We've all been there: You are in a mall when an insurance company employee manning a roadshow booth approaches you and asks if he can do a short survey on banking needs.

As you are not in a rush, you agree and he starts with a series of questions about your bank accounts and saving habits. But he suddenly veers into queries on endowment savings plans, and it dawns on you that you are on the end of a sales pitch with no obvious exit strategy.