I'm the technical guy on the other side of the table. We don't call people out of politeness - just smirk and enjoy the ride. After the meeting we talk freely to people in charge and destroy all your hopes of sale.
We knew we (collectively as a team) weren’t experts in everything, but the prospects called for expertise in x, y and z. Most of the time we knew a lot about x and y but not much about z. But at the same time we also knew no one is a perfect fit and we were pretty good for the job. In a lot of ways it’s very much like most interviews. It’s a back and forth of some BS and attempts to detect BS. The BSing wasn’t always successful I’m sure, but seemed necessary in most cases.
I certainly understand that when expertise in topics A, B and C are necessary to get in the door, you do the best you can. Getting a handle on the basics of a tertiary topic so you can start the conversation and focus on your legitimate strengths is a far cry from throwing up a smoke-screen in front of a potential client to push a sale.
Thanks for the follow up.