Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

Gretchen Fitzgibbons, Senior Manager of Strategic Solutions Consulting at Airtable with nearly two decades advising Fortune 500s, talks courageous, people-centered leadership. She recounts making hard calls to protect team fairness. Short takes cover preparing for leadership, clear-as-kind communication, removing emotion with data, and practical frameworks like 10-10-10 and journaling.

Jon Billett, Founder and CEO of StoryQuadrant, brings 15 years of presales expertise to the table. He discusses why storytelling should be treated as a structured industrial skill rather than a soft skill, emphasizing frameworks for four essential story types. Jon unveils the pitfalls of formulaic success stories, likening them to 'Mad Libs' and stressing the importance of memorable, retellable narratives. He shares tips on maximizing in-person meetings and using contrasting examples to create memorable stories. Tune in for valuable insights on advancing your storytelling skills!

Nikhil Sarma, founder of GTM Solutions Consulting and a presales leader with over 20 years of experience, dives into the complex world of customer indecision. He reveals how economic pressure and a crowded marketplace heighten buyer caution. Nikhil discusses the crucial differences between value clarity and organizational issues. He emphasizes the need for financial fluency among presales teams and advocates for de-risking implementation as a key to closing deals. Practical strategies like collaborative whiteboarding to build consensus also take center stage.

Justin McDonald, Co-founder and CEO of Saleo, shares his extensive SaaS experience as he dives into the transformative impact of AI on presales. He discusses the inefficiencies of demo preparation, coining the term 'demo tax' to highlight hidden costs. Justin emphasizes the importance of high-quality, personalized demo data for engaging storytelling. He also predicts a future where AI streamlines automation tasks, allowing solutions engineers to focus more on building relationships with buyers instead.

Allison Macalik, Director of Solutions and imposter-syndrome workshop leader, and Hannah Bloking, Senior Manager of Pre-sales at AWS and co-founder of 4Under3, share practical approaches to imposter feelings. They explore why it’s universal, reframing it as a phenomenon, the lighthouse speaker mindset, naming negative self-talk, and embedding conversations into company culture.

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.

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Rob Bruce, a presales leader at Syndigo with 20 years of experience, to discuss an innovative approach to presales operations: the Pursuit Desk. Rob shares how Syndigo has built a dedicated "concierge team" that handles RFPs, security questionnaires, reference coordination, and other time-consuming tasks, freeing solutions engineers to focus on discovery, solutioning, and building customer relationships. The conversation explores how to operate at the "top of your license," the role of AI in scaling pursuit operations, and practical advice for championing similar initiatives at your organization. Thank you to Elvance for sponsoring this episode: https://elvance.io Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Rob Bruce: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbruce/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack Book: "Selling is Hard, Buying is Harder" by Garen Hess Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:29 What is a Presales Concierge 11:18 Presales culture 14:00 Working at the top of your diploma 17:10 How do you justify this 21:38 As focused as an F1 team 23:32 AI and the Pursuit Desk Key Topics Covered The Pursuit Desk Concept Functions as a presales concierge handling non-customer-facing tasks Manages RFPs, InfoSec documents, NDAs, reference coordination Creates centralized control over messaging and responses Operates on a global scale with cultural sensitivity Operating at the Top of Your License Focus on discovery, creative thinking, empathetic listening, and presenting solutions Eliminate time spent on administrative tasks that don't require SE expertise Reduce context switching and multitasking to maintain flow Maximize value delivery to customers and the organization Building the Business Case Find an executive sponsor to champion the initiative Measure impact through deal win rates and velocity Consider creative budget reallocation (travel budgets, etc.) Calculate ROI based on SE productivity and reduced burnout The Role of AI in Pursuit Operations AI handles first-pass RFP responses (80% completion) Pursuit desk personalizes and adds empathy (final 20%) Machine learning analyzes past deals for pattern recognition Go/no-go scorecards based on historical data Enables scaling without proportional headcount increases Presales Culture and Values Building trust through technical expertise and genuine personality Being a "chameleon" who adapts to different buyer needs Creating an environment where people feel welcomed and valued Mentorship and knowledge sharing across teams Preventing Burnout Eliminating nights and weekends spent on RFPs Reducing stress through better task distribution Enabling SEs to focus on work they're passionate about Creating sustainable workloads that retain top talent Measuring Success Tracking time spent on each RFP or pursuit activity Correlating effort to win-loss rates Building audit trails for continuous improvement Creating dashboards for data-driven decision making

In this discussion, Art Fromm, a sales enablement expert with over 25 years of experience, shares key insights on bridging the gap between presales and sales teams. He highlights the significant 37% performance gap when these teams are misaligned and emphasizes the importance of discovery over rushing into demos. Art advocates for a shift towards creating value perceptions rather than merely showcasing features. He also stresses empathy and understanding each role's drivers to foster stronger partnerships that enhance client success.

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Wendy McHenry, Chair of WISE (Women in Solutions Excellence) at Presales Collective and Former Head of Global Solutions Engineering at CDATA, to discuss the critical need for supporting women in presales careers. They explore the challenges women face in a field where only 18% of solutions professionals are women, discuss unconscious bias in hiring and workplace environments, and highlight how WISE is creating support networks and career development opportunities to advance equity in the solutions field. To join the show live, follow the Presales Collective's LinkedIn page or join the PSC Slack community for updates. This episode is sponsored by Elvance. More information at https://elvance.io/ On the Show Today Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Wendy McHenry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendymac98/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack WISE Chapter Information: https://www.presalescollective.com/wise Presales Collective LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/presalescollective Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:51 Why WISE? 09:12 Being a woman in sales today 12:57 You're not technical enough 16:16 Women leaving the profession 20:33 How is WISE helping? 27:55 What's happening next? Key Topics Covered The Current State of Women in Presales Only 18% of solutions professionals globally are women Many women are the only woman on their SE team Higher attrition rates during layoffs disproportionately impact women Unconscious Bias and Workplace Challenges "Not technical enough" bias applied differently to women Interview panels dominated by men Social environments that may exclude women The importance of calling out bias when witnessed WISE Mission and Structure Started as an ERG at Salesforce, now part of Presales Collective Open to anyone who cares about supporting women in solutions careers Regional chapters like Women in Solutions Consulting Australia/New Zealand Company-specific chapters at organizations like Salesforce and Pegasystems Creating Change and Allyship How to be an effective ally in supporting women's careers Starting WISE chapters at your company (or expanding to broader sales/tech groups) The importance of diverse account teams and client representation Free career coaching and mentorship available through WISE council

Akash Ganapathy, CEO of Opine and a two-time AI startup founder, joins the conversation to explore the nuanced differences in AI strategies for startups versus enterprises. He debunks the myth that AI will replace sales engineers, highlighting the irreplaceable role of human relationships in selling. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of tailored AI deployment, with startups benefiting from generalist approaches while enterprises need specialized strategies. Insights on leveraging existing knowledge bases and future predictions for AI in the presales landscape are also shared.