Sales and Entrepreneurship

My brother-in-law is a systems admin who has talked about starting his own business several times. However, he has the E-Myth Revisited challenge: he wants to do the technical side and not have to do the sales thing. I know so many entrepreneurs in this position that just want to do the day-to-day business aspects and would like someone else to do the business development because they either don’t like sales or don’t have the training. According to Persuasion IQ, 96% of small businesses fail within the first five years due to lack of sales.
As a salesperson, I empathize. Sales is difficult! With a successful sales background however, a person can be very marketable in this down economy. That’s how I got this job, even now when layoffs are so much more prevalent than hiring. I never thought I’d be so appreciative of my training and background, especially since I never planned on ending up in this profession.
A few months ago, before I got my current job as Marketing Services Manager at dynami group, I was looking for a part-time sales position after my son was born. I made a list of businesses that I liked and called up Sips n’ Strokes in Atlanta regarding a sales opportunity that I thought could be very mutually beneficial. I would market and sell Sips n’ Strokes parties and teambuilding to groups, conventions, corporations and associations. I even would’ve done this on a commission-only basis.
I’m sure a lot of really great business ideas never made it to fruition, and this makes me sad. What’s the best way to bring salespeople and entrepreneurs together?