Castwide Developer's Resource

Giving the Clients What They Want

When selling software or development services, your first instinct might be to agree to any feature the client requests. This can seem like the right thing to do from a sales standpoint, especially if you're trying to land a contract that you expect will lead to more work in the future. In the IT world, however, this approach is often a terrible idea.

It's not uncommon to give prospective clients a few extras to impress them. Unfortunately, adding new features to software is not the same as adding shellac to a hardwood floor. It's not simply a matter of deciding that a long-term relationship with the client will offset the extra cost. In software development, first you have to determine if the new feature is even feasible.

If you need a sales-oriented explanation of why you need to broach new features with caution, here it is. You might think it's bad to say no to a client; but saying yes to a new feature, then having to go back and explain that you won't be able to deliver it after all, is much, much worse.

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