A financial marketer's role is to develop new opportunities to sell these products, as well as preparing marketing materials and business pitches to position the firm as it would like to be seen. Marketing and public relations are related however are distinct functions. Marketers concern themselves with managing a firm's reputation by deciding how its brand name, products and services are portrayed in advertising and promotional campaigns. On the other hand, public relations people focus on how a bank is represented in the media and, in the case of public companies, to investors.

For several hours before and after the financial markets open as well as throughout the day salespeople are communicating with their clients. They start their day reviewing financial publications along with reports from their research staff. During morning conference calls conducted by their research departments, salespeople learn of upgrades or downgrades to securities already covered, or of new issues being added to the coverage list. All this material becomes fodder for the day's sales calls.

People looking for a financial sales job should possess some key characteristics including be outgoing and self-confident, have the ability to grow and maintain client relationships, have excellent communication skills and the ability to understand complex financial products. Alongside this they should also be passionate about financial markets, function well under pressure, be comfortable with numbers; and be able to think on their feet and react quickly to changing market conditions

Marketing staff work alongside product-specific marketing people to not only promote the firms as a whole but to also promote their specific products. A financial marketing career can include sponsoring events, producing brochures and other collateral, developing corporate logos, determining the pricing and positioning of products and services, and researching markets for potential new products.

To be a successful financial marketer professional you should have strong written and oral communication skills, networking and relationship management capabilities, understanding of and ability to communicate complex financial issues with authority and understanding, and have specific knowledge of markets and market segments.