What are Relationship Scores and how are they calculated?

Understanding Relationship Scores

Not all connections are created equal. Draftboard's relationship scores help you identify the strongest paths to your target prospects.

What is a Relationship Score?

A relationship score is a numerical measure of the strength of the connection between your connector and your target prospect. Higher scores indicate stronger relationships that are more likely to result in successful introductions.

Why Relationship Scores Matter

Without scoring, you'd have to manually research every potential path - a time-consuming and error-prone process. Relationship scores help you:

Prioritize your asks: Focus on the strongest paths first
Set expectations: Know the likelihood of a successful intro
Save time: Skip weak connections that won't convert
Avoid awkward asks: Don't ask connectors to intro people they barely know

How Scores are Calculated

Draftboard considers multiple factors when calculating relationship strength:

1. Employment Overlap Did they work at the same company? For how long? In what capacity?

Same team > Same department > Same company
Longer overlap > Shorter overlap
Recent overlap > Distant overlap

2. Recency When did they last work together or interact?

Current colleagues score highest
Recent connections (last 1-2 years) score well
Old connections (5+ years) score lower

3. Multiple Overlaps Have they worked together at multiple companies? This indicates a stronger, intentional relationship.

4. Title and Seniority Peer-level connections often score higher than relationships with significant seniority gaps.

5. Department Alignment Did they work in related functions? A sales connection to another sales person may be stronger than a cross-functional relationship.

6. Mutual Connections Shared network suggests shared circles and stronger bonds.

Score Ranges

Recent or current colleagues
Multiple overlaps
Peer-level connection

Recent work history overlap
Same department or function
Good intro potential

Some employment overlap
May require context from connector

Distant connection
May not remember each other well
Consider other paths

Using Scores Effectively

Prioritize paths with scores above 60
Ask connectors about lower-scored paths before requesting intros
Consider the quality of the connector relationship too
Use scores as a guide, not an absolute rule

Conclusion

Relationship scores transform warm intros from a guessing game to a data-driven strategy. By focusing on the strongest paths, you maximize your chances of successful introductions while respecting your connectors' time and relationships.