There are certain things I won't do...

Beware of those who asked innocently that they wish to invest in the stock market.

I was drawn into a discussion with a young couple, first the husband then his wife, on separate occasions, on the things to expect when trading in the Bursa Saham Malaysia. I mentioned the usual basics of buying and selling shares, either through remisiers or bank dealers and the pros and cons of either channels. I highlighted the fact that the former costs more than the latter relatively when buying and selling small lots of shares which makes significant difference when trading frequently.

I advised the man to enquire at the local banks like Maybank and Hong Leong about what they have to offer, taking into account the convenience as well, being in Batu Gajah.

I was led to believe that he has decided on Maybank and requested that forms be sent to my address for convenience. I have discussed with his wife as well about the main items and so on. Just imagine how I felt when she still discussed about which bank and that according to a friend, that it is faster selling through a remisier! This person in particular, is one of those whose mind would wander off while you are explaining - the sort that most teachers are afraid of! I have never been a teacher to begin with.

Actually, I have had bad experience dealing with sales and I would not touch selling anything – be it ticket sales for charity dinner, etc. where it involves asking people to do you a favour by buying. I have learned that if something is saleable, the customers will come to you (best examples are the 4-D outlets), but if your items are not appealing for one reason or the other, it is difficult trying to convince people to part with even a small sum of money.

Here I was, put in a situation where I was supposed to explain the details to a prospective customer, and having to convince the couple as to which is the better option! The way the questions were directed gave me the impression that I am also responsible for making sure that they will not be cheated!

After that, I began to think of the expected questions as to what shares to buy and I know that no matter how they put it, they expect me to give tips for shares which would bring them almost immediate profits. Don't we all wish we could foretell the share prices? And from past experience, no matter how good the shares are, there are external factors which could force down their prices and inevitably I would have to face some unhappy people. I am definitely not into that for sure.
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