The Starving Squirrel Prospect

Chatting away to a seasoned campaigner I learned of their early schooling. In the harsh world of American investment telephone selling.

It appears that back in the day, one of the key mantras that sales office ran on was;

if they can’t be controlled, they won’t be sold.

I’ve searched on this term with little insight into its origin.

Come across someone who couldn’t be controlled, and they’d happily qualify out. Swiftly move on to the next dial.

But how to tell if you’ve a runner?

Well, it seems they had a few key questions which helped them uncover a good prospect.

Bear in mind they were selling investments strikingly similar to worrisome Hollywood Ponzi schemers like the Wolf of Wall Street or Boiler Room crews – ie what you might call ‘dodgy’ at best – they would often test against reluctance.

The person with whom I spoke regularly dropped this line;

…mister, if a squirrel ran up your trouser leg, would it starve?

I’ll let you work that one out.

Whilst such a shout of “chicken” cannot be condoned, there is indeed an interesting (acceptable) parallel with how we qualify that our solution buying prospects are ready to take the plunge.

Have you a way to find out which doesn’t quite invoke the starving squirrel?