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Very nice post, keep 'em coming.

I think your list is basically a description of the things people who are good at sales do. I'm not sure it can actually help the Wozniaks of the world be more like Jobs.

One of my brothers was raised in a different part of the country by my father's first wife. My other brother was raised by my father. My brothers and father have something very obvious in common to anyone who meets them. They can effortlessly and genuinely connect with strangers and make them feel at total ease. They've all worked in sales at some point and were remarkably good at it. I'm fairly certain the main trait they share is their deep empathetic dispositions.

This had lead me to believe there's a huge genetic component in being great at sales. I'm pretty skeptical it can be taught effectively, anymore than you can teach someone to be a funny person.

BTW, I think Freakonomics is a great book about incentives and a definite must-read for any startup founder.




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