Your delivery problem may start in the sales conversation. The client thought st
By Simon Ellicott · October 3, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Your delivery problem may start in the sales conversation.
The client thought strategy was included.
The account manager thought the scope was execution.
The salesperson thought the proposal made it clear.
Three reasonable people. Three different versions of the same agreement.
And delivery is left to reconcile them.
This is another area worth examining in an Amazon agency capability audit.
Because a signed proposal does not automatically create a shared understanding.
“Grow our Amazon business” might mean more sales.
It might mean better profitability.
It might mean fixing the operational issues that keep holding everything else back.
If those priorities are not clarified before the work starts, the delivery team inherits the ambiguity.
Usually as urgency.
Unexpected requests.
Uncomfortable client calls.
Work nobody allowed time for.
Senior people stepping in to protect the relationship.
From the outside, it can look like poor account management.
But what was the account manager actually given?
A list of services?
Or a clear understanding of:
What the client wants to achieve
Why it matters commercially
What has been promised
What is outside scope
What the client needs to own
How progress will be assessed
The context matters too.
Why did they leave their previous agency?
Which deadline really matters?
What concerns came up during the sales conversation?
Which expectations are still unresolved?
None of this should depend on the account manager remembering to ask the salesperson the right questions.
And delivery needs a voice before unfamiliar or complex commitments are finalised.
Clear handovers protect margin, team confidence and client trust.
If sales and delivery described success separately, would they describe the same thing?