Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

Afleveringen

1. Demotainment with Mike McDowell

   27 oktober 2026 · 31 min

   Afspelen
   Mike McDowell, author of "Demotainment," joins hosts Avery Cochran and Matthew James to discuss how presales professionals should approach demos and presentations like Broadway performers, bringing energy and showmanship while maintaining authenticity and personalization. The conversation explores the balance between rehearsed performance and authentic engagement, emphasizing that delivery and storytelling are just as important as technical content. Lees meer

   Follow Us

   Connect with Avery Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-cochran/

   Connect with Mike McDowell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmcdowell1/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

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

   Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast

   Demotainment (book by Mike McDowell): https://a.co/d/00DK30rj

   Key Topics Covered

   Broadway Performer Mindset: Bringing consistent energy and leaving personal baggage at the door while maintaining authenticity

   Improvisation Within Structure: Balancing 80% prepared content with 20% customer-driven conversation

   Account Team Choreography: The importance of rehearsed handoffs and transitions between SEs and AEs

   Strategic Partnership: Presales professionals as strategists involved throughout the customer journey

   Storytelling Delivery: How stories are told matters as much as the content itself

   Personal Connection and Credibility: Building rapport through industry experience before product features

   Engaging Remote Audiences: Techniques for handling Zoom calls with cameras off

   Value Demonstration Through Stories: Using concrete examples like the $7 million hyperlink story to illustrate ROI

   Energy and Authenticity: Genuine enthusiasm influences buying decisions beyond rational factors

2. Moving from a Top IC to a New Presales Leader with Akanksha Sehgal

   12 oktober 2026 · 27 min

   Afspelen
   Making the leap from top-performing individual contributor to effective leader is one of the toughest transitions to make as a Solutions professional. Host Avery Cochran sits down with Akanksha Sehgal, Senior Director of Worldwide Technical Solutions at Omnisa, to explore why the skills that make you a great SE often don't translate to leadership. Akanksha shares her 13-year journey, from handling strategic accounts to leading global teams, and reveals the mindset shifts required at each stage of leadership growth. Lees meer

   Follow Us

   Connect with Avery Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-cochran/

   Connect with Akanksha Sehgal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akanksha-sehgal/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

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

   Key Topics Covered

   The Challenge of Moving from Expert SE to Leader

   Demonstrating Leadership Before Getting the Title

   Building Influence and Trust with Former Peers

   How Success Metrics Change from IC to Manager

   The "Smartest Person Trap" and Letting Your Team Shine

   Creating Strategic Thinking Time vs. Staying Tactical

   Progressing to Senior Leadership and Managing a Function

   Breaking Down Silos Through Cross-Functional Collaboration

   Making Hard Decisions and Balancing Business with People

   Being Your Authentic Self as a Leader

3. Getting through the Internal Politics with Samantha Burrell

   28 september 2026 · 31 min

   Afspelen
   In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James welcome Samantha Burrell, an enterprise solutions consultant at BenchLink, to discuss how she successfully launched "Demo Face-Off," a gamified enablement competition for her global SC organization. Samantha shares the complete journey from identifying a gap in product enablement when returning from maternity leave to navigating internal politics, securing buy-in from multiple stakeholders, and executing a March Madness-style demo competition that ran over two months. Lees meer

   Thank you to Baton AI for sponsoring this episode. Check out more at getbaton.ai

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

   Connect with Samantha Burrell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-r-burrell/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

   Baton AI: https://www.getbaton.ai/

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

   PSC Unscripted episode with Samantha: https://youtu.be/2nZjv-vWdF0

   Key Topics Covered

   Demo Face-Off Competition Structure: A March Madness-Style Global Competition

   Identifying Gaps from Personal Pain Points After Maternity Leave

   Navigating Internal Politics and Getting Multi-Stakeholder Buy-In

   Connecting Enablement Initiatives to ARR Impact

   Using AI Tools for First-Time Project Planning and Execution

   Driving Participation Through Competition, Prizes, and Recognition

   Making Enablement Entertaining with Production Value and Energy

   Cultural Considerations for Global Teams and Iteration Based on Feedback

   Individual Contributor Influence Without Formal Authority

   Cross-Functional Benefits and Expanding Impact Beyond the SC Team

4. Live at Sol/Con 2026! Four Skills Driving Sales Outcomes with Rew Dickinson

   14 september 2026 · 38 min

   Afspelen
   In this live podcast episode recorded at Sol/Con 2026, Rew Dickinson, CEO and founder of Alpha Go-To-Market, joins co-hosts Jack Cochran and Matthew James to present a framework of four core skills that drive sales outcomes for solutions engineers. Lees meer

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

   Connect with Rew Dickinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rewdickinson/

   Key Topics Covered

   The SE Talk-Time Problem: How Gong call analysis reveals SEs dominating conversations with product talk instead of listening

   The Starbucks Story: Rew's revelation that SEs are often the most influential person in the sales cycle

   Knowledge Layer: Why SEs must understand how prospect companies make money before demos

   Storytelling for Pre-Sales: Shifting from product-centric to prospect-focused narratives

   The iPhone Value Exercise: Live demonstration showing value exists in the gap between current and desired state

   Discovery Beyond Requirements: Creating vision with questions like "If I shadowed your team for a week, what would I see slowing them down?"

   Leadership and Taking a Stance: Why SEs need to be prescriptive ("you should") instead of offering endless options ("you could")

   The Tenure Gap: SEs average 7 years versus sales reps at 2 years—and why SEs should leverage this expertise advantage

5. Being the Founding SC with Alex Margolis

   31 augustus 2026 · 29 min

   Afspelen
   Alex Margolis joins the show with cohosts Jack Cochran and Mathew James to share his experience as a founding sales engineer, pulling back the curtain on what it's really like to be the first SE at a startup. Alex discusses his deliberate decision to target founding SE roles as a way to fast-forward his career after six years at a company with limited growth opportunities, expecting to build processes and lead strategically from day one. Instead, he found himself supporting eight AEs and an equal number of BDRs, running five demos a day in a high-velocity sales environment that left little time for the strategic work he'd been promised. Lees meer

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

   Connect with Alex Margolis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexnmargolis/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

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

   Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast

   Key Topics Covered

   Motivations for seeking founding SE roles and fast-forwarding your career

   The sales assistant trap: expectations vs. reality of strategic involvement

   Supporting eight AEs plus BDRs as the only SE in a high-velocity environment

   Setting boundaries and tracking workload to prioritize effectively

   Cross-functional relationship building as the company "facsimile"

   Interview questions to ask when evaluating founding SE opportunities

   Who the right fit is for high-volume founding SE roles

   Finding company culture fit and working with good people

6. Building Repeatable Methodologies with Paul Vogt

   17 augustus 2026 · 31 min

   Afspelen
   In this episode, Jack Cochran sits down with Paul Vogt, VP of Pre-Sales and Professional Services at GPG, to explore how building repeatable methodologies can transform solutions organizations at scale. The conversation dives deep into two powerful frameworks: the Technical Win Definition (5 binary yes/no questions that eliminate ambiguity and improve forecast accuracy) and the PGA Framework (Purpose, Goal, Agenda for planning every customer meeting). Lees meer

   Thank you to Saleo for sponsoring this episode: https://saleo.io

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Paul Vogt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvogt00/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

   Join Presales Collective Slack: https://presalescollective.com/slack

   Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://presalescollective.com/solcon-2026

   Presales Collective Podcast: https://presalescollective.com/podcast

   Paul's Blog: https://www.art-of-sales-engineering.com/

   Key Topics Covered

   Paul's Career Journey: From Defense Contractor to Scaling Pre-Sales Teams at Twilio

   The Alaska Cellular Network Project: Building the First Network in Remote Communities

   Customer Lifecycle Gaps: Why 70% of Churn Happens During Onboarding

   Technical Win Definition: Creating 5 Binary Questions to Eliminate Ambiguity

   How Technical Win Criteria Improve Forecast Accuracy Better Than Sales Tracking

   The PGA Framework: Purpose, Goal, Agenda for Every Customer Meeting

   Warning Signs Your Organization Needs Repeatable Methodologies

   Using Metrics to Identify Where Deals Slow Down (POC-to-Win Rates as Diagnostic)

   The Lost Art of Prep Calls and Meeting Alignment

   Practice and Preparation: Why Pre-Sales Professionals Should Train Like Athletes

   Small Impactful Changes: The Ted Lasso Approach to Leadership

7. Adapting to the Changing World of Presales with Steve Bullington

   3 augustus 2026 · 32 min

   Afspelen
   In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Steve Bullington, Global Public Sector Sales Onboarding and Strategic Programs Lead at Salesforce, to explore the seismic shifts reshaping presales. Steve draws powerful parallels between today's transformation and the move from perpetual licenses to SaaS, arguing that we're experiencing an equally fundamental change as the industry shifts to consumption-based pricing models. Lees meer

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

   Connect with Steve Bullington: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebullington/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

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

   Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026

   Key Topics Covered

   The Evolution of Presales: From Technical Expert to Business Value Architect

   Consumption-Based Pricing Models and the Death of Shelfware

   The Critical Importance of Accurate Consumption Forecasting

   Forward-Deployed Engineers: The 10x Growth of a New Role

   AI's Impact on Demo Capabilities and Presales Productivity

   The Current Maturity Level of AI (Comparable to SaaS in 2000)

   Which Sales Roles Face AI Replacement and Future Career Pathways

   The Need to Accelerate Professional Development Beyond 1% Daily

8. Debunking the Traditional Path to Presales with Adam Bauman

   20 juli 2026 · 29 min

   Afspelen
   In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James sit down with Adam Bauman, Staff Solutions Engineer at Kong, to challenge the myth of the "traditional" path into presales. Adam shares his journey from nearly 20 years in software engineering and management into solutions engineering, exploring why technical backgrounds can be powerful entry points into presales. Lees meer

   The conversation also tackles practical advice for both sides of the hiring equation: how candidates without presales experience can demonstrate their value in interviews, and how hiring managers can look beyond traditional backgrounds to find great talent.

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

   Connect with Adam Bauman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjbauman/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

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

   Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026

   Presales Collective Unscripted: https://luma.com/pscunscripted

   Key Topics Covered

   What Defines a "Traditional" Path to Presales and Why Most Paths Are Non-Traditional

   Adam's 20-Year Engineering Career and What Drew Him to Presales

   The Learning Curve: Demos, Confidence, and Learning Not to Know Everything

   Scoping Engagements and Understanding Buying Journeys Beyond Technical Validation

   Staying Involved Through Security, Procurement, and Legal Reviews

   Understanding Business Value and ROI from an Engineering Mindset

   Using AI Tools Like Claude for Personal and Professional Efficiency

   How to Interview for Presales Without Traditional Experience

   Changes Needed in Recruiting: Using Rubrics and Formalized Evaluation

   Timestamps

   00:00 Start

   03:36 Welcome Adam Bauman

   06:58 Building confidence without all the answers

   10:25 Drawing from an engineering background

   13:55 Timeline for feeling confident in the role

   22:07 Communicating value without…

9. Becoming Sales Leadership's Trusted Advisor with Lisa Jameson

   6 juli 2026 · 27 min

   Afspelen
   In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James sit down with Lisa Jameson, a seasoned solutions professional, to explore how she built strategic influence and became a trusted advisor to sales leadership without moving into management. Lees meer

   Lisa provides a practical framework for assessing your current level of trust with sales leadership, finding creative solutions beyond product limitations, and ultimately structuring a custom role that maximizes your impact while staying on the individual contributor track.

   Follow Us

   Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

   Connect with Mathew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

   Connect with Lisa Jameson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisajamesondb/

   Links and Resources Mentioned

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

   Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026

   Key Topics Covered

   Building Initial Trust Through Proactive Learning and Debrief Calls

   The Deal Review as Critical Trust Builder for Won and Lost Deals

   Strategic Use of Closed Lost Deals to Increase Credibility

   The "If We're Working It, We're Working It" Philosophy

   Recognizing When Sales Teams Trust Your Strategic Input

   Developing Deep Expertise in a Niche Area

   Creating Custom IC Roles Through Proven Value

   Moving Beyond Product Limitations with Partners and Creative Solutions

   The Long Game of Career Development and Building Credibility

   Structuring Compensation and Proving ROI for Strategic Roles

10. The Value of a Presales Academy with Rob Fallon

    22 juni 2026 · 31 min

    Afspelen
    Rob Fallon, Director, Americas SE Strategy & Associate Program at Nutanix, has built presales academy programs at both Dell EMC and Nutanix, joins the show to discuss the strategic importance of creating structured training programs for presales professionals. Rob shares his experience transforming Dell's 12-week boot camp into a comprehensive academy and building Nutanix's current 18-month-old program from the ground up. The conversation tackles the "inverted pyramid" problem that plagues many SE organizations—being too heavy with expensive senior talent and lacking junior pipeline—and why most companies struggle to fix it. Lees meer

    The discussion covers the business case for academies, how to secure executive sponsorship and funding, the structure of successful two-year programs, and why hiring for technical curiosity and grit matters more than existing technical knowledge.

    Follow Us

    Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

    Connect with Rob Fallon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robfallon/

    Links and Resources Mentioned

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

    Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026

    Contact Rob: rob.fallon@nutanix.com

    Key Topics Covered

    The Inverted Pyramid Problem: Why SE Organizations Over-Hire Senior Talent

    Executive Sponsorship and Funding: Getting Buy-In for Long-Term Investment

    The Two-Year Academy Program Structure at Nutanix

    Hiring for Technical Curiosity, Communication, and Grit Over Knowledge

    Why Field Integration and Manager Engagement Are Critical to Success

    How Academy Associates Become Productive Within 12 Months

    Academy Programs as Diversity and Fresh Thinking Enablers

    Success Metrics: When Field Leaders Want Academy Grads on Their Teams

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