You can avoid most disasters by treating the sales process as a preview of delivery.
Red flags in the pitch
- Guaranteed dates with no discovery of integrations.
- Refusal to show who will actually build.
- “Proprietary platform” that you cannot leave.
- Pressure to sign this week with incomplete assumptions.
Red flags in the proposal
- One big number, zero definition of done.
- No mention of repository ownership.
- Quality (tests, CI, staging) listed as optional extras.
- All communication through account managers, never builders.
Red flags after kickoff
- Week three still only wireframes.
- Staffing changes without notice.
- You cannot access staging or the repo.
If the sales motion feels opaque, delivery will too.
ConaiSoft invites scrutiny: weekly demos, your repos, senior architecture visible — use the same bar on every agency you meet.