Commercial Growth Library
The Rainmaker Risk Index
A working diagnostic for dependence on a few individuals—not a validated benchmark.
Assess your firm's dependency.
Choose a rating for each dimension using current evidence. Your answers stay in this browser and are not submitted to NSPC. Unknown answers remain visible and do not produce a complete score.
This working rubric is not a validated benchmark or a prediction of revenue loss. Interpret the dimensions and evidence, not just the total.
Map the dependency before a key person steps away.
Relationships are an asset. Risk rises when the firm cannot sustain them without one person. Assess these five dimensions across a defined service line or business unit.
- Origination concentration: are most qualified opportunities sourced by a few people?
- Relationship concentration: is client knowledge held by one partner, without shared coverage?
- Commercial knowledge: are buyer context, next steps and proposal logic documented?
- Team capability: can others qualify, scope, propose and expand work?
- Continuity: is there a tested coverage and succession plan for important clients and partners?
Use a transparent working score.
Rate each dimension from 0 to 3: 0 = documented and shared; 1 = mostly shared with specific gaps; 2 = concentrated with partial backup; 3 = concentrated with no credible backup. Add the five ratings for a 0–15 working index; a higher score means more dependency under this rubric.
Do not treat the total as a probability of revenue loss or compare it with an invented industry average. Record the supporting evidence and review individual dimensions, especially any rated 3. Missing information should be labeled unknown, not scored as zero.
Turn risk into actions.
Choose relationship coverage, shared opportunity documentation, partner enablement or cross-sell ownership as the first intervention. Review whether the dependency has changed after implementation.
An NSPC working framework for management discussion. Scoring rubrics are illustrative, not validated external benchmarks.