Frequently Asked Questions
 
 
  1. Who are our customers? 
  2. Where are Baird’s institutional salespeople located?
  3. What types of skills do you need to be successful in Institutional Sales? 
  4. What gives Baird a competitive advantage? 
  5. How much travel is involved? 
  6. What does the typical day look like? 
  7. What is the environment like on the trading floor? 
  8. What type of training programs does Baird offer? 
1. Who are our customers?
Our customers are the largest institutional equity investors in North America and Europe. Unlike our investment banking counterparts, we do not have a middle-market focus. Our customers include mutual fund families, large pension funds and insurance companies. We interact daily with both portfolio managers and analysts from these firms.

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2. Where are Baird’s institutional salespeople located?
We have a centralized sales staff, primarily located in Milwaukee.

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3. What types of skills do you need to be successful in Institutional Sales?
Higher performing salespeople possess a high energy level, strong interpersonal skills, tenacity, a tremendous work ethic, the ability to make quick decisions and the ability to work in a team. Additionally, individuals who are successful in these jobs tend to have terrific relationship-building abilities.

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4. What gives Baird a competitive advantage?
At Baird, we spend a significant amount of time researching the companies we follow and maintaining relationships with our customers. These focal points differentiate our firm from others and result in our having comparatively less turnover. Furthermore, our credibility and dependability are strengthened by the fact that that Wall Street views our research as being of high quality and regards the calls we make as timely.

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5. How much travel is involved?
Frequent travel is part of the job. Institutional salespeople tend to travel about once every other week.

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6. What does the typical day look like?
Our day starts early. Morning meetings begin at 6:30 a.m., with most people arriving to work around 6 a.m. to prepare for their day. Following the morning meeting, we make and receive phone calls continually throughout the day to execute trades on favorable terms for our clients.

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7. What is the environment like on the trading floor?
The environment is fast-paced, high energy and high volume.

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8. What type of training programs does Baird offer?
After the initial Series 7 licensing process, new members of the group participate in basic training with their colleagues from Investment Banking and Equity Research. After this, new members can expect about 18 months to two years of on-the-job training, during which new associates work alongside assigned senior people to enhance their knowledge of the job.

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©2008 Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated.
This site has been published in the United States for residents of the United States. The foregoing has been prepared solely for informational purposes and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security or instrument or to participate in any particular trading strategy. Securities, products and services are offered through Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Member FINRA and SIPC.