I know syndicators who’ve raised millions of dollars from a simple spreadsheet with a few hundred names.
No fancy CRM. No social media following. No email automation platform. Just a spreadsheet where they track who they know, who they’ve talked to, and who’s interested.
Meanwhile, I see other syndicators with all the tools—Instagram accounts, email newsletters, LinkedIn strategies, marketing funnels—who can’t raise $100K.
The difference isn’t the tools. It’s what they’re tracking.
The successful syndicators with their simple spreadsheets are obsessively focused on three numbers that actually matter. The struggling syndicators are counting likes, followers, and email subscribers or they’re adding people to their CRM and then never engaging with them, only reaching out when they have a deal to push.
Here’s the truth: You could have 10,000 social media followers and not raise a dime. Or you could have 200 names in a spreadsheet—people you actually know and stay in touch with—and fund your deals.
It all depends on which numbers you’re watching and whether you’re actually building relationships.
The Vanity Metric Trap
We live in an age where everyone’s counting the wrong things.
Followers. Likes. Comments. Email subscribers. Website visitors.
These numbers are easy to see, easy to track, and easy to brag about. There’s even a dopamine hit when they go up.
But here’s what nobody talks about: These metrics measure the wrong thing.
They measure reach, not relationships. They measure impressions, not impact. They measure width, not depth.
Think about it: Would you rather have 10,000 strangers who kind-of-maybe know your name, or 100 people who trust you enough to wire you $50,000?
The answer is obvious. But most syndicators chase the wrong numbers because they’re easier to see and they feel like progress.
Real progress looks different. It’s quieter. It’s harder to screenshot. But it’s what actually leads to funded deals.
The Marketing Funnel Most Syndicators Ignore
Before I tell you the three numbers, you need to understand something that you may or may not have heard about: the marketing funnel.
Every successful business—from Amazon to your local dentist—uses this framework. It’s how you turn strangers into investors systematically, not randomly.
Think of it like a funnel you’d use in your garage. Wide at the top, narrow at the bottom. Lots of people enter, fewer come out the other end. But the ones who do are gold.
Let’s talk about the main stages of a marketing funnel:
Top of Funnel: Awareness (people who know you exist)
Middle of Funnel: Engagement (people who are interested)
Bottom of Funnel: Commitment (people ready to invest)
Most syndicators have no idea where their investors are in this funnel. They treat everyone the same—sending deal announcements to people who barely know them, or having basic introductory conversations with investors who are ready to wire $100K.
That’s like proposing marriage on the first date or, at the other extreme, asking someone who’s waiting for you to pop the question if they’d like to go for coffee sometime.
When you understand where people are in your funnel, you know exactly what to do next.
The 3 Numbers That Actually Matter
Number 1: New Contacts (Top of Funnel)
How many new potential investors did you add to your CRM this week?
Not everyone you meet, but people who could realistically invest in your deals.
These could be:
- People you met at networking events who gave you their card
- Connections from LinkedIn outreach or Facebook groups
- Referrals from current investors
- Podcast listeners who reached out
- Anyone who signed up through your website (your website captures them, even if other activities generate them)
If this number is zero, you have a problem. You need to be getting in front of new potential investors regularly.
Target: Add at least 10 new potential investor contacts per week. That’s just 2 per business day. One conversation at a coffee shop. One LinkedIn connection who’s interested. Completely doable.
Number 2: Engaged Prospects (Middle of Funnel)
How many people took a meaningful step toward investing with you?
These are people who:
- Filled out your investor profile form
- Replied to your emails asking questions
- Scheduled or completed a call with you
- Attended your webinar
- Initiated contact through text, email, or your website chat
These aren’t just names in your database. These are people raising their hands saying, “I’m interested. Tell me more.”
In our platform (and in many other CRMs), you can set up automations so when someone replies to an email or initiates contact, it automatically creates an “opportunity” in your pipeline. Now you’re tracking engaged prospects, not just hoping you remember to follow up.
Without tracking this, you’re flying blind. You might have 1,000 contacts but only 10 engaged prospects. Or you might have 100 contacts with 30 engaged prospects. Which situation would you rather be in?
Target: Convert 10% of new contacts to engaged prospects initially, working toward 15-20% as you improve your messaging and follow-up. If you’re adding 10 contacts per week, aim for at least 1 to engage meaningfully, eventually reaching 2.
Number 3: Qualified Investors (Bottom of Funnel)
How many people are ready to invest when you have a deal?
These are people who have:
- Completed your investor profile form AND had an investment conversation with you
- Verbally committed a specific amount for your next deal
- Confirmed their accredited status and available capital
- Essentially: cleared all hurdles and are ready to wire funds
This is where the rubber meets the road. These aren’t “maybes” or “interested parties.” These are your investors-in-waiting.
The qualifying conversation is crucial here. The investor profile form starts the process, but the conversation confirms readiness. That’s where you discuss their goals, confirm their criteria matches your deals, and often get that soft commitment: “Yes, I’m in for $50K on your next deal.”
Target: Convert 20% of engaged prospects to qualified investors initially, aiming for 30-40% as you refine your qualification process. If you have 10 engaged prospects, aim for 2 to become qualified investors, eventually reaching 3-4.
Why These Numbers Change Everything
When you track these three metrics, patterns emerge:
Problem: Lots of contacts but few engaged prospects?
Solution: Your follow-up or messaging needs work.
Problem: Engaged prospects but few qualified investors?
Solution: You’re not clearly communicating your value or building enough trust.
Problem: Low numbers across the board?
Solution: You need more visibility and outreach activities.
Without these numbers, you’re guessing. With them, you know exactly what to fix.
The Compound Effect of Consistency
Here’s what happens when you do this consistently (and remember, your skills improve and earlier prospects continue moving through your funnel):
Month 1: 40 new contacts → 4 engaged → 1 qualified
Month 3: 120 total contacts → 18 engaged → 5 qualified (cumulative + improving conversion rates)
Month 6: 240 total contacts → 48 engaged → 15 qualified (momentum building)
Year 1: 520 total contacts → 130+ engaged → 30-40 qualified
Why does it accelerate? Three reasons:
- Your skills compound: Your messaging gets sharper. Your follow-up improves. You qualify better.
- Time in the funnel: Contacts from month 1 become engaged in month 2, qualified in month 3.
- Momentum builds: Early investors refer others. Your credibility grows. Word spreads.
Thirty to forty qualified investors ready to invest $50-100K each? That’s $1.5M-$4M in capital ready to deploy. From just 2 new contacts per business day.
But here’s what most syndicators do instead:
They go to networking events but don’t track contacts added. They send emails but don’t measure engagement. They have conversations but don’t track qualification.
Then they wonder why they can’t raise capital when they need it.
Your 30-Day Challenge
For the next 30 days, track these three numbers:
- New contacts added to CRM
- Prospects who engaged meaningfully
- Investors qualified and ready
Put them on a sticky note on your monitor:
- Contacts: ___
- Engaged: ___
- Qualified: ___
Update them every Friday. Watch what happens when you simply pay attention to what matters.
You’ll naturally start doing more of what works. You’ll stop wasting time on what doesn’t. You’ll build momentum because you can see progress.
Most importantly, you’ll build a predictable system for raising capital instead of hoping investors appear when you need them.
The Bottom Line
Successful syndicators aren’t successful because they’re smarter about deals. They’re successful because they’re systematic about relationships.
They know their numbers. They work their funnel. They build their pipeline.
While everyone else is counting their social media followers, they’re adding contacts, nurturing prospects, and qualifying investors.
When a great deal appears, they can raise capital in days, not months. Not because they’re lucky, but because they’ve been building their investor pipeline every single day.
The question is: Will you track these three numbers, or will you keep hoping the capital appears when you need it?
Start today. Two new contacts. That’s all. Then do it again tomorrow.
Your future self—the one who can raise $1M with a few phone calls—will thank you.