5 ms·

This cannot be overstated. If you give the sales team any room or freedom, they will make your life hell trying to keep up with "features" that outdo everyone e

by MadManE 12y ago

This cannot be overstated. If you give the sales team any room or freedom, they will make your life hell trying to keep up with "features" that outdo everyone else just so they can get their commission check. They don't have to deal with anything beyond signing of the purchase, so they don't care that it sinks everyone else to get that purchase.

otterley 12y ago
Salespeople who sell products by providing false information are committing fraud on behalf of the company and should be fired.
- UVB-76 12y ago
  This is just how things work in a lot of industries. You promise the world to make a sale, then once you've signed, work frantically to make the vision you sold a reality. If you were open and honest, you wouldn't sell a thing. The only people who lose out are those who take salespeople on their word and don't get everything agreed in writing. Never take a salesperson on their word.
  - otterley 12y ago
    > If you were open and honest, you wouldn't sell a thing. Or you could, you know, make stuff worth buying.
- MadManE 12y ago
  I agree. But just because something should happen, doesn't mean that it will. I don't work with a startup, or even in the tech industry, but this is an issue that takes up ~25% of my time. I have to keep pushing back on sales to make sure that they're not selling something that's physically impossible, or just plain stupid (but sounds good). This is something that cuts across business in America in general, I think.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  That would result in mass unemployment in some sectors of industry. The problem is that as long as your competitor says 'yes' and you say 'no' the competitor will get the customer. Customers should be firing companies that provide false information during the lead-up to a sale. Then the sales people can stay employed and everybody comes out ahead.
  - otterley 12y ago
    > That would result in mass unemployment in some sectors of industry. Are you making an implicit suggestion that we should tolerate fraud because it employs people?
    - Dylan16807 12y ago
      It shows that it's not easy, no matter what 'should' may be.
    - seank 12y ago
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham%27s_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham%27s_law
      - dllthomas 12y ago
        You should expand on this.
    - andrewflnr 12y ago
      No, he made his actual suggestion quite explicit.
- zorpner 12y ago
  Companies who did this would be systemically outcompeted by companies who choose to look the other way when their salespeople overpromise. And you will find that in general, they are not saying "we have feature X as an available feature as of today" -- they say things like "feature X is under development" and work to upsell it/et cetera. It can be an extremely effective tactic for a lean company to explore the market without overinvesting in development, and it can be destructive behavior by salespeople to advance themselves at the cost of the company. Like so many things, it's a balance, not an opposition.
raverbashing 12y ago
You're absolutely right in this specific case. The sales people will go crazy, so don't let them sell anything. Have the technical people evaluate that.
- MadManE 12y ago
  Let them sell what you already have. Why do they need to invent fake products to close a sale?

by MadManE 12y ago

otterley 12y ago

Salespeople who sell products by providing false information are committing fraud on behalf of the company and should be fired.

UVB-76 12y ago
This is just how things work in a lot of industries. You promise the world to make a sale, then once you've signed, work frantically to make the vision you sold a reality. If you were open and honest, you wouldn't sell a thing. The only people who lose out are those who take salespeople on their word and don't get everything agreed in writing. Never take a salesperson on their word.
- otterley 12y ago
  > If you were open and honest, you wouldn't sell a thing. Or you could, you know, make stuff worth buying.
MadManE 12y ago
I agree. But just because something should happen, doesn't mean that it will. I don't work with a startup, or even in the tech industry, but this is an issue that takes up ~25% of my time. I have to keep pushing back on sales to make sure that they're not selling something that's physically impossible, or just plain stupid (but sounds good). This is something that cuts across business in America in general, I think.
jacquesm 12y ago
That would result in mass unemployment in some sectors of industry. The problem is that as long as your competitor says 'yes' and you say 'no' the competitor will get the customer. Customers should be firing companies that provide false information during the lead-up to a sale. Then the sales people can stay employed and everybody comes out ahead.
- otterley 12y ago
  > That would result in mass unemployment in some sectors of industry. Are you making an implicit suggestion that we should tolerate fraud because it employs people?
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    It shows that it's not easy, no matter what 'should' may be.
  - seank 12y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham%27s_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham%27s_law
    - dllthomas 12y ago
      You should expand on this.
  - andrewflnr 12y ago
    No, he made his actual suggestion quite explicit.
zorpner 12y ago
Companies who did this would be systemically outcompeted by companies who choose to look the other way when their salespeople overpromise. And you will find that in general, they are not saying "we have feature X as an available feature as of today" -- they say things like "feature X is under development" and work to upsell it/et cetera. It can be an extremely effective tactic for a lean company to explore the market without overinvesting in development, and it can be destructive behavior by salespeople to advance themselves at the cost of the company. Like so many things, it's a balance, not an opposition.

raverbashing 12y ago

You're absolutely right in this specific case. The sales people will go crazy, so don't let them sell anything. Have the technical people evaluate that.

MadManE 12y ago
Let them sell what you already have. Why do they need to invent fake products to close a sale?