March 15, 2005 - Sometimes you meet someone and can just tell they are a salesperson. I've begun to stereotype sales people. Maybe I shouldn't, because I don't want people to stereotype me as an engineer or a musician or a hipster or whatever. But there is something about salespeople that sets them apart from the rest of society. They have interest in being the center of attention. They are great story tellers. People seem to respond to their conversation. Those are the good properties. On the other hand, they seem to be somewhat slimy and superficial. All the while they are trying to make you think that they are doing you a favor, they're figuring out in their head exactly how much profit they are going to make from their transaction with you, figuring out how they will benefit. My outlook on life is to make sure that the other person is getting a good deal (in all things, not just selling someone something), whereas salespeople are very self-fulfilling people. I admire their ability to motivate people, but do not respect the self-serving nature of their mind.