The deadline promised to a client and the team’s real capacity don’t always line up.
A sales rep trying to close a deal might be tempted to promise a shorter timeline than the delivery team’s workload actually allows. In the short term this helps win the deal — in the long term, it causes delays and a disappointed client, whose trust takes far longer to rebuild than it took to lose.
How to avoid this conflict
- Before promising a deadline, the sales team sees the delivery team’s real workload
- The deadline offered is based on actual capacity, not just how fast the client wants it
- If the deadline is too tight, that’s visible immediately — not after it’s already been promised