Investment Banking Sales Brokers

Aspiring sales brokers need at least one to two years of experience (e.g., internship, fellowship, employment) in trading or sales at an investment bank, hedge fund, brokerage firm, or related employer. Others have experience in marketing or investment research. 

This is a very client-focused position so you’ll need excellent communication, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills (because you’ll serve as the liaison between traders and clients). You not only need to talk a good game (to bring in business), but also be a good listener in order to understand what the client wants and help them meet their investment goals. Hand-in-hand with communication skills is confidence and a thick skin. You’ll face frequent rejection, and you must be persistent until you make a sale. Sales brokers must be well-dressed in order to send a positive message to current and potential customers. Other important traits include a detail-oriented personality, the ability to multitask and work independently, mathematical and financial acumen, tact (because you’ll sometimes have to say no to clients), strong ethics, a passion for the markets, and knowledge of trading systems, investment analytics tools, and customer relationship management software such as Bloomberg Sell-Side Execution and Order Management Solutions, Bloomberg Trade Order Management Solutions, FactSet, Microsoft Excel, and SalesForce.