Researchers, writes Prof-like Substance at The Spandrel Shop, have to sell their work. "Like it or not, you're in sales," his blog post title notes. Investigators have to be able to convince their audience — especially a funding agency — that their research idea is good and worth spending the money on.
Prof-like adds that some researchers appear to look a bit down on this skill. "I hear people say, all the time, that so-and-so only got the money because they can sell their work. It is usually said with at least a subtle air of 'my science is better, but they're smoother,'" he writes. "The reality is that selling the ideas is critical to doing the science. Whether you are trying to get money from the federal government, industry or private donation, you still need to get people interested!"