I'm glad it doesn't happen often because it's one of my least-liked moments: feeling the contrived opening sentence of a sales pitch. Some are very good at smoothing it out, but it's still there. Once, I was invited to a dinner by acquaintances and thought it was meant to be a genuine attempt to know each other better. They made my partner, and I feel it was a friendship thing; we'd been there awhile chatting as couples do, then BAM, abruptly, no segway at all, we sat to eat, and a sales pitch started—some trickle-down pyramid scheme. I remember being shocked, which is rare for me. It was all a disingenuous setup, which was all I wanted to know about them and the business.
Financial advisors and insurance salespeople can be shady. I've attended a few employment seminars and was always turned off by the lust for money that would have to dictate the sales philosophy. When I meet one these days, I'm never sure what they're up to. I like how you set the record straight with factual information. The truth is hard to come by; thank you, Natalie.