Charting Your Presales Career Path with Miriam Graf

Oct 22, 2025

Miriam Graf, a presales veteran with over 30 years of experience, offers wisdom on navigating the presales career landscape. She emphasizes the importance of communicating your career ambitions and shares insights on transitioning from individual contributor to leader. Miriam also highlights alternative career paths beyond management and underscores the significance of continuous learning and industry knowledge. Her advice on becoming visible by taking initiative is both inspiring and practical for anyone looking to advance their career.

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ADVICE

Announce Your Career Intentions

Speak up and tell leaders what you want so they can put you on their radar.
Take initiative on projects you care about instead of waiting to be noticed.

INSIGHT

Top Performer ≠ Natural Leader

Being the top SE doesn’t automatically make you a good manager because the focus shifts.
Leadership rewards helping others shine rather than personal accolades.

ANECDOTE

Tough Feedback That Changed Her

Miriam recounts a mentor telling her she wasn't a leader yet after celebrating a personal award.
That feedback pushed her to shift focus from personal glory to team success.

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Episode 181: Charting Your Presales Career Path with Miriam Graf

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James welcome Miriam Graf, a presales veteran with 20 years as an individual contributor and 10 years in leadership roles. Miriam shares invaluable insights on navigating career growth in presales, from speaking up about your aspirations to recognizing when leadership is and isn't the right path for you. She discusses the evolution from being "the hero" to becoming a leader who helps others shine, and explores the diverse career opportunities available beyond traditional management roles.

This episode is sponsored by Elvance. Find out more about them at https://elvance.io/

Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/
Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/
Connect with Miriam Graf: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriamgraf/ or email migraf3@gmail.com

Links and Resources Mentioned

Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack
Presales Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome

06:53 Lessons to learn earlier

10:38 IC vs leadership

16:42 Expensive experience lessons

22:46 Variety of expertise is good

28:27 Focus on your industry and keep learning

Key Topics Covered

Speaking Up About Your Career
- Why waiting for someone to notice doesn't work
- How expressing interest puts you on the radar for future opportunities
- The importance of taking initiative on projects you're passionate about
The Transition from Hero to Leader
- Why being the top SE doesn't automatically translate to leadership
- The emotional shift from personal accolades to team success
- Understanding if management is actually the right path for you
Alternative Career Paths Beyond Management
- National expert or technical specialist roles
- Product management and product marketing opportunities
- Customer success, implementation, and demo engineering
- How presales skills translate across multiple disciplines
Essential Skills for Career Advancement
- Soft skills: passion, communication, empathy, and listening
- Business acumen: understanding the "so what?" for your audience
- Technical skills: continuous learning and adaptability
Learning Through Experience
- The value of trying roles outside presales
- How diverse experience makes you a better SE
- Why failures and tough feedback lead to growth
Industry Expertise
- How to quickly learn an industry's key challenges
- The value of becoming a vertical expert
- Building credibility without years of industry experience