No, but sales can often be based upon personal relationships, at least to an extent. So you see why a salesperson may be accustomed to treading lightly around contentious topics. If you stake out a strong position on a controversial topic, you risk alienating your conversation partners.

Of course friends can discuss whatever they want. But in less familiar company, one may want to avoid topics that can lead to disagreements. Politics and religion being the classic examples.

Or, as the Professor told Eliza: "Stick to the weather, and everybody's health".

It's not "superficial", it's a it not offending your (potential) customer.

I would assume that once the two people get to know one another the window of safe topics would become broader

I've been trained pretty well to avoid anything politics-adjacent, and I'm not in sales.