On the Myth of More: What to say when you are told "Its all about the number of features we have"

One of the most common struggles in product management is the tug-of-war with sales over feature quantity. Sales teams often believe that more features mean more sales—more reasons for customers to say yes, more ways to differentiate, more justification for premium pricing.

It’s an understandable perspective, but a dangerous one.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French writer, aviator, and poet captured the essence of great product design when he said:

“Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away.”

Adding features without discipline leads to clutter, complexity, and technical debt. Yet, sales teams often present compelling arguments for why more is better. If you’re a product manager navigating this conversation, here are the key claims you’ll likely hear—along with the counterpoints to help keep your product strategy on track.

Sales Team Arguments & Product Management Counterpoints

1?? More features mean more sales. Sales View: The longer the feature list, the more compelling the product appears to potential customers. More options mean fewer objections.

PM Response: Customers don’t buy features; they buy solutions. A bloated product with a long list of “nice-to-haves” often confuses rather than converts. A few well-crafted, high-impact features create a stronger value proposition than a scattered collection of add-ons.

2?? Competitors are adding more features—so should we. Sales View: If we don’t keep up, we’ll fall behind. Customers will compare checklists, and if ours is shorter, we lose.

PM Response: Competing on feature quantity is a race to the bottom. The best products differentiate on execution, simplicity, and user experience. Many “winning” companies succeed not by adding more, but by doing less, better.

3?? Customers are asking for more features. Sales View: Feature requests prove demand. If customers want it, we should build it.

PM Response: Not all feature requests are equal. Some are niche, some are distractions, and some—if built—would actually make the product harder to use. The job of product strategy is to prioritize what drives the most impact, not react to every request.

4?? More features justify a higher price. Sales View: More capabilities mean we can charge more and increase revenue.

PM Response: Customers don’t pay for features; they pay for outcomes. A confusing, overloaded product won’t command a premium price—on the contrary, it may push customers toward simpler alternatives. A refined, focused product is easier to sell at a higher price than a cluttered one.

5?? Marketing and sales need new talking points. Sales View: New features give us fresh stories to tell, helping keep the product top-of-mind.

PM Response: If the only way we can create excitement is by adding features, we have a messaging problem. The best marketing is rooted in why the product matters, not just what it does. A strong, simple product with clear differentiation is more compelling than a feature list.

6?? A growing feature set signals innovation. Sales View: Regular feature launches show customers that we’re evolving and staying ahead of the market.

PM Response: Real innovation isn’t about volume—it’s about impact. The best products evolve by refining and simplifying, not just by expanding. Feature bloat often signals a lack of focus, not progress.

Simplicity Is the Highest Form of Ambition

Product success isn’t measured by how much is added, but by how much truly matters. The best teams resist the urge to build reactively and instead focus on what drives meaningful impact.

So the next time you’re asked, “What’s next on the roadmap?”—don’t just think about what to add. Ask, “What can we remove?”

#ProductManagement #LessIsMore #Simplicity #ProductStrategy #PMLife