In The Fountainhead,
The shortest distance between two points is not a straight line — it’s a middleman.
Here’s Seth Godin on the same point:
Salespeople who sell properly sell stuff people wish they would have bought in the first place. It’s a huge service… I’m pretty sure we need more good salespeople, not less.
I actually don’t care too much for the kind of selling Godin’s talking about. It’s a thin line between helping people do something they should do and nudging them into doing something they should not do.
The salesmanship Rand is talking about is elemental in real estate, to be the source of and liaison with the many vendors involved in the sale of a home.
But the most important function for me, and the job I like the best, is addressed by neither: A good real estate salesperson helps people realize their dreams — and avoid potential nightmares. The first part is fairly easy. The second part requires real skill, especially with sellers. I don’t think these jobs can be done without.
