Reference Desk

Desk rule: master the AI tool you already have before adding another to the stack.

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THE PROSPECT FINDER  —  FOR MICROSOFT COPILOT · DESK EDITION
Paste this whole thing. Attach your files. Fill in the GAPS.
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  ATTACH FIRST (whatever you have — all of these are optional):

     PRODUCTS.xlsx      the strategies or products you want run
     EXCLUSIONS.xlsx    competitors and existing clients
     TERRITORY.xlsx     which regions or states you cover

  You don't need any of them. But if you attach them, say so below and
  Copilot will use them instead of guessing.

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Search the web for this. Do not answer from memory. I need verified firms,
not names that sound right.

I sell for [YOUR FIRM] — we place [YOUR PRODUCT: a fund, SMA, structured
product, research, or data offering]. Find U.S. institutions and allocators
whose PUBLIC record shows they allocate to my asset class — and prove every
single one with a real source link.


── 1. WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR ────────────────────────────────────────────────────

PRODUCT / STRATEGY:  [e.g. EMERGING-MARKET CREDIT FUND]
WHERE IT SHOWS UP:   [13F HOLDINGS, FUND FACT SHEETS, ADV BROCHURES,
                      PLAN INVESTMENT MENUS]

   >> Running several at once? Delete the two lines above and use this instead:

      "The products I want are in the attached file PRODUCTS.xlsx.
       Run every one of them. One tab per product."


── 2. WHO TO LEAVE OFF ─────────────────────  the line nobody writes ───────────

NEVER LIST THESE. Competitors, or already my clients:

     COMPETITOR NAME
     COMPETITOR NAME
     ANYONE ALREADY A CLIENT

   >> Longer list? Delete the names above and use this instead:

      "My exclusions are in the attached file EXCLUSIONS.xlsx.
       Do not list any firm on it — and do not list a subsidiary,
       affiliate, or feeder of one either."

IMPORTANT: if you find a firm that MIGHT be on my exclusion list under a
different name, LIST IT and FLAG IT: "possible match — check this one."
Do not quietly drop it. Do not quietly keep it. Tell me and let me decide.


── 3. WHERE I SELL ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

REGIONS:  ALL U.S.        <- or name the states

   >> Or: "My territory is in the attached file TERRITORY.xlsx.
           Only show me firms inside it."


── 4. HOW TO RANK IT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Do NOT rank by AUM. I don't want the biggest names.
I want the accounts I can actually WIN this quarter.

Score every firm on four things and rank on the total:

   FIT ............. 30 %   Is my asset class CORE to their book — or a
                            rounding error buried in "other alternatives"?

   WINNABILITY ..... 35 %   Mid-size RIAs, family offices, and regional
                            allocators = reachable, switchable, real tickets.
                            Mega-institutions sit behind consultants and
                            18-month due-diligence cycles. Tiny shops can't
                            meet minimums. BOTH SCORE LOW. This is the
                            heaviest weight on purpose — a huge allocator I
                            can't win is worth nothing to me this quarter.

   MANDATE SIGNAL .. 20 %   A real public cue they allocate to my asset
                            class: a 13F line, a fact-sheet allocation, an
                            ADV disclosure, a plan menu. Versus no public
                            record at all.

   EXPANSION ....... 15 %   Does landing them open other desks or products?

Then bucket every firm:   HOT (call first) · WARM · LONG SHOT

   >> Want it weighted differently? Just tell me in plain English:
      "Chasing tickets this quarter — make Winnability 50, drop Expansion to 5."
      "Rates are the story — make Mandate Signal 40."
      "I don't care about cross-sell. Set Expansion to 0."
      Re-rank it and tell me what weights you used.


── 5. THE RULES — THESE DO NOT BEND ────────────────────────────────────────────

1. SOURCE EVERY ROW.
   Give me the actual URL where the evidence appears — an SEC EDGAR filing,
   the firm's own fund page, a published fact sheet or plan document.
   IF YOU CANNOT FIND A REAL SOURCE, DO NOT LIST THE FIRM.
   A short true list beats a long fake one.

2. FLAG EVERY ROW as one of:
      VERIFIED  — you actually saw the allocation evidence on the page
      LIKELY    — strong circumstantial evidence, but you didn't see the
                  filing itself
   Never blur the two. I need to know which is which.

3. INVENT NOTHING.
   No contact names. No emails. No phone numbers. No AUM figures that are
   not public. If it isn't public, write "Look up in LinkedIn" and move on.
   If you're not sure, SAY you're not sure. Do not fill a cell to be helpful.

4. PUBLIC RECORD ONLY.
   Skip firms with no public evidence they touch my asset class. If a giant
   MIGHT allocate through a feeder, keep it — but rank it honestly as a
   long shot.

5. ONE REASON LINE PER ROW.
   Why is this firm sitting where it's sitting? Name the vehicle. Name the
   evidence. Name what made it hot. I want to check your thinking in three
   seconds — not take your word for it.


── 6. WHAT I WANT BACK ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

BUILD ME AN EXCEL WORKBOOK. Not a chat answer. A file I can open and work from.

   ONE TAB PER PRODUCT, ranked, with exactly these columns:

      Priority                      Hot / Warm / Long shot
      Firm
      Why It's Ranked Here          the reason line
      Where My Product Fits         the vehicle or sleeve it belongs in
      Adjacent Desks It Could Open  cross-sell potential
      Mandate Evidence              filing type + date. Be specific.
      Source URL                    must be real and clickable
      Verified or Likely
      Address (HQ)
      Phone
      Decision Contact              or "Look up in LinkedIn"
      Status                        leave blank. That one's mine.

   A "START HERE" TAB up front: how many Hot / Warm / Long shot per product,
   and which product has the best opportunity overall.

   A "SKIP THESE" TAB: who is NOT worth my time this quarter, and one line on
   why. No public mandate. Locked behind a consultant. Too small to matter.
   That tab saves me as much time as the good one does.

   A "SCORING & METHOD" TAB: the weights you used, written out in plain
   English, so anyone can see how the ranking was built and argue with it.


── 7. BEFORE YOU ANSWER ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

If you can't find a real source for a firm — leave it out and tell me.
If you're guessing at a mandate — say so.
If the product is too broad to search well — tell me that instead of
handing me junk.

I would rather have eight rows I can defend in front of my desk head
than forty I have to go re-check myself.

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