2025-05-01
May 1, 2025
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Editor's Note
Both the world of finance and the market trend change quickly. In this season that witnesses the start of youth, by showcasing these young people’s vivid stories in Dishui Lake Advanced Finance Institute (DAFI) located by the Dishui Lake, we hope to record how they lay a solid foundation with their professionalism and forge ahead relentlessly on their journey toward the future with their belief. Some of them overcome obstacles in data modeling, some explore in the field, and others practice in the changing financial market. Although their stories are different, they share the same value: proactivity, perseverance, and the integration of knowledge and action.
Today, let’s turn our attention to XIE Binyi, a "financial wave-rider" who upholds courage and rationality as his belief, and one graduate of the first full-time Master of Finance program at DAFI to start professional career. His story is a true reflection of DAFI’s young people who dare to think and dare to do and face challenges.
Profiles
XIE Binyi is a graduate of the first full-time Master of Finance program at DAFI, majoring in Financial Analyst. During his studies, he has been awarded the Second-class Scholarship for Postgraduate Students and actively participated in a variety of internships and practical projects. Now he has received an offer from Eastmoney Securities, where he will hold the post of Institutional Sales. He is good at communication and coordination, client development, and business strategy planning, and he is committed to delivering financial value with professionalism and services.
Choosing Sales Position: A Rational Decision after Recognizing the Reality
01
As a student of the first full-time Master of Finance program at DAFI, I focused on the research direction of Financial Analyst. At DAFI, I spent the most important period in my life. Thanks to the rigorous yet flexible curriculum system, the practice-oriented class environment, and inclusive teacher-student interactions, I had gradually become a workplace newbie with judgment ability from an undergraduate graduate who is confused about the future.
After several summer internships, product promotions, rejections, and fresh starts, I became interested in sales. I realized that although sales were tough, they were true and straightforward. I realized that I could make success with my dedication and sincerity, and I loved this sense of certainty.
Generally, the growth path for a financial professional falls into two modes: strong professional proficiency and market expansion. Based on my understanding of myself and the industry trends, I know that I need a long term to build a solid professional foundation. So I prefer to focus on market development at this stage. By leveraging my ability to take initiative and integrate resources, I could accelerate the accumulation and release of professional value in practice.
Taking Charge of Your Path from the Interview
02
It’s not very smooth for me to secure a position at Eastmoney Securities. I went through both the middle/back-office interview and front-office interview, and received an offer for a middle-office position after the initial interview. However, I was clear that what I wanted was a front-office position, as I needed a more dynamic position and I wanted to be closer to the market. So I took the initiative to apply for cross-departmental communication, and finally I obtained the offer for front-office position. I learnt from the experience that clear goal and effective communication would open up new paths.
I was not a candidate who had standout resume, but I was well prepared - I researched Eastmoney Securities’ business, polished up my communication skills, practiced my demeanor, and strengthened my confidence and sincerity. I may acquire professional knowledge through training, but I must build my faith by myself. In the early days of taking up the position, I encountered a challenge that all sales personnel may encounter: how to accurately identify efficient customers? From offline gatherings to cold calls and to industry conferences, I went through countless fruitless attempts. The exploration process was really difficult for me, but rapidly improved my professional sensitivity and resilience. True growth always comes with hardships.
Understanding the Essence of Sales: Reliability and Proactivity
03
I always believe that the core competencies for an institutional salesperson are reliability and courage.
Reliability means the ability to drive a task to successful implementation systematically; and courage means daring to strive, daring to break through, and daring to deny yourself and start again. In my daily work, I gradually learned how to identify customers’ demands, how to build effective communication frameworks, and how to coordinate resources from middle and back offices. The process of polishing up myself in practice is similar to the process of transforming the financial logic I learnt at DAFI into an action logic.
The most important lesson DAFI taught me is: you will never know what problems will occur, and you must be capable of solving them when they occur.
Pursuing Efficiency, and Learning to Transform Stress
04
Eastmoney Securities and other internet-based securities firms adopt a pragmatic and user-oriented approach and have flat organization, so they are completely different from traditional ones. For example, Eastmoney Securities is a leader in process automation in intelligent form-filling, AI meeting minutes, etc., in the industry, which means productivity revolution for sales. In addition, most of my colleagues are technical personnel, which is a unique feature of technology-driven companies.
As a salesperson, I no longer just visit customers, but learn to use technological tools and data systems to improve customer experience. I learnt this transformation ability during my time at DAFI – we were usually confronted with challenges related to interdisciplinary knowledge and tools during our studies.
I am not naturally optimistic. In my early career, I suffered from insomnia and lost weight due to performance pressure. However, I soon realized that it’s useless to adjust my mindset and I must solve problems. So I changed my way of thinking:, I focused on dealing with the variables instead of managing my emotions, e.g. I sought customers with new methods, understood products from different perspectives, and listened to my leader’s feedback in a different way. The problems facing me had gradually became smaller, and I grew stronger.
At DAFI, I learnt how to attribute results rationally and how to find paths amid uncertainty.
Tips:
Don’t be afraid to "be cheeky" when applying for a job, as opportunities will slip away if you are not initiative.
Presentation simulation before an interview could help you find a more persuasive self-introduction.
Keep sensitive to the industry, pay attention to news of securities firms and market dynamics and quickly build judgment ability in your early career.
Cold call is not just a tactic, but also can help you build your mindset – you should learn to accumulate experience from "no responses".
Message:
In conclusion, you shall participate in involution. You should do so with clear goals, courage and self-awareness instead of participating in blindinvolution. Go ahead and keep participating in involution, and you will eventually reach your destination.
