Good article. I like that you identify and 'call out' those salespeople who close deals by saying whatever it takes. I think it should be pointed out that the costs of these types of salespeople are extensive and impact a business even before they become ineffective sales managers. There are serious hits on margin and productivity suffered by the rest of the company due to 'unclean' deals.

However this is mostly applicable once a software company has a fully functioning product that meets / exceeds the market requirements. Before that, most deals include functionality that will be built later and CEO's often hire salepeople who are good at smoothing over inadequacies in order to get any deals at all. Ideally the honest approach works best in the long run even here but oftentimes potential customers get spooked by startup companies so startup CEO's will do what they need to do to sign up early customers.

Once beyond startup phase, the CEO needs to transition sales mentality to the honest functionality you describe. The most successful salespeople at this point will be those who are as articulate and compelling internally as they are with the prospects. Because they will need to internally persuade their own company management to build the missing functionality that is truly needed by the market, not just to line their own pockets. These salespeople have enough influence with prospects and their employers to make good deals happen that are successful for all parties involved.