When They Ask for Something You Do Not Have
August 25, 2026
Mid-demo, someone asks whether it does something it does not. The instinct is to soften — "not exactly, but", "that is on the roadmap", "we could look at that".
Each of those buys a few more minutes of the call and can cost a refund, a bad review, or a customer who churns loudly.
Find out what they actually need
A feature request is usually a solution someone has already picked. "What would that let you do?" separates the requirement from their guess at how to meet it — and often what they need is something you already do differently.
Ask before answering. Answering first closes the door on the version where you can help.
Then one of three answers
- "We do that, differently." Show it. This is the commonest case and the one the hedge would have thrown away.
- "No, and here is what people do instead." A workaround, an integration, a manual step. Honest and often enough.
- "No, and if that is essential we are not the right fit." Rare, and the most valuable sentence on this page.
What "on the roadmap" costs
Said loosely it is heard as a commitment with a date attached, and the date the buyer invents is always sooner than yours. When it does not arrive, the conversation is not about a feature any more — it is about whether you can be believed.
Only say it when it is genuinely being built, and say what quarter. If you cannot name a quarter, it is not on the roadmap, it is on a list.
Why losing the deal is the cheap outcome
A prospect who walks costs you an hour. A customer who bought expecting something you do not have costs onboarding time, support load, a refund, and the review they write on the way out.
Early on, when every customer matters disproportionately, that asymmetry is larger rather than smaller — and the ones you turn away honestly are the likeliest to recommend you to someone you do fit.
Frequently asked questions
- What do you say when a prospect asks for a feature you do not have?
- Ask what it would let them do before answering -- a feature request is usually a solution they have already picked, and often you do that thing differently. Then either show it, say what people do instead, or say plainly that you are not the right fit.
- Is it bad to say something is on the roadmap?
- Only say it when it is genuinely being built, and name the quarter. Said loosely it is heard as a commitment, the buyer invents a sooner date than yours, and when it does not arrive the conversation becomes about whether you can be believed.
- Is it better to lose a deal than to oversell?
- Almost always. A prospect who walks costs an hour; a customer who bought expecting something you do not have costs onboarding, support, a refund and the review they write on the way out.
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