making referrals, or returning value in some way, they’re not a short list relationship. They’re just a name in your CRM.

Start with Signals, Not Sentiment

Professionals often confuse familiarity with opportunity. Just because you’ve known someone a long time doesn’t mean they’ll hire or refer you.

Instead, ask:
• Have they referred me or someone like me before?
• Have they shown interest in my services?
• Do we share personal commonalities, have mutual trust, and commercial relevance?

Your short list should be grounded in relationship signals, not sentiment. Sentiment gets you friendly conversations. Signals get you deals.

The Most Overlooked Source of Revenue? Your Past Clients

Here’s a reminder worth repeating: your existing and past clients are the most obvious and often most neglected short list category.

They already trust you. They’ve already paid you. If they had a good experience, there’s a high chance they’ll come back or refer others.

Yet many business developers don’t think to re-engage them. Why? Because they’re spending too much of their time inefficiently chasing new leads instead of nurturing the proven ones.

It’s not about working harder. It’s about working smarter. Revenue often lives in relationships you’ve already earned.

Fewer Maybes, More Yesses

A well-curated short list isn’t long. It’s intentional.

The right names on your list will:
• Respond when you reach out
• Engage in meaningful dialogue
• Move the needle on your pipeline

If you’re staring at a list of 75 contacts and thinking, “I might be able to get something going with some of them,” you’ve already lost.
Trim the fat. Double down on the 9 to 35 who are actually showing promise.

Your Short List Is a Living Document

And finally, this isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it exercise. Relationships evolve.
Check in on your short list regularly. Replace the cold contacts with warm ones. Let the data, not your assumptions, drive the updates.

Your short list should feel like a group of hand-picked allies, not a random scroll through your LinkedIn connections.

Because when you focus on the right people, the right opportunities follow.

To learn more about The Short List methodology, visit https://pipelineplus.com/theshortlist/.

David Ackert is the founder of PipelinePlus and author of The Short List. His company trains the next generation of business developers so your firm can scale beyond your own rainmaking. Connect with him on LinkedIn here.