Why Prioritization Matters
You can't contact everyone at once. Effective prioritization ensures you:
Focus time on highest-probability opportunities
Maximize ROI on business development efforts
Reach prospects at optimal moments
Balance immediate revenue with long-term potential
Prevent burnout from chasing cold leads
The 80/20 rule: 20% of your prospects will generate 80% of results. Catchlight helps you identify that critical 20%.
Multi-Factor Prioritization Framework
The most effective prioritization combines multiple data points rather than relying on any single metric.
The Three-Dimensional Priority Model
Dimension 1: Engagement Likelihood (Catchlight Score) How likely are they to respond and engage?
Dimension 2: Business Value (Projected Revenue + Wealth Segment) How valuable is this relationship financially?
Dimension 3: Timing (Life Events + Milestones) Is now the right time to reach out?
Highest priority: High on all three dimensions Good targets: High on two dimensions Lower priority: High on only one dimension Skip: Low on all three dimensions
Prioritization Tier System
Tier 1: Immediate Action (Contact This Week)
Criteria:
Catchlight Score: 75+
AND Projected Revenue: $10K+ (or Wealth Segment: Affluent+)
AND (Life Event within 90 days OR Eligibility Milestone within 6 months)
Why highest priority:
Will likely respond (high engagement score)
Financially valuable (worth your time)
Timely need (receptive to conversation)
Action:
Personal research (LinkedIn, background)
Customized outreach (reference specific situation)
Multi-channel approach (LinkedIn + email + phone)
Senior advisor handles personally
Follow up within 3-5 days
Expected conversion rate: 25-40%
Example: 48-year-old CFO (Catchlight Score 82, Projected Revenue $18K) who changed jobs 60 days ago and is approaching age 50 catch-up contribution eligibility.
Tier 2: High Priority (Contact This Month)
Criteria: Meet 2 of 3:
Catchlight Score: 65+
Projected Revenue: $7K+ OR Wealth Segment: Mass Affluent+
Life Event OR High Social Capital Score (70+)
Why important:
Good likelihood of engagement
Financially worthwhile
Some strategic value (timing, referral potential, fit)
Action:
Personalized outreach (template customized with details)
Email + LinkedIn connection
Associate or senior advisor
Follow up within 7-10 days
Expected conversion rate: 15-25%
Example 1: 56-year-old small business owner (Score 70, Revenue $9K) with no recent life events but high social capital (potential referral source).
Example 2: 42-year-old professional (Score 68, Revenue $6K) who recently purchased a home and has children entering college age.
Tier 3: Standard Priority (Contact This Quarter)
Criteria:
Catchlight Score: 50-64
Projected Revenue: $4K-$7K OR Wealth Segment: Mass Affluent
May or may not have life events
Why worth pursuing:
Moderate engagement likelihood
Decent financial value
Fill pipeline, build long-term relationships
Action:
Semi-personalized email campaigns (3-5 touch series)
Event invitations (webinars, seminars)
Junior advisor or team approach
Nurture over 2-3 months
Expected conversion rate: 8-15%
Example: 38-year-old manager (Score 58, Revenue $5K) with stable job, family, no major recent events but in wealth accumulation stage.
Tier 4: Long-Term Nurture (Automated Campaigns)
Criteria:
Catchlight Score: 35-49 OR
Projected Revenue: $2K-$4K
Emerging Affluent, early career, or low current value but growth potential
Why include:
Future potential (young high earners)
Fill funnel for when they grow
Low-cost automated nurture
Action:
Automated email drip campaigns (monthly)
Digital content offers (guides, webinars)
Periodic re-evaluation (score/situation changes)
No personal outreach until status changes
Expected conversion rate: 3-8%
Example: 28-year-old software engineer (Score 45, Revenue $2K) early in career but high income trajectory, or recent college graduate at prestigious employer.
Tier 5: Deprioritize or Skip
Criteria:
Catchlight Score: Under 35
AND Projected Revenue: Under $2K
No strategic value (wrong fit, low growth potential)
Why deprioritize:
Very low likelihood of engagement
Insufficient financial value
Better use of time elsewhere
Action:
Bulk email only (if at all)
Re-evaluate if situation changes significantly
May skip entirely to focus on better opportunities
Expected conversion rate: 0-3%
Advanced Prioritization Strategies
Strategic Value Adjustments
Sometimes prospects warrant higher priority despite lower scores:
Upgrade Priority For:
Warm referrals: Referred by existing client (trust already established)
Centers of Influence: High Social Capital Score (70+), potential referral source
Niche fit: Perfect match for your specialization (even if lower revenue)
Strategic companies: Employee at target organization (build foothold)
Geographic concentration: High-value prospect in territory you're building
Example: Catchlight Score 55, Revenue $5K would normally be Tier 3, but referred by your top client → Upgrade to Tier 1.
Downgrade Priority For:
Wrong fit: Outside your service model, expertise, or minimum
Geographic constraints: Too far for in-person service (if required)
Unresponsive history: Previously contacted with no engagement
Compliance concerns: Red flags in background
Life Event Timing Windows
Prioritize based on optimal outreach timing:
Immediate (This Week):
Medicare enrollment window (4-6 months before 65th birthday)
RMD age approaching (age 72, first RMD year)
Job change 1-3 months ago (401(k) rollover window)
Short-term (This Month):
Age 50 catch-up contributions (beginning of year turning 50)
Recent home purchase (3-6 months ago)
Recent marriage (3-6 months ago)
New child (4-6 months ago)
Medium-term (This Quarter):
Pre-retirement (2-3 years from retirement)
Children entering high school (college planning horizon)
Age 55-59 (retirement planning ramp-up)
Long-term (Nurture):
Young professionals (10+ years to major planning needs)
Recently served milestone (follow up in 6-12 months)
Capacity-Based Prioritization
Your time is limited. Allocate based on capacity:
If you have 10 hours/week for business development:
6 hours: Tier 1 prospects (highest priority, personal outreach)
3 hours: Tier 2 prospects (high priority, semi-personalized)
1 hour: Campaign setup and automation for Tier 3-4
If you have 3 hours/week:
Focus exclusively on Tier 1
Automate everything else
Match effort to capacity—don't spread too thin.
Filtering and Segmentation for Prioritization
Priority Filter Combinations
Highest Priority Filter:
Catchlight Score: 75-100
Projected Revenue: $10,000+
Life Event: Any within last 6 months
Enrichment Status: Complete
Result: Your absolute top targets
High-Value + Life Event Filter:
Wealth Segment: Affluent or higher
Life Event: Job change OR Home purchase OR Age milestone
Catchlight Score: 60+
Result: Wealthy individuals at planning-trigger moments
Engaged Professionals Filter:
Catchlight Score: 70+
Job Level: VP/Director or higher
Current Employer: [target companies]
Age: 40-60
Result: Engaged, successful mid-career professionals
Pre-Retiree Opportunity Filter:
Age: 60-65
Projected Revenue: $8,000+
Catchlight Score: 60+
Result: High-value prospects approaching complex planning needs
Creating Your Prioritized Outreach List
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Client
Minimum revenue/asset threshold
Target wealth segment
Geographic preferences
Niche specialization (if any)
Step 2: Apply Base Filters Filter for minimum qualifications:
Enrichment Status = Complete
Has email address OR phone number
Meets minimum revenue/wealth threshold
Geographic fit
Step 3: Score and Sort
Sort by Catchlight Score (descending)
Review top 100-200 prospects
Step 4: Add Strategic Filters
Layer in life events
Highlight referrals and warm introductions
Flag high social capital scores
Mark niche fits
Step 5: Assign Tiers Categorize each prospect into Tier 1-5 based on multi-factor assessment
Step 6: Create Action Plan
Tier 1: Personal outreach list (this week)
Tier 2: Personalized campaign list (this month)
Tier 3: Standard campaign list (this quarter)
Tier 4: Automated nurture (ongoing)
Tier 5: Deprioritize
Tracking and Optimization
Monitor Results by Tier
Track conversion rates:
Which tiers perform best?
Is Tier 1 actually converting at 25-40%?
If not, are criteria too loose or outreach approach ineffective?
Adjust prioritization based on actual results.
Re-Prioritization Triggers
Promote to higher tier when:
Catchlight Score increases significantly (20+ points)
New life event occurs
Warm referral introduction made
Client enters high-value age bracket
Demote when:
Multiple outreach attempts with no response
Score decreases
Discover disqualifying factor
Relationship goes cold
Pipeline Balance
Maintain balance across tiers:
Too many Tier 1: You'll never get through them all
Too few Tier 1: Not enough high-quality opportunities
Healthy balance: 20-40 Tier 1, 60-100 Tier 2, 200+ Tier 3-4 for nurture
Common Prioritization Mistakes
Mistake 1: Revenue-Only Focus
Problem: Chasing high revenue with low engagement scores
Result: Wasted time on unresponsive prospects
Fix: Require minimum Catchlight Score (60+) for active pursuit
Mistake 2: Score-Only Focus
Problem: Contacting highly engaged people below your minimums
Result: Win clients who don't meet business model
Fix: Enforce revenue/wealth minimums
Mistake 3: Ignoring Timing
Problem: Contacting people with no immediate planning triggers
Result: "Not interested right now" responses
Fix: Prioritize life events and milestones
Mistake 4: Analysis Paralysis
Problem: Over-analyzing instead of taking action
Result: Opportunities grow stale
Fix: Set simple tier criteria and execute quickly
Mistake 5: No Re-Prioritization
Problem: Once-and-done prioritization that never updates
Result: Miss emerging opportunities, waste time on stale leads
Fix: Monthly re-prioritization review
Quick Start Prioritization Formula
If you want a simple, effective starting point:
Top Priority = (Catchlight Score > 70) + (Revenue > $10K) + (Life Event OR Age 60-65)
Start there. Contact those people first. Refine over time.
Related Articles
5.8: Catchlight Score Explained
5.5: Financial Indicators
5.7: Life Events & Eligibility Milestones
6.2: Personalizing Outreach
6.3: Timing Your Outreach
3.3: Using Filters to Refine Your View