I don't know this photographer at all. But I would not guarantee that at all.
I would suggest that you get to know him:
http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/site_contents/About/aboutCV.html. As you will see, his work is held in major museum and corporate collections around the world. A search on Artnet shows that he also is represented by major galleries that specialize in photography, including Howard Greenberg in New York and Flowers in London. Amazon carries a number of his books, many published by Steidl.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=edward+burtynsky.
You then write:
Many highly successful photographers have never worked with a dealer that knows more than they do about cameras, and often don't even know such dealers exist. Their experience is limited to the local camera store from the 80s, staffed with college students, that they shopped at before they switched to buying everyone on Amazon.
I've worked with several "big name" shooters who refused any help we'd offer as they evaluated cameras. They just wanted to pick up a camera and test it on their own. Which is fine, except I'll often hear reports from their assistants later that they ran into any number of roadblocks or questions that we could have answered for them instantly. Instead they Google around or give up. It's a forehead-smacking moment when it's your full-time profession to help people looking at cameras.
While I don't know Mr. Burtynsky personally, I have little doubt that he has the technical chops. If you read the PetaPixel interview in full, that is readily apparent. He founded Toronto Images Works, which now employs 30 people. It originally focused on his own printing needs, but as an apparently exceptional businessman, Mr. Burtynsky branched out, making the services available to other photographers in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and presumably other locales. The company offers a wide range of services, many of the same type offered by companies like Bay Photo and other labs that serve photographers. I am willing to bet that at least at the outset, he was very detailed oriented and exacting when it comes to technical details. He most likely still is, but he now has "people" who know what he wants.
You then say,
The sad fact is many people are "allergic" to anyone remotely related to "sales" -
Possibly people operating at Burtynsky's level (and at other levels, for that matter) are more interested in dealing with people who understand the artistry of what they are doing rather than just the technical details. You seem to believe the customer must speak on your terms (highly technical), rather than you taking the time to understand the customer's terms, which may go well beyond just technical issues and more pixels. The customer may not be allergic to you. He or she may simply be uninterested in your approach. I am currently finishing a book entitled Focus: The Secret Sexy, Sometimes Sordi World of Fashion Photographers by Michael Gross. I am not a fashion photographer, nor was I particularly interested in the genre before picking up the book. It is a comprehensive history of the genre. It does not focus on equipment, but equipment certainly comes up. For many of these leading photographers, equipment was secondary, yet they were recognized as masters of their craft. Once again, these folks may not be interested in a sales person who overwhelms them with technical details. They may be far more responsive to a salesman who gets into their mindset as photographers and who is familiar with their work.
No hostility on my part. I have a strong viewpoint. If camera sales people want to provide pure information--answering a question about a technical matter or how to do something that someone on the forum asks--I don't have a problem with that, as long as the sales person clearly identifies the affiliation. On the other hand, I don't think forums should turn into places for advertising. In my mind, your original post crossed the line. It was a cheeky way to say, "Call me, so I can sell you a camera."
I haven't had a beer with you, but I have met you on several occasions.
