Qualifications of a feed salesman

I have been in the feed industry for 30 plus years.....either as a consumer of feed products, as a manufacturer of feed or in a sales position. Even sold Ag software for a while which had modules that balanced rations and then tracked sales. So, I have dealt with salesman from all angles. This morning I have been sitting here thinking of what qualifies a person to be a good feed salesman.

1. He has to be breathing. Dead people make very poor salesman ......... although, I have met a few I did wonder if they were alive or not!
2. He has to be smart enough to NEVER guess the weight of a man's cattle. If you go ride with him to the pasture to see his calves, he will invariably ask, "What do you think they weigh?" A good salesman will be able to side step that question and change to a safe subject such as the weather, the rancher's banker or even the time his wife ran off with the mail man. ANY subject is safer than guessing the weight of his calves.
3. He has to like pets ...... because all the time you are riding to see the calves .... the rancher's blue heeler cattle dog is sitting next to you and licking your ear while dripping wet from where she went swimming in the pond. And it is much safer to call the ranchers daughter dirty names than to push his dog away.
4. He has to be able to face rejection. Invariably, the rancher will reject your perfectly presented product presentation .... because the competitor has a similar product for 50 cents a semi load less........ although he may call your cell phone before you get out the driveway and order a load of the product .... if you can deliver that afternoon .... which he and you know is an impossibility.
5. He has to be able to put up with a sales manager .... who rides along every so often and ask stupid questions. I have yet to find a sales manager that could sell a drink of water to a thirsty man ...... but they know why you didn't get that last order. (I know why too! Cause the sales manger, who is a complete SOB, was along on the call!)
   

Well, after much thought and deliberation ..... I think I qualify!
Dennis