People who can sell are also critical, but the difference is that salespeople's performance is more easily quantifiable than most others' and the stars generall

People who can sell are also critical, but the difference is that salespeople's performance is more easily quantifiable than most others' and the stars generally do take in outsized earnings via commissions and/or bonuses. It's also easier for their mediocre colleagues to take, when they know that the money the they make is tied directly to how much they're bringing in for the company.