I spent over a decade working with sales and business development folks until more recently I decided go do something different. That old life had its set of problems and aggravations but one thing was never in short supply - finding someone who wanted to shoot the breeze with me. This is the kind of job that attracts extroverted people who are resilient to rejection.
After spending months and even years on a deal, things could go sideways. But these folks all know how to shrug it off and start the new day with new energy. Recently, I don't work with sales people anymore and the world has somehow lost color it once had. I could be on an office floor full of people who refuse to make eye contact with anyone, have their ears plugged with headphone, their faces glued to one screen or another.
These crowd will only converse with those they know well based on some defining event that brought about such knowledge. They are not going to walk up to a random person and introduce themselves. They won't even give that person a chance to introduce themselves. While a lot about my present work is fulfilling and I have far fewer of the stressors I had back in the day, it all comes at a cost. Sometimes it reminds me of being on a gruel diet after a bout of illness - it is healthy and aids recovery but it tastes of nothing. For contrast what I had before was like street food - of dubious provenance and questionable benefits but it always hit a spot.
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