Is the Grass Greener on the Dark Side?

No, we understand "sales and marketing" we just don't want to be associated with it.

If you don't want the bridges to fall when you drive over them, you want the designers who instinctively regard truth as being a hard edged diamond, you want them to be people who are only comfortable when they obey the rules of their discipline, you don't want spin in the calculations.

If you want to sell the bridge, you have to instinctively regard truth as something as malleable as silly putty, you have to think that the only rule is to make the sale. You have to lead the prospect away from negative thoughts, even if they are truthful, you have to print on their minds, the thought that they will benefit from the purchase even if it is untruthful.

Aaaarggh here we go again.
I'll repeat what my old Dad said when he was asked to go on 'Accounting for engineers' course.
"I'll go when they send the accountants on Engineering appreciation courses..."

Replace 'Accountant' with 'Marketing/sales' or whatever.

Some marketing guys are great and will work hand in glove with engineering (and the smart engineer will embrace this...ok, he'll moan a bit in the process) ensuring a better product, some just tell the customer anything they want to hear.
Del

You remind me of a visit to an equipment supplier to check his requirements for the support structure, and, just as I was leaving, asked to step into their Project Manager's office to be told, "Please give your PM a heads up that our equipment cannot perform as required by the contract. Our sales people sold you a performance that the equipment cannot supply." There were some heavy liquidated damages for non-performance in that contract, too.