I think that when others are talking about the experience of being an academic, they mean that of a professor, not student. While some students do help their advisors write grants, I don't think it's the norm - I never did. But grant-writing is a major concern for professors at top-tier research universities.
Also, imo writing papers feels more like "persuasion" than "salesmanship". For one, in-depth discussion of the shortcomings or drawbacks of your approach tends to be appreciated in academia.