PreSales Podcast by PreSales Collective

In this episode of the PreSales Podcast, Chris Mabry speaks with Kai Tillman - Army Veteran, 5x published author, educator, and Senior Solutions Engineer at Atlassian. One of the biggest takeaways is this: Veterans have a unique blend of skills and experiences that equip them to tackle complex challenges easily. They have GRIT and stay steady while faced with huge change, making them a perfect fit for the dynamic world of presales. We discuss Kai’s unique journey, the significant challenges veterans face while transitioning into civilian work, and go deep into Kai’s philosophy and experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and thank you for tuning in.

In this episode of the PreSales Podcast, Chris Mabry and Justin McDonald discuss Justin’s journey from individual contributor to Founder and CEO. We discuss struggles, lessons learned along the way, and tools he developed as an SE that he still uses today as a CEO. Explore the rising significance of live demos in SaaS sales world Discuss how a demo isn’t just a “presentation” but a methodology/process you must go through to unpack and discover what the client needs. Explore strategies for maximum impact and best practices for engaging your audience. Highlight the advantages that live demos have for Sales Engineers (SEs) to enhance customer engagement and conversion rates but also offer SEs to have a unique competitive and professional edge. Thank you for tuning in! - PSC

In this Letter to the Community, I introduce myself to the PreSales community as the new General Manager, giving insight into my backstory as a Solution Consultant and the journey to leading and managing teams. I unpack what I love most about my career and the PreSales Collective: People. The human story of growth, friendship, and potential is what drives me. At PreSales Collective, we believe the investment in three pillars leads to Personal and Professional Development. Thought Leadership Content.Meaningful Connections. If you are investing in professional and personal development, consuming high-quality/thought leadership content in your space, and making meaningful connections - You are operating at a higher potential than if you are not. Period. Tune-in and Connect! 143 Letter to the Community w/Chris Mabry

This six-part series is designed to help Solutions Consultants of all experience levels perfect their craft and be the best in their field. Through interviews and case studies with experienced professionals, we’ll unpack real-life stories and get actionable insights into what you can do right now to become a world-class SC. Tune in and discover strategies for: Continuous learning and improvement Taking ownership of the customer experience Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders And much more! This ‘Becoming a World Class Solutions Professional’ framework was developed by Yuji Higashi as part of the PreSales Foundations program. 142. Becoming a World-Class SC: Mentoring and Coaching Others (Part 6 of 6) w/Sidney Gomez Host: Mattie Stremic, Head of Academy, PreSales Academy

This six-part series is designed to help Solutions Consultants of all experience levels perfect their craft and be the best in their field. Through interviews and case studies with experienced professionals, we’ll unpack real-life stories and get actionable insights into what you can do right now to become a world-class SC. Tune in and discover strategies for: Continuous learning and improvement Taking ownership of the customer experience Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders And much more! This ‘Becoming a World Class Solutions Professional’ framework was developed by Yuji Higashi as part of the PreSales Foundations program. 141. Becoming a World-Class SC: Developing your External Network (Part 5 of 6) w/Ron Whitson Host: Mattie Stremic, Head of Academy, PreSales Academy

This six-part series is designed to help Solutions Consultants of all experience levels perfect their craft and be the best in their field. Through interviews and case studies with experienced professionals, we’ll unpack real-life stories and get actionable insights into what you can do right now to become a world-class SC. Tune in and discover strategies for: Continuous learning and improvement Taking ownership of the customer experience Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders And much more! This ‘Becoming a World Class Solutions Professional’ framework was developed by Yuji Higashi as part of the PreSales Foundations program. 140. Becoming a World-Class SC: Maintaining a Learning Mindset (Part 4 of 6) w/Adam Lazzara Host: Mattie Stremic, Head of Academy, PreSales Academy

This six-part series is designed to help Solutions Consultants of all experience levels perfect their craft and be the best in their field. Through interviews and case studies with experienced professionals, we’ll unpack real-life stories and get actionable insights into what you can do right now to become a world-class SC. Tune in and discover strategies for: Continuous learning and improvement Taking ownership of the customer experience Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders And much more! This ‘Becoming a World Class Solutions Professional’ framework was developed by Yuji Higashi as part of the PreSales Foundations program. Episode 139. Becoming a World-Class SC: Gaining Visibility & Broadening Your Impact (Part 3 of 6) w/Maria Lat Host: Mattie Stremic, Head of Academy, PreSales Academy

This six-part series is designed to help Solutions Consultants of all experience levels perfect their craft and be the best in their field. Through interviews and case studies with experienced professionals, we’ll unpack real-life stories and get actionable insights into what you can do right now to become a world-class SC. Tune in and discover strategies for: Continuous learning and improvement Taking ownership of the customer experience Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders And much more! This ‘Becoming a World Class Solutions Professional’ framework was developed by Yuji Higashi as part of the PreSales Foundations program. Episode 138: Building Meaningful Relationships (Part 2 of 6) w/ Brandi Anderson. Host: Mattie Stremic, Head of Academy, PreSales Academy

This six-part series is designed to help Solutions Consultants of all experience levels perfect their craft and be the best in their field. Through interviews and case studies with experienced professionals, we’ll unpack real-life stories and get actionable insights into what you can do right now to become a world-class SC. Tune in and discover strategies for: Continuous learning and improvement Taking ownership of the customer experience Developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders And much more! This ‘Becoming a World Class Solutions Professional’ framework was developed by Yuji Higashi as part of the PreSales Foundations program. Episode 137: Becoming a World-Class SC: Pursuing Excellence (Part 1 of 6) w/ Munir Hussein. Host: Mattie Stremic, Head of Academy, PreSales Academy

This week on the PreSales Podcast, James spends a few minutes recapping 2022 and discussing PreSales Collective's strategy for 2023! Don't worry, the PSC Podcast isn't going anywhere, but it is changing to bi-weekly and has some exciting format changes! The data tells us that people listen to every single episode every week so please use this chance to catch up on the episodes you've missed.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Dini Mehta connect on "CROs Perspective: Unlocking the Solutions Consultant." Dini, Former Chief Revenue Officer at Lattice and Part Time Operator at Operator Collective, discusses how and why she believes Solutions Consulting is a strategic component of the Go-To-Market organization. Dini shares her strategy to scale Solutions and use the role as a conduit to other parts of the organization.

In 2021, the PreSales Collective released a State of Diversity report for the entire PreSales community. This report, with research supported by the Sales Talent Agency, benchmarked diversity metrics in our industry so that we could more fully understand the gender and ethnic makeup of the profession. We committed to putting out a report every year so that we could use the data over time to track trends and most importantly, focus on engagement with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts field-wide. So, where is this year’s report? Join Cindy Goodwin-Sak, VP of Global Sales Engineering at Anomoli and Shawna James, Sr. Manager of Community at PreSales Collective, to discuss their plans to work on a much larger, more comprehensive survey with PhD researchers and PreSales executives who are focused on the qualified advancement of DE&I programs and initiatives across our industry. Want to be a part of a history making report? Fill out the State of Diversity survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G6WTZ65 All answers are completely anonymous and data is held privately. This report will help us play our part and we are grateful for your participation.

On the PreSales Podcast, Mattie and Emmanuel Fadajutimi connect on "Lessons From My First Year in PreSales" Emmanuel, Solutions Engineer at Hubspot, talks about the realities of what’s like to be an early-career SC, lessons he’s learned over the past year, and what it means to have a learner mindset regardless of where you are in your career.

On the PreSales Podcast, Mattie Stremic connects with Allison Macalik and Gizelle Panton to discuss why “Mentorship Matters." Allison Macalik, Lead Solutions Engineer and Team Lead at Salesforce, and Gizelle Panton, Solutions Engineer at LinkedIn, share about their mentorship relationship, how to successfully mentor, and the importance of mentorship in career development. Gizelle and Allison were paired when Gizelle enrolled in the PreSales Foundations enablement course and have stayed connected ever since. Learn more about how to approach mentorship and why it makes all the difference in your personal and professional growth.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Jeff Stewart connect on "PreSales Performance – Metrics That Matter." Jeff, Field CTO and Vice President, Global Solutions Engineering at SolarWinds, talks about what the PreSales Metrics are that truly highlight the impact of Solutions on the business. Jeff highlights how he looks at Team and Individual Performance as well as Sales Performance, Productivity and Efficiency, and Business Impact with Data. Additionally, James and Jeff have a philosophical conversation regarding the future of measuring Solutions Data.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Meghan Noel connect on "Running PreSales like a Business." Meghan, Global Vice President of PreSales at Amplitude, talks about the critical business drivers to ensure your Solutions team is elevated within your organization. Meghan shares why ensuring our profession is viewed as true revenue drivers is more important than ever. Referenced Presentation: https://goconsensus.com/demofest-video/scaling-your-presales-organization/

On the PreSales Podcast, Mattie Stremic and Akanksha Sehgal connect on "Building a Solutions Academy." Akanksha, Director of Global Solution Engineering at VMware, discusses the importance of entry-level or academy programs and provides tactical advice on how to build an academy program. Learn More about PreSales Academy: www.presalesacademy.com

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Jamel Reimer connect on "Closing Eight-Figure Deals." Jamal, Author of Mega Deal Secrets and Founder of the Enterprise Sellers Community, talks about his experience closing multiple $50,000,000+ deals. Jamal, a former Account Executive and Sales Leader turned Community Leader, has the unique expertise in closing deals that a tiny percentage of sellers have ever closed. Jamal shares best practices for navigating big organizations' complexities and how it takes entire teams to close the biggest deals.

On the PreSales Podcast, James Kaikis and Paul Harris connect on "The Intriguing Similarities between Professional Athletes and Solutions Professionals." Paul, Principal Solution Architect at Loftware & PreSales Collective Ambassador, talks about how PreSales onboarding and development should be treated like top athletes. Paul discusses that development is a two-way street between player and coach, with a focus on continuous development and seeking the extra margin.

On the PreSales Podcast, Mattie Stremic hosts Winny Delcin and Nina Berger on the topic of “Meet the PreSales Academy Team.” Winny, Training Program Manager, and Nina, Career Services Manager, are two of the newest members of the PreSales Collective team and are heavily involved in the day-to-day of PreSales Academy. In this episode, we learn more about Winny and Nina, their backgrounds, why they love PSA, and how to get more involved in helping the next generation of Solutions professionals.