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Downloadable worksheets
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To help you apply the principles from The Short List, we’ve gathered all the exercises and worksheets from the book in one convenient location. 

Use the QR codes in the book to access this resource page and find everything you need to identify key connections, take actionable steps, and strategically grow your relationships. Organized by chapter, these resources are designed for seamless integration into your business development efforts.

Part 1: Creating and Optimizing a Short List

A page from a guide titled "The Short List: Exercise - Assess Your Network" with a yellow highlight that says "1 minute". It provides advice on evaluating and expanding professional networks, explaining three types of networks (small, large, just right), and steps to improve connections based on current assessment, including options to expand, deepen, or optimize existing relationships.

Assess Your Network

Take a moment to evaluate the size of your professional network by selecting the statement that best reflects its current state.

A worksheet titled "SMART Goals Worksheet" for setting effective goals, including sections for goal description, making it SMART, and deadlines, with the acronym SMART standing for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

SMART Goals Worksheet

In just 5-15 minutes, use the SMART framework to refine your goal-setting process, ensuring your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

A printable worksheet titled 'Exercise: Creating Your Short List' with 30 numbered lines and columns labeled 'Name,' 'Company,' and 'Category,' designed for quick list creation in 3-5 minutes.

Creating Your Short List

Use this worksheet to build your initial Short List, focusing on the clients, prospects, and connectors who align with your SMART goals.

A printed page titled 'The Short List' with a heading 'Exercise: Calendar Review' and a highlighted note '1-2 minutes'. The page includes instructions for reviewing meetings and managing time effectively, with footer text indicating publication details.

Calendar Review

Use this worksheet to review last month’s calendar meetings in 1-2 minutes, evaluating the quality of your relationships and their alignment with your long-term success.

Two pages of a worksheet titled "Exercise: Reconnecting with Dormant Ties for a Burst of Value" with instructions for an activity. The worksheet includes steps for reaching out to dormant contacts, a section for identifying potential contacts, and space for notes and follow-up plans.

Reconnecting with Dormant Ties for a Burst of Value

This exercise is designed to help you identify and reconnect with dormant ties to generate new opportunities and value for your business contacts.

Part 2: Creating and Optimizing a Short List

Three pages of a workbook titled 'Exercise: Discovering Your Niche' with sections for personal interests and strengths, filled with text and blank lines for responses.

Discovering Your Niche

Use this worksheet to identify your niches and transform them into offerings that align with your interests, strengths, and areas of client demand.

A multi-page printed document titled 'Exercise: Identify your ideal Thought Leadership Format'. The visible pages include instructions, a numbered list of guidelines, and various forms or charts, with text emphasizing reflection on skills, preferences, and research.

Identify Your Ideal Thought Leadership Format

Complete this exercise to identify and prioritize thought leadership formats that align with your interests and are most likely to be implemented, helping you showcase your expertise more effectively.

Two pages of a PDF worksheet titled 'The Short List,' for an exercise on using elevator pitch to promote a brand, with instructions and a table for crafting and working on elevator pitches.

Use Your Elevator Pitch to Drive Your Brand

This exercise will help you craft your elevator pitch, which you can integrate into the multiple ways you promote yourself.

Part 3: Creating and Optimizing a Short List

Two pages of a workbook or guide titled 'Leveraging Untapped Networking Forums' with a section to assess comfort levels with various networking forums, including categories like volunteer organizations, social events, and alumni associations.

Leveraging Untapped Networking Forums

This exercise will help you assess and activate the networking forums that are best suited to you.

Two pages of a guide titled 'Practicing Effective Compliments in Low-Stakes Environments,' outlining steps and tips for giving genuine compliments, including choosing locations, engaging with management, and delivering specific praise.

Practicing Effective Compliments in Low-Stakes Environments

Complete this exercise to build confidence in giving genuine compliments and prepare you to apply this technique with the people on your Short List.

A worksheet titled 'The Short List' for exercise to complete in 5-10 minutes, with sections to describe a typical current client and a high-value client across categories: demographics, psychographics, service needs, and personal interests.

Complete the Client Profiler

Use this worksheet to compare the profile of your typical client with that of your high-value client and analyze the results.

Three pages of a table chart titled 'Forty Actions that Advance Contacts through the Seven Stages of Engagement.' The tables list actions, engagement stages, and achievement levels.

Forty Actions Matrix

Download this list of powerful actions designed to accelerate momentum with the people on your Short List, and use the matrix to easily identify the best strategies for new targets versus existing contacts.

A printed page from a workbook titled 'THE SHORT LIST' with an exercise called 'Find your Favored Actions,' available in 2-5 minutes. Instructions include steps to identify and apply preferred actions, with a page note indicating chapter 15 of the book.

Find your Favored Actions

After reviewing the Forty Actions Matrix use this exercise to determine your favored actions.

Page titled 'Exercise: Email Efficacy Test' with a highlighted note '10-15 minutes'. Contains five steps for testing email practices, including opening emails, personalizing messages, and observing response rates. The page is numbered as chapter 13 of a manual by PIPELINELABS.

Email Efficacy Test

Download this exercise to put the email best practices from The Short List into action and start seeing results.

Part 4: Elevating Your Short List and Sustaining Momentum

Two pages of a worksheet titled "Exercise: Complete the Connector Catalyst Worksheet," with sections for listing connectors and identifying actions to take to overcome them.

Complete the Connector Catalyst Worksheet

Use this exercise to help you quickly analyze your most productive connectors and brainstorm how you can incentivize them to contribute even more.

A printed page titled "Exercise: Develop your Follow-Up Strategy" with a 10-15 minute time estimate. It lists four steps for creating a follow-up strategy: identify the prospect, research the prospect, execute the follow-up strategy, and reflect. The page is from Pearson Learning and is numbered chapter 15.

Develop your Follow-Up Strategy

Complete this exercise to help you create a personalized follow-up strategy to maintain engagement with a prospect.

A one-page document titled "The Short List" with an exercise called "Define your Bottom Line." It includes five steps: 1. List Your Offerings, 2. Determine Your Bottom Line, 3. Determine Time Allocation, 4. Document Your Decision, and 5. Practice. The exercise duration is highlighted as 5-10 minutes.

Define your Bottom Line

Download this exercise to establish clear boundaries, keeping your negotiations on track and protecting your rate integrity.

A worksheet titled 'The Short List' called 'Worksheet: The Client Expander' with columns for evaluating high-value clients, their service needs, contact preferences, and next steps, printed on a sheet of paper.

The Client Expander

Complete this worksheet to organize and plan the next steps from The Short List to effectively expand your high-value client base.

Page from a business development diagnostic exercise with a table of questions and answers, including highlighted sections and chapter references.

Business Development Diagnostic

This business development diagnostic helps you diagnose gaps in your Short List after addressing time, accountability, and culture, guiding you to the relevant chapter in The Short List for a deeper dive into its strategies.

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Short Takes from The Short List

Praise for The Short List

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Presentations from The Short List

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Downloadable Worksheets

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Book David Ackert for Your Event or Retreat

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