It would be a real shame if where I work is an anomaly. SE to sales is a great move in that it makes for a great sale person, and as I say our top sales guy came from that transition (the one year he wasn't top, the guy who was was also previously from SE). This is mainly because they have extensive product knowledge. That is a rare thing in sales and immediately buys you a huge dose of credibility. Clients will then be more likely to believe the more salesy aspect of the process too (where people are more naturally sceptical).

Don't get me wrong, not every good SE will be good at sales - as you say there is a magic element to being great at sales - generally it is the non technical people who make this move. The more technical ones like me go down the product route.