[Zigurd]

Hire a department full of persuasive people. Expect to get persuasion. On top of which, subverting an organization's decision making processes and channels is a core competency of good sales departments. A two-edged sword if there ever was.

[AlexCoventry]

> subverting an organization's decision making processes and channels is a core competency of good sales departments

Know of any good books on this aspect of sales?

[exolymph]

I assume they're gesturing at commissions? Salespeople are usually paid based on a percentage of the deals they close, incentivizing them to promise more to clients in a given timeframe than the eng team can realistically deliver. Then sales usually leaves it to eng to readjust the client's expectations. That's the classic conflict between the departments.