Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Mattie Stremic connect with Curtis Barber and Jess Ashwood to discuss "Untapped Talent: The Education Exodus." Curtis, Associate Solutions Engineer at SOCi, and Jess, Solution Expert at UKG, share their journey's from Teachers to Solutions Consulting. Curtis and Jess graduated from the PreSales Academy and have immediately made an impact in their current roles. Learn more about how and why Teachers make amazing SCs. Learn more about how you Change Your Career Trajectory at www.presalesacademy.com

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Paloma Garcia connect on "Solutions Role in Pipeline Generation". Paloma, Director of Solutions Consulting at ServiceNow, discusses her perspective on becoming a true partner to your customers and sales team by engaging in pipeline generation. Paloma believes that the best Solutions Consultants aid in sales by strategizing and executing different types of engagements in the sales process.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Tom Banton connect on "Investing in Future Solutions Leaders." Tom, Head of Leadership Enablement at PreSales Collective, discusses why the profession needs to be defining what GREAT Solutions Leadership looks like.  For more information on Leader Elevate and all PreSales Collective Enablement programs, visit www.presalescollective.com/enablement. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Chris Craft connect on "Stay Ready So You Don't Have To Get Ready." Chris, Technology Leader at Docusign, discusses his perspective on being ready for change. Technology is always changing and it is easy to become complacent so Chris provides guidance on how to stay curious and engaged so that you are always ahead of the technology curve to better support your customers.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Shawna James connect on "Building Community." Shawna,  Community & Events Manager at PreSales Collective, talks about the importance of building belonging. Shawna hit the ground running when she joined the PreSales Collective in January 2021. After years of experience in Community Building, Shawna focused on building stronger ties through our various programs and the impact has been palpable. Shawna shares her story and why community matters to her. More importantly, she discusses how PSC will continue to aim to emphasize a sense of belonging while building out a world-class community.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Elena Hutchison connect on "SC Impact on Marketing." Elena, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Product Marketing at Medallia, talks about her career journey up from non-traditional PreSales talent to Solutions Consulting Leader and now Strategy and Product Marketing. During her time at Medallia, Elena and the SC’s were introduced as a secret weapon to Analyst Relations and other Marketing functions. Listen to Elena discuss how your SC team can be at the center of influence both internally and externally. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Shamil Turner connect on "Balancing Pre & Post Sales in the World of Start-Ups." Shamil, Manager of Enterprise Solutions Architects at Figma, talks about the reality of early-stage SCs that support both Pre & Post Sale. The reality is that one role is Pitching, and the other role is Painting. In organizations still looking for product-market fit, PreSales teams need to be audible ready and be that trusted advisor throughout the customer life cycle.  

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Rich Kline connect on the topic "The 5 R’s of Leadership". Rich, Vice President of Solutions Engineering at OwnBackup, talks about the 5 R’s of Leadership: Revenue, Recruiting, Retain, Ramp, and Relationship. The 5 R’s are a way to think about what’s most important and how PreSales Leaders see the bigger picture. For scaling PreSales organizations, having a framework helps with great alignment. 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Woody Evans connect on the topic “Business Discovery University.” Woody, Vice President, Global Presales at Delphix, discusses teaching and scaling business discovery within a PreSales Organization. Business Discovery University, or BDU, is a program Woody created to help Solutions Consultants improve the behavior that’s hardest to learn, most valuable, and that needs the most practice: meta-cognition.  Read More: https://www.presalescollective.com/content/business-discovery-university-for-presales 

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Piet Saegeman connect on the topic “Strategic Messaging”. Piet, Messaging Strategist at Yamazoni, talks about how good messaging optimizes the buying journey and drives business results. The reality is that every organization has a messaging strategy, but few manage it well. PreSales professionals are often the go-between for Marketing’s messaging approach and the reality of the messaging in the field by the Sales team.