Two PreSales in a Pod

Ever had to check yourself before giving feedback? Is your way actually the right way, or just the way you'd do it. Leaders have to foster creativity and growth in others but sometimes things just have to be done the way you say. Getting the balance right is hard so we've brought in an expert. Ben Pearce has seen it all, and now spends his time helping other people communicate in the best way - from talkative techies to silent specialists, he's seen what works and what doesn't. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpthoughts) What's more, we're very happy welcome new Co-Host Mark McKinlay (https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmckinlay) as we also thank Don Carmichael for his time as he steps back from hosting. Don't fret, he's still on LinkedIn! (https://www.linkedin.com/in/doncarmichael) Come join us for a chat, drop us a line!

Goals and reviews can be crucial for the best running teams, but how many managers get them wrong and what are the best tips for getting them right? Don, Mark and Adam discuss top tips and pitfalls of working with your team to create the right outcomes, rather than just 'tick the box' of doing reviews. Find out more about SMART goals, OKRs and our key actions for you to try at the end! Come find us on LinkedIn, and if you'd like to guest on the podcast we'd love to have you!

Today we tackle an important and difficult conversation. We were excited to welcome Lidia Vasileva on the show who if you don't know yet where HAVE you been! Lidia shares her journey of growth into Presales from a more technical role, and how having a particularly creative mindset can be a boost to presales in the way problems are approached and solutions are presented. She's a champion of clarity and now even helps others tune their messaging to be more clear in business. Both her roles have been in industries which are traditionally very male-dominated. The industry needs to be better at having the conversation about women in presales and not be scared of saying the wrong thing when trying to get it right. So Adam and Mark get a dive into the conversation supported by Lidia - it's uncomfortable but it has to be, and there's no excuse for not trying to create a better world for everyone, whomever you are in our presales industry. Continue the conversation on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/69409342 and connect with Lidia too! https://www.linkedin.com/in/lidia-vasileva/

Bo Borland joins us to discuss presales playbooks, and given his experience orchestrating so many vibrant and effective parts of our world, Mark and Adam are keen to explore just how much the game has changed when it comes to organising strategic plays for your teams. As a long-time leader now turned co-founder (Playbuilt), Bo's coined the phrase 'Teaming is the new selling' and how it adds to already strong selling motions to help all the players deploy different 'plays' for different situations. Plus, listen in to find out about a series of webinars focusing on how to team, how to play and of course, how to win. Taking the initiative to try and make a difference to the world in which we live, and presales people are served better because people like Bo have a spark of passion and follow it to support us all. Come find us on LinkedIn, Bo's page is right here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boborland

There's lots of doom and gloom in tech, but we're feeling completely the opposite as there's so much to look forward to in our profession right now. Don, Adam and Mark chat about why we're so excited to be in Presales, some of the key moments we can see happening across the industry and how to grab these great opportunities with both hands! As presales / sales engineering leaders we're incredibly excited to be in a position to be able to affect such hugely beneficial change for our customers, and for the great people in our world. So dive in and hear one of the most fun episodes we've recorded in a while! Plus - Connect with us on LinkedIn! #presales #salesengineering #excited

In a world where more of our buyer's spending is scrutinised more closely than ever, qualification matters. Don, Adam and Mark go back to basics about qualification and discuss why BANT, MEDDIC and others are crucial to today's presales teams but also why pushing back on sales, and constantly questioning the buyer motivation matters more these days than ever before. Find out what it means for us in presales, and out top tips for applying these techniques at your company. We love giving back to the community, so don't forget to come join us on LinkedIn, ask anything you wish, discuss, agree or disagree!

In this latest episode Toby Baker joins Don Carmichael and Mark Green to take us through why consistency is important in B2C, and even more important in B2C. Certainly making the customer journey memorable is an important part of making that experience great, and that presales people shouldn't ever exist in a bubble - they're part of what should be a joined up message, collaborative journey and shared goals. Don't forget to come check us out on LinkedIn, and send us a message directly if there's anything you'd like to chat about!