Most consultants have hundreds of LinkedIn connections but no idea who to prioritise. The Bucket Game solves this: a 10-minute contact classification exercise that turns your entire network into four actionable groups - High Trust/High Fit, Medium Trust/High Fit, Referrers, and Hot 100. Based on frameworks from David A. Fields and Chet Holmes, this system replaces decision paralysis with a clear weekly action list. Below is the full framework - where it comes from, why it works, and how to run it today.

"Just grow your network."

"Connect with more people."

"Your net worth is your network."

This is the advice that's been paralysing consultants for a decade.

Because here's what nobody tells you: a bigger network isn't a better network. An unorganised network is barely a network at all.

I learned this the hard way.

2,347 Connections. Zero Clarity.

When I started my sales training company [many, many years ago], I had what looked like a decent network. Former colleagues from two companies and past clients. People I'd met at conferences, on panels, through introductions.

Every few months, someone would send a connection request and I'd accept. Another node in the network.

More connections = better network, right?

Then my first major client engagement ended. Pipeline was thin. Time to do some business development.

I opened LinkedIn. Stared at the screen. Scrolled through names.

Where do you even start? Who do you reach out to first? The decision paralysis was overwhelming.

I'd recognise some names. Struggle to remember others. Draft a message, delete it, draft another. An hour would pass and I'd have sent exactly zero outreach.

"I have a network," I thought. "So why does it feel like I'm starting from zero every time?"

The answer, it turned out, had been figured out decades ago. I just hadn't learned it yet.

The Myth of "More Connections"

Most professionals operate with an implicit belief about networking:

"More connections = better network. The bigger my LinkedIn, the more opportunities I'll have. I should keep adding people and eventually the network will work for me."

This belief feels logical. After all, isn't a larger network more valuable? More people who might hire you, refer you, or connect you to opportunities?

But here's what that belief misses: when every contact is treated equally, you end up treating all of them poorly.

You spend energy on people who can't help your business while neglecting the relationships that actually matter. The network becomes a weight instead of an asset.

After watching this pattern in 200+ consultancies over 15 years, I've concluded: prioritisation isn't optional. It's the whole game.

David A. Fields and the 100 Relationship Thesis

The book that changed how I think about this was David A. Fields' The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients. Fields makes a claim that initially sounds absurd:

100 strong relationships with decision-makers is enough to sustain a healthy consulting practice.

Just 100. Not 1,000. Not 2,347. One hundred.

But Fields is precise about what he means. He categorises contacts along two independent dimensions:

The Relationship Dimension (A/B/C) measures how well someone knows you:

A contacts return your calls within a day, consider you a trusted resource, and will take your meeting

B contacts definitely know who you are but don't think of you as a go-to expert

C contacts have minimal or no existing relationship with you

The Influence Dimension (1/2/3) measures their ability to generate business:

1s have "power of the purse" - they can directly say "yes" to hiring your firm

2s are influencers - they can introduce you to decision-makers or have broad reach (journalists, podcast hosts, association leaders)

3s are neither - they cannot buy and cannot meaningfully refer

The matrix creates six categories, but three matter most:

A1s (strong relationship + buying authority),

A2s (strong relationship + referral power), and

B1s (potential buyers who need relationship warming).

Fields calls this the "Network Core" - the 100-300 relationships where consultants should focus their business development energy. Everything else falls outside the core.

His math: build 300 A1 relationships and you can power a £50 million firm. The contacts themselves aren't scarce but the categorisation and systematic cultivation is what most consultants skip.

Chet Holmes and the Dream 100

Chet Holmes discovered the same principle from a different angle.

Working for Charlie Munger's legal publishing company in the 1990s, Holmes faced a marketing challenge: 2,200 potential advertisers in a fragmented market. The conventional approach would be to market broadly and touch everyone, hope some convert.

Instead, Holmes analysed the data and found that 167 companies represented 95% of the market's purchasing power. The rest - over 2,000 companies, controlled just 5% of the spend.

He abandoned broad marketing entirely. All resources focused on those 167 accounts with relentless, persistent outreach.

The result: he doubled sales across nine divisions within 12-15 months.

Holmes codified this approach in The Ultimate Sales Machine as the "Dream 100" strategy. The principle, rooted in Pareto's 80/20 rule: 20% of potential buyers typically generate 80% of revenue. Focus there.

Holmes emphasised what he called "Pig-Headed Discipline" - persistent, systematic outreach over months, not weeks. His foundational case study: four months of outreach before closing the first Dream 100 deal (Xerox, which became the largest sale in industry history). He then closed 28 more Dream 100 accounts in the following five months.

The "100" was a guideline, not a rigid rule. Holmes originally worked 167. Modern practitioners adapt from 25 to 250 depending on capacity. The principle remains: identify your highest-value targets and pursue them with systematic persistence.

Why We Get Prioritisation Wrong

If prioritisation is so clearly valuable, why don't more consultants do it?

Fields identified two cognitive biases that systematically distort how we evaluate our networks. I've seen both play out hundreds of times:

Familiarity Bias causes us to overrate contacts we like talking to. As Fields writes, "as your relationship with a contact deepens, your belief that they can help your consulting firm win business increases disproportionately." The friendly CEO in the wrong industry gets mentally promoted to A1 when they're actually A3 - strong relationship but zero business potential.

Direct Connection Bias makes us discount contacts who don't work at potential clients. An industry journalist (A2) gets deprioritised because they can't directly hire us, even though a single mention could expose our work to hundreds of decision-makers.

Research on sales organisations confirms this. A study found that sales professionals consistently overestimate their pipeline quality due to anchoring bias and sunk cost fallacy having already invested time with a prospect, "most sellers are reluctant to let them go, even long after they logically 'should' have."

The biases aren't moral failings, they're how human brains work. Without a systematic categorisation forcing honest assessment, we drift toward comfortable relationships instead of valuable ones.

What 30 Years Taught Me About These Frameworks

Both frameworks, Fields' A1/B1/A2 matrix and Holmes' Dream 100, are proven. They work.

But after applying them with hundreds of consultancies, I've learned they share a weakness:

they're static snapshots that don't automatically update.

B2B contact data decays at 2.1% per month, translating to 22.5% annual degradation. In fast-moving industries like technology, data decay reaches 70% annually. Approximately 30% of employees change jobs each year. The categorisation that made someone a perfect A1 in January may be completely wrong by March.

Neither framework has a mechanism for detecting when:

→ A contact changes companies (often their most receptive moment)

→ An organisation secures new funding or enters a budget cycle

→ Competitive dynamics create sudden urgency

→ A contact posts about challenges that map to your expertise

And neither addresses when to reach out - only who to prioritise.

That's where combining bucketing with signal detection becomes powerful. You know who matters (buckets) AND when they're receptive (signals). But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Bucket Game: A Practical Synthesis

Drawing on Fields, Holmes, and 15 years of testing with consultancies, I've developed a simplified categorisation system for solo consultants and fractional executives.

Four buckets. That's it.

Bucket 1: High Trust / High Fit

Definition: People who know you well AND match your ideal client profile. They would take your call, they could hire you, and they have the kinds of problems you solve.

Fields equivalent: A1s

Action: These contacts get your first and best attention. When you spot a quiet signal from someone in this bucket, you act immediately. Your CLEAR outreach starts here.

Target: Build toward 100+ contacts in this bucket - Fields' thesis for a sustainable consulting practice.

Bucket 2: Medium Trust / High Fit

Definition: They match your ICP, right company size, right industry, right problems - but the relationship needs warming. They know who you are but may not take your call today.

Fields equivalent: B1s ("A1s in waiting")

Action: Systematic relationship building. Engage with their content on LinkedIn. Send occasional value. Your goal is to warm these into High Trust over 3-6 months.

Target: This is your pipeline runway. Every B1 that converts to A1 strengthens your long-term foundation.

Bucket 3: Referrers

Definition: They may never buy from you, but they have reach. People within high fit companies that can refer you in but not buy directly, Journalists who cover your industry, podcast hosts, association leaders, connectors who know everyone and complementary service providers who serve your ICP.

Fields equivalent: A2s

Action: Nurture the relationship. Be helpful to them. Share their content. Make introductions. A single referrer can generate more opportunities than 50 direct contacts - but only if they think of you when opportunities arise.

Watch for: Direct Connection Bias. Your brain will deprioritise referrers because they "can't buy." Resist this. Referrers are force multipliers.

Bucket 4: Hot 100

Definition: Your Dream 100 à la Chet Holmes. Aspirational targets who would transform your business if won. They may not know you yet - but they're worth systematic, persistent pursuit.

Holmes equivalent: The Dream 100

Action: Multi-touch campaigns over months. Engage with their content. Send personalised value. Request nothing at first just build familiarity. Holmes' research showed 80% of sales happen on the 5th to 12th contact, yet only 10% of salespeople follow up after three touches. I haven't done the research but I'd guess that for consultants that may be as low as 1%. Be persistent.

Patience required: Holmes' first Dream 100 close took four months and when he set up his own consultancy he pursued Jay Abraham for over 5 years before they became business partners. These are long game relationships.

The 10-Minute Bucket Exercise

Here's how to run The Bucket Game yourself:

Step 1: Pull 50 contacts. Open LinkedIn or your inbox. Pick 50 people you've interacted with in the past 12 months. Don't overthink the selection - just grab 50 names.

Step 2: For each contact, ask two questions.

Trust: Would they take my call/meeting request within a week? (High/Medium/Low)

Fit: Could they hire me or refer me to someone who could? (High/Low)

Step 3: Assign to buckets.

High Trust + High Fit → High Trust / High Fit bucket

Medium Trust + High Fit → Medium Trust / High Fit bucket

High Trust + Broad reach (but won't buy) → Referrers bucket

Aspirational targets (any trust level) → Hot 100 bucket

Step 4: Look at what you've got. How many High Trust / High Fit? That's your current foundation. How many Medium Trust / High Fit? That's your pipeline runway.

The exercise takes about 10 minutes for 50 contacts - roughly 12 seconds per decision. Don't deliberate. Go with your gut. You can always recategorise later.

I Do This Monthly

Here's something I should admit: I'm not above my own advice.

Every month, I re-run The Bucket Game on my network. Because buckets change.

That B1 who just got promoted to CEO? Now they're an A1. That A1 who left the industry? Time to move them out of the core. That referrer who started a podcast? Their influence just multiplied - maybe the time is right for more attention.

Categorisation isn't a one time exercise. It's a lens you keep polishing.

And honestly?

I find it clarifying. Ten minutes every month to look at my network and ask:

"Who really matters here? Where should I be spending my energy?"

What Changed for Me

After I learned this, I ran The Bucket Game on my first 100 LinkedIn connections.

The results surprised me: only 7 landed in High Trust / High Fit. 7. From 100 connections. Another 12 went into Medium Trust / High Fit. The rest were either Referrers, potential Hot 100 targets, or,honestly, contacts that didn't fit any strategic bucket.

But now I had clarity. Those 7 High Trust / High Fit contacts became my priority for relationship building. The 12 Medium Trust / High Fit went into a systematic engagement campaign. I picked 20 aspirational targets for my Hot 100.

When I sat down for my Monday pipeline block, there was no decision paralysis. No scrolling through thousands of names hoping one would feel right. I knew exactly who deserved attention and why.

That's what categorisation gives you. Not more contacts - better relationships with the contacts that count.

What Becomes Possible

Imagine this: You sit down for your Monday pipeline block. Instead of facing an overwhelming list of contacts, you see four clean buckets.

You scan your High Trust / High Fit bucket for signals. One contact posted about scaling challenges. You draft a CLEAR message - takes 90 seconds.

You check your Hot 100. Time to send your monthly value-add to the three aspirational targets you're cultivating.

You glance at Medium Trust / High Fit. Your nurture sequence is running. One contact engaged with your last piece flag them for personal outreach next week.

Total time: under 30 minutes. You know exactly who matters, exactly what stage they're at, and exactly what action makes sense.

No decision fatigue. No wasted energy on contacts who can't help. No guilt about neglecting relationships that actually matter.

That's what bucketing gives you. Not more contacts but better relationships with the contacts that count.

Start Today

Fields, Holmes, and decades of research all point to the same truth: prioritisation isn't optional. A network without categorisation is just a list of names. The right 100 relationships matter more than 2,000 random connections.

Run The Bucket Game today. Take 50 contacts and categorise them. It takes 10 minutes.

When you're done, look at your High Trust / High Fit bucket. Those are the relationships that will sustain your practice. Those are the people who should be getting your attention first. Those are your 100.

Build from there. Re-categorise quarterly as relationships evolve. Convert B1s to A1s through systematic cultivation. Pursue your Hot 100 with Holmes-style persistence.

The frameworks exist. The research is clear. The only question is whether you'll apply it.

What is The Bucket Game?

The Bucket Game is a contact prioritisation framework for consultants and fractional executives, synthesised from David A. Fields’ A1/B1/A2 matrix and Chet Holmes’ Dream 100 strategy. It organises your network into four buckets - High Trust/High Fit, Medium Trust/High Fit, Referrers, and Hot 100 - so you know exactly who deserves your attention and when.

How long does the Bucket Game exercise take?

The exercise takes approximately 10 minutes for 50 contacts - about 12 seconds per decision. You categorise contacts on two dimensions: trust level (would they take your call?) and fit (could they hire or refer you?). Speed matters - overthinking defeats the purpose.

How often should you run the Bucket Game?

Monthly. Contact data decays quickly - people change roles, companies, and priorities. A monthly review ensures your High Trust/High Fit bucket reflects current reality, not relationships that were warm six months ago.

How does Nynch automate the Bucket Game?

Nynch imports your contacts from LinkedIn, Gmail, and other sources, then suggests bucket assignments based on your ICP and interaction history. You can categorise 50 contacts in under 3 minutes using keyboard shortcuts. The system then monitors each bucket automatically - alerting you when a Hot 100 target posts about a problem you solve, or when a High Trust contact hasn’t heard from you in 90 days.

Who developed the frameworks behind the Bucket Game?

The Bucket Game synthesises two proven frameworks: David A. Fields’ relationship/influence matrix from The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients, and Chet Holmes’ Dream 100 strategy from The Ultimate Sales Machine. Both authors have spent decades researching what makes professional service firms grow.

And if you want to see how nynch speeds time to revenue then the rest is for you.

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Want to automate The Bucket Game? Nynch imports your contacts from CRM's, CSV's, Gmail, Note taking apps, LinkedIn - pretty much anywhere and then uses AI to suggest bucket assignments based on your ICP and services, and lets you categorise with keyboard shortcuts - 50 contacts in under 3 minutes. Then each bucket feeds into automated sequences, group emails, or gentle nudge reminders. Plus our intent data AI monitors signals across all your buckets, so you know when to reach out, not just who.

→ See how it works here