How to Deal with Feature Request Demands During High-Stakes Sales Calls
Designed for Enterprise Account Executives handling complex B2B SaaS sales calls with C-level buyers who frequently demand custom product features to spark real collaboration and high-energy learning.
A 90-minute hybrid workshop designed for seasoned AEs with quotas tied to multi-million dollar deals. Participants routinely face intense calls where buyers press for bespoke features as deal conditions. Their pain points include feeling caught between sales targets, product limits, and maintaining buyer trust—all in real-time, high-stakes conversations.
Feature Request Bingo
Kick off with a game: Participants receive a bingo card listing typical feature request demands ('integration with XYZ,' 'custom reporting,' 'mobile-first dashboard'). As examples are mentioned in a rapid-fire facilitator monologue, participants mark them off. First to bingo shares their call experience.
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Why this works
Gamifying common requests builds curiosity as participants anticipate which features will pop up, priming them for pattern recognition and alertness.
Assumptions Unpacked
Reveal misconceptions: Show a video snippet (or transcript) of a buyer demanding a feature, followed by the AE making assumptions about the request. Break participants into pairs to list possible false assumptions, then discuss what the buyer really wanted.
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Why this works
Directly addressing misconceptions helps learners surface their own biases, which often drive poor responses and missed opportunities.
Silent Solution Board
Invite each participant to write (silently, no speaking) their go-to phrase for handling feature demands on sticky notes or a digital board. Then, everyone scans the board and votes for the phrase they’d actually use. No pressure—just sharing and observing.
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Why this works
Low-pressure, anonymous participation reduces social risk and surfaces diverse approaches that can be discussed or refined.
Rapid Roleplay Roulette
In a high-energy, fast-paced activity, randomly assign pairs for quick 1-minute roleplays. One is the demanding buyer, the other the AE. After each round, rotate roles and partners, increasing challenge: buyers escalate their requests, AEs practice responses.
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Why this works
Energetic, time-limited practice builds muscle memory and prepares AEs for real call intensity, encouraging quick thinking and confidence.
Deal or No Deal? Dilemma
Pose a real-world dilemma: ‘Your buyer demands a feature not on the roadmap, threatening to walk. What do you do?’ Teams debate, then choose: escalate to product, negotiate alternate value, or walk away. Teams present their rationale, referencing real deals.
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Why this works
Anchoring learning in dilemmas mirrors the ambiguity and stakes of real sales calls, fostering critical thinking and sensemaking.
My Feature Request Playbook
Close with a personal reflection: Each AE drafts their own ‘Feature Request Playbook,’ listing 2 tactics they’ll use next call plus a story of when a feature demand almost derailed a deal. Volunteers share, encouraging personal connection and commitment.
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Why this works
Personal reflection and storytelling deepen learning, anchoring tactics in lived experience and increasing transfer to practice.
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