Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Yuji Higashi connect on the topic "Why We Created PreSales Academy". Yuji, Co-Founder of PreSales Collective & PreSales Academy, talks about the genesis story of PreSales Academy and how the program is a Win-Win-Win for future Sales Engineers, Hiring Managers, and PreSales Collective. In this episode we will also discuss our curriculum and hiring partners.  Learn more about PreSales Academy at www.presalesacademy.com 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Todd Janzen connect on the topic "Cultivating Change in Your PreSales Org". Todd, Global Vice President Solution Engineering, Q Branch at Salesforce, talks about how PreSales Leaders need to start taking charge and implementing change. We can no longer stand around and wait for things to be handed to us. Because this role is looked at as a “do it all”, sometimes we lose sight of what really matters: revenue. We're too busy digging this trench with our hands to fix the spark plugs in the excavator.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Megan Lin Gibbons connect on the topic "PreSales Operations". Megan, Head of Operations, Sales Engineering, talks about what the PreSales Operations role is and how it makes a positive impact on the business. Megan provides specifics on what the functions responsibilities are as well as how to measure the impact of operations. To continue the discussion, join our PreSales Collective Slack Channel #role_operations

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Stephanie Kinser connect on the topic "The Importance of Executive Sponsorship". Stephanie, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Solutions at Salesforce, talks about her experience with the Salesforce Women in Solutions Excellence (WISE) program and how executive sponsorship makes a tangible difference in the successes of Employee Resource Groups (ERG). Stephanie highlights ways to ensure your Executive Sponsor is working for you but also provides advice on how to maximize impact as an Executive Sponsor. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Ricardo Lupo connect on the topic "Constructing an Effective PreSale Team”. Ricardo, Head of Solutions Engineering at LogDNA, talks what he believes are the core components of an effective PreSales team. Ultimately, establishing a culture of feedback is crucial while we are in this remote- first culture.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Susan St. Ledger connect on the topic "Unlocking a High Growth Mindset". Susan, President of Worldwide Field Operations at Okta, talks about why and how to embrace a growth mindset. Susan speaks to the influential leaders who helped her mold her mindset and why embracing change is a very important step in unlocking a high growth mindset. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Anurag Goel connect on the topic "World Class Value Organizations”. Anurag, Global Head of Value Consulting and Realization at Red Hat, talks about what a Value Consultant is and how it is similar yet different from a Sales Engineer. Anurag also provides specifics into what a World Class Value Organization looks like and how it plugs into the Sales Cycle / Customer Life Cycle. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Rob Johnson connect on the topic "Leadership Development". Rob, Vice President EMEA Solutions Engineering at Celonis, talks about showing up as our authentic self in Leadership and utilizing it to create a culture of trust. Rob uses a term inspiring uniqueness, which is about maximizing employees potential and impact.  

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Shannon Trainor Stark connect on the topic "Best Practices for Experimentation". Shannon, Managing Director, Solutions Consulting Google Marketing Platform, talks about how she has created a culture of experimentation throughout her career. Things such as creating a framework, highlighting successes and failures, and stressing the idea of innovation as part of a teams DNA is how you create a PreSales culture that is always improving and iterating. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Dominic Dinardo connect on the topic "Life After PreSales". Dominic, CEO and Co-Founder of Aforza, talks about how his roles in PreSales prepared him for roles in Sales, General Management, and now as a CEO. Dominic started writing code when he was 12 years old & eventually went on to study Computer Science before getting his first job with oil giant Shell as a Unix Systems Consultant. Now, many years later he leads an exciting Industry Cloud company, Aforza as their CEO.