What is the dynamic between Sales and Field Engineering and how does it manifest at the customers’ sites? In this article Ibrahim Hussin gives his view on how Field Engineers can face issues on sites because of promises from the Sales team.

Sales and Field Engineering – Hidden Cost of Misaligned Commitments

Introduction

In many technology driven organisations, Sales Engineers operate under intense pressure. Targets must be met, deals must be closed, and growth is often treated as the ultimate measure of success. In such environments, a subtle but dangerous pattern can emerge, customers are promised system capabilities that cannot realistically be delivered.

This issue is rarely the result of intentional dishonesty. More often, it stems from knowledge gaps, miscommunication, or misalignment between commercial and technical perspectives. In some cases, a Sales Engineer may not fully understand the technical limitations of the system. In others, the customer’s application requirements are not clearly translated into precise technical specifications.

Budget constraints further complicate the situation. A customer may request functionality that requires a higher tier system or additional components, but their budget does not allow for the appropriate solution. Faced with the risk of losing the deal, the Sales Engineer may assume or confidently state that a lower cost configuration will still meet the customer’s needs. On paper, everyone wins. The contract is signed, revenue is recorded, and management celebrates another successful sale.

The Consequences to Field Service from Sales

The real consequences, however, surface much later when the Field Service Engineer arrives on site at that point. The field team is expected to deliver capabilities that were never technically possible. They cannot openly explain that the system was oversold or incorrectly specified, as doing so would undermine the company’s credibility. At the same time, they cannot resolve issues that arise from architectural limitations rather than technical faults.

The Professional Trap for Field Service

This creates a professional trap:

1. The customer expects features that were never included or supported.
2. The system cannot be upgraded within the approved budget or scope.
3. The Field Service Engineer becomes the visible representative of failure, despite having no role in the original commitment.

Sales and Field Engineering over time

Over time, this situation becomes emotionally and professionally exhausting. Field Service Engineers are forced into an impossible position: absorb blame for decisions they did not make, or walk away to protect their professional integrity.
When organisations allow misaligned sales commitments to continue unchecked whether caused by pressure, limited technical understanding, or poor requirement translation the damage extends far beyond a single dissatisfied customer. Trust erodes, internal tensions increase, and experienced engineers begin to leave.
Ironically, the cost of one poorly aligned promise may ultimately be the loss of a highly skilled professional someone who understands the product, the customer, and the company’s reputation better than anyone else.

Conclusion

In the long run, sustainable growth does not come from closing every deal at any cost. It comes from clear communication, shared technical accountability, and honest alignment between what is sold, what is built, and what can truly be delivered.

About the author – Ibrahim Hussin

Ibrahim Hussin is a Field Service Engineer who recently earned a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. He has hands-on experience supporting complex medical and technical systems in real world environments, with a strong focus on system reliability, customer alignment, and cross functional collaboration between sales, engineering, and field teams. Ibrahim is based in Tripoli in Libya.

Further reading

Can new medical instrument sales leads be a function of field service?