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(1). When you sit down with a stockbroker to see if you can glom onto his book of business (or … ahem! … “look for potential synergies“).
“So, I went through a little hand-to-hand combat with Ken and I think we were able to identify a couple of accounts where we could be helpful. He wants us to do it at no charge, of course, which may be a bit of a challenge.”
(1). A check to make sure the action you are recommending will help your client sleep better at night.
“The important thing to ask yourself, Mrs. Gilchrist, is whether putting your entire retirement savings into shares of Facebook is going to pass the pillow test. Given the commissions I would make on the trade, I would say ‘yes’.”
(1). A euphemism for a low-quality class of prospective clients that the firm believes will be easy to “pick off”. The term is usually used during strategy meetings in which management announces its decision to focus its marketing efforts on higher volume (as opposed to quality of clients) in order to meet its revenue goals.
“Okay team, this year we’re going to focus on the low-hanging fruit out there. How do we do it? VOLUME! That’s how we do it!”
(2). A term that describes “easy wins” used by salesmen to give prospective clients a sense of euphoria that you and only you hold the keys to their success. After the contract is signed, the salesman will then exit the relationship, forever.
“What we’ll do first is go after the low-hanging fruit to give you a leg up on your competition. Once that process is complete, your account manager will explain the plan going forward.”
