> clients would generally take some time to actually commit and it's not feasible to keep a team on standby for every sales lead
This is an important reality in consulting. The consultancy cannot keep their best people sitting idle while the clients spend months completing the paperwork.
And it's not just a billability issue. The A team people don't like being underutilized and will find seek employment if they're kept idle too long.
That said, savvy clients will include "named key resources" in the contract to ensure continuity between the sales team and the project team.