[jaclaz]

Well, I don't know what other people do, but personally I do check the company's website before (preferably) or after the visit of a salesman from that company.

The way the site is made, if it feels like "just marketing hype", it does contribute (I agree with not-so-much-relevance) to the opinion I form on the company and/or the product (not unlike as it was the case once for the business card, from the way it is printed, the material, the titles given to the person before you, etc. you can derive some indicators).