With regard to the in-class lectures, I believe that it is important to address the stigma surrounding many salemen. From the portrayals that we see in movies to the stories that we here about in real life, they all tend to paint the picture that in sales, the only thing that matters is closing the deal. In reality however, a small percentage of people taint the perception of the majority of the group; not all car salesmen will deliberately try to manipulate you, nor will all stock brokers try to get you to buy into a company that is not a good fit for you. An example of good salemanship can be seen from my personal experience working for an investment bank, where I have observed nothing but the utmost transparency between the firm and the client and predation is not something to be tolerated. When there is mutual respect, and a well defined sense of morality in sales, great things can happen. It is important to be prepared for the fact that unscrupulous salemen exist and that you will likely come across multiple in your lifetime, however, it is far better to provide to trust but verify what a salesman has to say. Be mindful of your interactions with people in sales, exercise caution when prudent, but do not come to hasty conclusions based on a single bad interaction.
BoweryJE22
This is an excellent point. Too many times we can make issues black and white when really there is a lot of gray. The same can certainly be said for sales. Sales people are people too- meaning that they every one you meet will be different some bad but from my own experience a lot that are very good.
Jake, I find this refreshing to hear. Finance professionals can get a bad reputation at times, especially in the realm of banking as well as brokerage. A huge differentiator in business can be to focus on client needs and relations rather than the sale. I think that the stigmas in sales positions definitely arise from media, though of course those sleezy salesmen exist. It is important to note the good people of business though, as you did. A huge selling point to clients can be trust and making them welcome, rather than viewing everything as a predatory transaction.