At first, it seems that delivery and sales are unrelated and that salespersons have nothing in common with account managers. This is not just a question of personalities. The roles themselves are often seen as completely distinct. Indeed many account managers loath selling, and many salespersons are uninterested in delivery. But is this distinction accurate? And even if it's accurate about the current state of affairs, should we tolerate this distinction? Account managers are often considered to be nurturers. They show concern for their clients. They help them get what they need out of projects. They look out for their clients' interests. Hence, we have the term "client partner" as a synonym for "account manager" in some companies. On the other hand, salespersons are often considered to be opportunists. They sell what they can when they can without regard for the long-term benefit to the client. So, the argument goes, sales is very different from delivery. And if sales were about opportunism, then I would perhaps agree. But, of course, sales is not about opportunism. At least it's not properly so. Rather sales is about fitting a solution to a client need. And this naturally requires understanding a client's needs. And this in turn means that a salesperson has to have empathy with the potential client. Such empathy is exactly what that account manager is supposed to possess exclusively. So, i don't agree with the distinction. And i don't agree with account managers when they claim to dislike sales. To show your concern for the client is to also be able to sell them things that they need to help their business. Thus, all good account managers are good salespersons.