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Your technical sales timelines are affected by R&D delays. How will you adapt and meet your targets?

When research and development (R&D) hold-ups threaten your technical sales targets, adaptability is key. To pivot effectively:

- Reassess and adjust your timeline expectations with clients, maintaining transparency about delays.

- Explore alternative solutions or interim products to offer customers that may satisfy their immediate needs.

- Intensify focus on customer relationship management to ensure loyalty until your full offerings are available.

How do you adjust your sales strategy when facing unexpected R&D setbacks?

Technical Sales Technical Sales

Technical Sales

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Your technical sales timelines are affected by R&D delays. How will you adapt and meet your targets?

When research and development (R&D) hold-ups threaten your technical sales targets, adaptability is key. To pivot effectively:

- Reassess and adjust your timeline expectations with clients, maintaining transparency about delays.

- Explore alternative solutions or interim products to offer customers that may satisfy their immediate needs.

- Intensify focus on customer relationship management to ensure loyalty until your full offerings are available.

How do you adjust your sales strategy when facing unexpected R&D setbacks?

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28 answers
  • Contributor profile photo
    Contributor profile photo
    Vidya Bhandary

    Sr Solution Consultant | AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | Pre-Sales, Proposal Engineering, RFXs | Gen AI | Cloud Solutions | 4x Cloud Certified (AWS/GCP/Azure) | Ex-Philips | Yoga Therapist

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    Couple of ways to handle it - Keep customers informed about product updates and delays transparently. - Highlight your commitment to quality and reliability as a reason for the delay. - Consider interim solutions or integrations to address immediate pain points.

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    James Thompson

    Unlocking business value with Process Intelligence I Girl Dad

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    In a complex sales cycle anything can happen. That’s why maintain a 3-5x pipeline is crucial. For example, if your quota is $250k for the quarter you should have 750k-1.25m pipeline for that quarter. So many things are out of our control as sales reps, but pipeline health shouldn’t be one of them.

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    5
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    Yusak Siswanto

    Sales Professional | Full-Cycle & Strategic Sales | Tech-Savvy with a Passion for Emerging Technologies

    • Report contribution

    Sometimes, delivering bad news is necessary, but staying silent can create more problems. Reassessing and being transparent about the delay is important so that the client can adjust their project timeline accordingly. This helps avoid conflicts and miscommunication. Exploring alternative solutions, such as interim products, cloud solutions, or assisting with migration from interim products to the final product, can help rebuild rapport and strengthen the relationship. Our goal is to maintain trust and ensure our customers don’t face problems because of the delay. A long-term relationship with customers is an investment, not a cost

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    Lilian Lemus

    Senior Account Manager | Business Developer | SaaS | Customer Success | Closer B2B and B2C

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    If R&D's taken a bit longer than expected, we're not slowing down. Focus on getting our most ready products out the door first, and keeping our clients in the loop every step of the way. Work hand-in-hand with the R&D team to speed up the essential features, and explore creative solutions to bridge any gaps. We're determined to meet our goals, even with these "hiccups". Go for it and meet your targets!

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    5
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    Navdeep Singh Aswal

    Helping Enterprises Scale GENAI, Microdrama & Cloud OTT Solutions Globally | GTM & Revenue Strategist | M&E | MVPD | Pay TV | Telecom | Middle East | APAC | India | LATAM

    (edited)
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    When R&D delays impact technical sales timelines, it's crucial to maintain momentum with prospects. One effective approach is to actively involve them in the product development process, such as through concept testing, proof of concepts (PoCs), or feature validation. This not only keeps them engaged but also allows us to gather valuable feedback that can shape the final product. By making them part of the journey, we can ensure that the solution we deliver is more aligned with their evolving needs, keeping them excited and invested even as we work through development challenges." Grow your pipeline, keep customer engaged for long term partnership, make them part of innovative ecosystem.

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    5
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    Prashant N.

    Top LinkedIn Voice | Cybersecurity Sales | Leadership | Account Management | Strategic Partnerships

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    When R&D delays impact sales, maintain transparency with clients by resetting expectations and emphasizing commitment to quality. Offer interim solutions, strengthen client relationships through proactive communication, and streamline pre-sales efforts to address immediate needs and stay on track.

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    4
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    Mudassir Malik

    Precision in AI/ML | Power in RPA | Vision in Agentic AI | Delivering Elite Automation-First Solutions - DeltaOne TX | AppsGenii Tech | CodeWorking | BoxesGen | DentiNect | Blackhole Animations

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    To adapt to R&D delays impacting technical sales timelines, I would prioritize clear communication with stakeholders to set realistic expectations while maintaining their confidence. By leveraging modular development and delivering interim solutions like MVPs, I can ensure continued market engagement. Additionally, optimizing sales strategies, exploring complementary offerings, and strengthening partnerships will help mitigate the impact of delays. These proactive measures will enable us to meet targets while demonstrating resilience and commitment to delivering value.

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    4
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    Syed Hassan

    Business Development Head at Progatix

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    To adapt to R&D delays while meeting targets, focus on delivering essential features through a quick MVP release. Maintain transparent communication with customers, revise sales strategies, and provide interim solutions to sustain trust and progress.

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    3
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    Reshmaa Kaur

    Elevating Corporate Governance with Secure Boardroom Solutions | Enabling Seamless & Secure Boardroom Collaboration | Business Development Manager

    • Report contribution

    To adapt to R&D delays, I’d maintain clear communication with clients, offering interim solutions through existing products to address their immediate needs. I’d collaborate with R&D to explore partial releases or updates to sustain customer interest. Additionally, I’d pivot efforts toward generating new leads in unaffected areas to ensure sales targets are met.

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    2
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    Arsalan Ahmed

    Director - Fintech @ Mastercard Business Development & Partnerships

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    R&D setbacks challenge adaptability and client trust but also create opportunities to strengthen relationships. Transparency about delays builds trust, while interim solutions address immediate needs and keep customers engaged. Strong relationship management through personalized interactions and added value can deepen loyalty, and collaboration between technical and sales teams often leads to creative solutions. At the same time, preparing on a parallel path and refining strategies, training teams, or readying marketing materials—ensures readiness for launch. Diversified pipelines, delay forecasting, and contingency plans further build resilience

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