Podcasts about Presales

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2026 43:27

In dieser Episode gehen wir der Frage auf den Grund, wie sich PreSales und PostSales in der modernen SaaS-Welt sinnvoll verzahnen lassen. Wir diskutieren, welche Rolle Solution Engineers im Spannungsfeld von klassischen Seat-Based- und modernen Usage-Based-Pricing-Modellen einnehmen sollten. Dabei teilen wir echte Zahlen, spannende Markttrends und unsere eigenen Erfahrungen, um endlich Klarheit in die Debatte zu bringen. Warum ist die Bowtie-Metrik so entscheidend, und wie können Experimente im PreSales echte Wachstumstreiber werden? Wir liefern handfeste Impulse für alle, die Sales Engineering im B2B-Softwarevertrieb auf das nächste Level heben wollen. ----------

The Mandalorian and Grogu, Obsession, and Backrooms pre-sales

star wars mandalorian obsession grogu breadwinners memorial weekend presales

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2026 18:50

Star Wars returned to the big screen after six years with The Mandalorian and Grogu and our hosts took a look at the movie's reception and the opportunities that exist to extend both audiences and revenue streams. Looking ahead, Backrooms and The Breadwinner pre-sales and pre-sales audiences wrap up an episode filled with insights. Topics and times:Memorial Weekend - 0.14Box office overview - 1.13The Mandalorian and Grogu international box office insights - 2.58The Mandalorian and Grogu audience analysis - 3.12Reception, production, and opportunities - 6.24Pre-sales and pre-sales comparisons for Backrooms - 9.00Backrooms history and production - 9.42Backrooms pre-sales audience - 10.52Next week - 15.02The Breadwinner pre-sales audience - 15.34

State of SaaS Innovation (Spoiler: Es ist kompliziert) (260)

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2026 55:51

In dieser Folge nehmen wir dich mit auf eine schonungslose Bestandsaufnahme: Was macht die rasante Innovationsgeschwindigkeit rund um KI, Claude Code & Co. eigentlich mit unseren Ansprüchen – und mit der Realität im B2B Softwarevertrieb? Wir sprechen offen über den Druck, ständig am Puls der Zeit zu bleiben, die wachsende Erwartungshaltung an Softwareanbieter und warum viele Unternehmen den Anschluss zu verlieren drohen. Gemeinsam diskutieren wir, wie sich der PreSales-Alltag verändert, welche Rolle echte Kommunikation und Mindset spielen – und warum nicht jede AI-Funktion wirklich einen Unterschied macht. Wir teilen persönliche Erfahrungen, Insights aus der Praxis und werfen einen Blick darauf, was Leadership heute wirklich bedeutet. Hör rein für Inspiration, Reflexion und einen Blick auf die Zukunft von PreSales im Zeitalter der KI. ----------

How The Mandalorian and Grogu is shaping up in pre-sales

australia star wars mandalorian shaping grogu tuner presales

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2026 17:09

Star Wars is coming back to the big screen after six years with The Mandalorian and Grogu. Our equally loveable duo of hosts take us through how pre-sales and audiences are shaping up for the new blockbuster as we head into the official summer season.Topics and times:ICA: Independent Cinema Association of Australia - 0:34Box office top titles overview - 1:52New releases from the past week - 3:25Obsession box office and reception - 4:52Obsession audience analysis - 6:23Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu pre-sales tracking - 7:58Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu pre-sales comparisons - 10:24I Love Boosters, and Tuner - 15:21Next week - 16:09Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on Instagram

Von 3 auf 30 SEs in 2 Jahren, mit Global Head of PreSales Tobias Stölkler (259)

EV News Daily - Electric Car Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2026 69:57

In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Tobias Stölkler über seinen einzigartigen Weg vom Aufbau eines PreSales Teams im Hyperscaling-Modus bis hin zur neuen Rolle als Vertriebsleiter. Wir tauchen tief ein in die Herausforderungen, Stolpersteine und echten Learnings, die entstehen, wenn man in nur zwei Jahren von drei auf dreißig SEs wächst – und warum nicht klassische PreSales-Profile, sondern ehemalige Controller und Accountants den Unterschied machen können. Tobias gibt Einblicke, wie Enablement, Technologie und ein eigenes Scoring-Framework messbar machen, was das Team wirklich beim Kunden bewegt. Außerdem sprechen wir offen darüber, wie sich der Perspektivwechsel vom PreSales zur Sales-Leitung anfühlt – und warum echte Kollaboration zwischen AE und SE viel weiter gehen muss als bisher. Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen, viel Praxis, wenig Theorie – und garantiert keine Werbeveranstaltung. Tobias bei LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-stölkler-8191539b/ ----------

Dell pre-sales leader on agentic AI, the AI Factory, and 13-to-1 server consolidation

ChannelBuzz.ca

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2026 26:38

Alan Ashby, senior director of Americas data center presales and specialty sales at Dell. Today’s episode of In The Channel comes to you from the floor of Dell Technologies World 2026, where the expansion of the Dell AI Factory has been dominating the headlines. But what does that mean for partners who aren’t selling multi-million dollar deployments to the Fortune 500? To find out, we sat down with Alan Ashby, senior director of Americas data center presales and specialty sales at Dell. Ashby breaks down the practical realities of the AI infrastructure boom, explaining how partners can start small by deploying “AI supercomputers” like the Dell Pro Max GB10 directly to SMB desktops to unlock local, highly secure agentic AI workflows. We also dive into the economics of on-prem AI versus the public cloud, how partners can help customers escape “prototype purgatory” by narrowing their focus, and the massive opportunity remaining in traditional data center modernization—including the staggering claim that Dell’s new 18G platforms can consolidate 13 legacy servers into one. We also touch on how Dell is leveraging its Customer Solution Centers to help partners de-risk these complex deployments before the customer signs the PO. Read Full Transcript Robert Dutt: Hello and welcome to In the Channel from ChannelBuzz.ca, bringing news and information to the Canadian IT channel community for the last 16 years. I’m Robert Dutt, editor of ChannelBuzz.ca and your host for the show. We’re coming to you today from the floor of Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas where the expansion of the Dell AI Factory and new agentic AI capabilities have completely dominated the Day 1 headlines. But as we know, the keynote hype doesn’t always translate immediately to the loading dock. To understand how partners are supposed to actually size, architect, and sell these new AI infrastructure solutions, I sat down with Alan Ashby. He’s the senior director of Americas Data Center pre-sales and specialty sales at Dell. We dig into the economics of on-prem AI versus the public cloud, how partners can get mid-market customers started with an AI supercomputer right at their desk, and why the traditional data center refresh is still a massive and highly lucrative play for the channel. Let’s get right into it. My chat with Alan Ashby. Alan, thanks for taking the time. Appreciate it. Alan Ashby: Absolutely. Thanks for having us. Robert Dutt: Americas Data Center pre-sales and specialty sales. That’s a broad title. A lot of ground to cover there. To set the stage for MSPs, solution providers, folks listening to this, what can you tell me about what your team actually does kind of day-to-day when it comes to working with partners around infrastructure and AI solutions? Alan Ashby: Yeah, absolutely. So we’ve got a handful of folks that, you know, we’re aligned and dedicated to the partner ecosystem focused across the Americas. We have a couple of primary roles. So from a pre-sales perspective, helping support our partners from a technical enablement, understanding our product portfolio, understanding how to position the products correctly, both amongst the portfolio itself, but also kind of competitively in the marketplace. We also run what we call a technical account plan with our partners. So, you know, supporting them on their certifications, their enablement motions, etc. And then we also run what we have a program we call Heroes for our partners. So Heroes is our foundational enablement motion for partners. We run in the Americas somewhere between 15 and 30 regional face-to-face sessions every single quarter. Those we’d love to see partners participate in, try to do them all over the country. And those are deep dive sessions, you know, going through products and roadmaps and futures and how to position products, etc. And, you know, those have been an enablement motion for the last several years and been incredibly successful. Robert Dutt: All right. We’re hearing a lot this week, obviously, about the expansion of Dell AI Factory and the idea of bringing AI on-premise to the edge, closer to the enterprise itself. And from an infrastructure perspective, you’ve got PowerRack, the pitch there being you go to live customer workloads from kind of the box to deployed in six hours and change. For a partner who’s trying to sell into the mid-market or the enterprise, you know, how does that kind of speed of value fundamentally change the conversation that they’re having with their customer, whether that’s the CEO, CIO, or the business leader? Alan Ashby: Yeah, I don’t think there’s been a more exciting time for our partners with what the market’s putting out there for us. You know, when we look at, you know, you mentioned the mid-market space, I actually think there’s a massive opportunity for partners to go support those customers, especially with some of the agentic workflow processes that we announced today with some of the platforms. You know, it may not be those 100 million, 200 million dollar opportunities, but almost every single small business and medium business, you know, you start with maybe a product like the Dell Pro Max GB10, and you start there and you start building out that agentic workflows, you know, building out automated dashboards with AI assistance built into it. You know, a lot of great things that a partner could go deliver that everybody can see value in. Sometimes in that mid-market space and small business space, it’s easier to get started on some of these agentic flows because they don’t have data that’s kind of messy. They don’t have legacy debt from a data center infrastructure perspective. And then from a larger enterprise or commercial customer, you know, we have seen a number of very good successes across our partner ecosystem with delivering services and value to our customer sets collectively, you know, to help customers really try to find value through their AI journeys. Understanding and identifying key use cases or workloads that they think they can get value out of it, understanding the infrastructure, the architecture that’s designing it right. You know, early days, you know, we had a lot of times where, you know, customers and partners struggle with just, you know, how do we deploy this thing because power and cooling needs are maybe bigger than what I was expecting and, you know, managing through that challenge. So partners have a phenomenal opportunity, I think, to help provide that value to our customers collectively together. You know, every one of our partners, they bring a unique skill set and differentiators on their own to the marketplace and help support those customers to that kind of their own journeys together. Robert Dutt: What is that infrastructure pitch down to that, especially that mid-market or even SMB customer? In the past, there was interest in doing it, I think often they would end up, if they were going to do it, doing it on public cloud, because the alternative was a big old infrastructure solution that doesn’t really fit them, unless maybe a partner can bring it on and kind of do a multi-tenant kind of situation there. But where are we at in terms of having right-fit infrastructure to make that work? Alan Ashby: Yeah, I think, you know, even the stuff that we announced today on stage, you know, products we announced at GTC, I think really helped kind of build out that situation and story for a small customer to be able to scale. You think about going back to the Dell Pro Max GB10, you know, you can take that device and you can, you know, run a small business basically off that depending on the concurrent users and be able to move up from that to some of our Pro workstations all the way up to the GB300. You know, we can run a model as big as a trillion parameters, it’s kind of crazy what you can do on a desktop, you know, and that doesn’t require any unique power requirements, I can plug that into a normal outlet. And then I could scale into, you know, actual infrastructure depending on the size of what the need is. And that’s where I think there’s a lot of opportunity for partners to think through, you know, how do they help customers scale through that. And so we talked a lot today at the show around, you know, the economics of everything. And in the long term, it’s going to be very challenging economically to run things in a public cloud. Yeah, on-prem is going to be a massive opportunity. And the fact that Michael today even talked about things about running foundation models and open source models on-prem, you know, your data is fully secure, you manage it all yourself. You know, it’s a lot easier to think about how I actually, you know, pull and extract value out of those different solutions. Robert Dutt: Well, and that’s the pitch right for the desk-side agentic AI solution is the idea, I think that the number was 87% reduction in token cost and in terms of comparing the cost of acquiring, deploying, running the solution on-prem. I think the break-even was three months or something like that against running the same kind of solution in public cloud. Alan Ashby: Yeah, I think that’s where customers are challenged today is, you know, you can have a lot of different, you know, foundational models and, you know, some of the agentic tools that are out there today that are subscription-based, cloud-based. And you can run through usage real fast without getting a lot of value out of it. When you start thinking about deploying stuff on-prem, you know, you know exactly what your output per day could be, and you can scale accordingly. Robert Dutt: How does that change how a partner approaches both selling and thinking about running, maintaining that infrastructure as opposed to something that’s all outsourced to the cloud and has those significant question marks of cost attached? Alan Ashby: I think there’s a lot of stuff we’re still figuring out, to be honest. You know, I think a lot of partners are trying to understand that and every customer is going to be a little bit in a different spot in their journey. And I think, you know, that’s where some of our partner ecosystems have tremendous value to help meet them where they are and help them take that first or second step forward to try to be able to deliver overall value to the company. Robert Dutt: Do you see that kind of time to value, that reduction in overall costs being something that can get unstuck some of those classic cases of AI workloads that are getting put into prototype, into test phase, but never quite see the light of day, partially perhaps because of that economic headwind that you discover when you start trying to scale these things? Alan Ashby: I think there’s that. I also think sometimes some customers probably try to maybe bite off more than they can chew at one time. And I think when we start thinking about these AI use cases, sometimes we’ll talk with some customers and partners helping them through them. They have, you know, two, three dozen things they want to try to accomplish out of one solution or one opportunity. It’s how do we narrow that down a little bit to where we actually extract value out of that particular use case that you’re trying to drive value with. And we’ve seen some really great success with some of our partners being able to help, you know, negotiate and navigate partner customers through that journey. You know, I think it takes a skill set that’s unique, and we’re starting to see more and more of our partners, you know, invest in and put attention to building out dedicated AI practice teams, helping them understand the skill set. The market’s moving incredibly fast, unlike ever before. And so, you know, it takes somebody who has a real passionate interest and a lot of curiosity to understand how these things all work together and all the pieces fit together and how do you take advantage of everything as you go forward. Robert Dutt: How do you see the co-delivery model evolving over time as you say, things are moving fast. When it comes to deploying AI factories, I think we heard earlier that, you know, the model is sort of Dell handling deployment and management of the overall environment while partners are being asked to focus on the application, the vertical, those kinds of things. How do you see the role of the channel, I guess, especially professional services and advisory-type partners evolving? Alan Ashby: Yeah, I think that to your point, I think it’s evolving. And I think that, you know, there’s a lot of opportunities here from an educational services perspective, consulting services perspective, services for our partners, you know, very few customers, especially when you think about, you know, a traditional commercial customer, mid-market customer, know exactly what to do and what to do next. You know, they might have started a pilot out in the public cloud. And then they’re trying to figure out where to go from here. And like, there’s a lot of service opportunity for our partners there. When it comes from, you know, other deployment services, I think there’s opportunities there for our partners, you know, depending on the solutions. When you look at post-delivery of the product into the customer, I think that there’s even more opportunity for partners of how, once things are deployed and installed, what’s next? And how do you help customers really extract value out of the infrastructure they spent a lot of money on, and have pretty high expectations of the ROI and the benefits they get out of it? I think there’s a massive opportunity for partners to help those customers through that journey. I think there’s a big opportunity for partners to take a product like our GB10, GP300 products and say, how do I go show you how to build an agentic workflow on those systems that can deliver value for your customers? You know, those are all going to be partner-delivered opportunities. Robert Dutt: All right. It sounds like even though it’s relatively early in the process, we are at the point where some of those next steps are becoming clear then. Alan Ashby: Yeah, I would say so. I mean, the question is, how fast do things change? You know, and it’s one of those things like I look at the agentic opportunities, probably one of the biggest things that can bring value for our partners. We’re really looking for a partner ecosystem that has the skill sets to deliver those for customers. Robert Dutt: Speaking of things changing, moving from traditional virtualization workloads to AI is a pretty big shift in how you think about structure, infrastructure, especially around storage, IO, networking, GPUs, needless to say. How’s the pre-sales team helping partners to figure out what the right size is for these solutions, both for current state and future state, so that you’re not either over-provisioning or under-provisioning customers? Alan Ashby: That’s a great question, actually. I mean, we’ve done a lot of things internally at Dell to get better ourselves and have the right talent and resources to support the partner ecosystem. You know, we have teams that can help support partners, both from a sizing, scoping of the opportunity, all the way down to configuring and deploying that solution if the partner needs that help. We’re also trying to help up-level our partners to be able to do it on their own. It’s kind of self-service and building the tools to help them through that motion. A couple of years ago, we started launching AI workshops, the different skill sets to help up-level and help that motion for a lot of our partners. The partners that have participated in those have seen a lot more success than those that didn’t. We do those multiple times a quarter and encourage partners to participate through those motions. We have an AI workshop multiple times a quarter in North America, and we go through every step of the phase from how do you have a conversation with a customer all the way through, how do you narrow down use cases, to all the way to how do you actually develop, design, and build the systems for what you need. Robert Dutt: Along those same lines, but a little bit more customer-facing and kind of looking at the economics of it, AI projects carry a lot of financial and technical risk for CIOs. What resources are there, whether it’s proof of concept, technical validation, or specialty engineering teams that partners can tap in to kind of prove the math and de-risk a solution such as AI Factory for customers? Alan Ashby: Yeah, there’s a couple of them actually, and I encourage all partners to kind of look at the options. We have at Dell, we have what we call our Customer Solution Centers, and those Customer Solution Centers have the ability to be able to work with a pre-sales specialist, a pre-sales expert on various different solutions. We have data centers where partners can take advantage of and leverage to be able to do proof of concept for customers, proof of value with those folks, and that can vary from any size of the architecture, from small all the way up to very large, and help support them through that. Also encourage partners to reach out to their Dell teams and how do you take advantage of those CSC resources. It’s a very simple process, but work through Dell teams. Same thing would be to go spend time with us in our labs. We have a great lab up in the Hopkinton area where AI factories are manufactured and built, and love to take partners through that facility to be able to see what’s possible there. We have an AI lab down in Austin to help them through that as well. So there’s a lot of opportunities. I would say the other one is we have a lot of partners also building out their own capabilities, their own labs, and we’ve helped support them through that as well. I think that they’re providing some amazing value to their customers, being able to do their own POCs and demonstrations and whatever it might be to help support that customer throughout the process. Robert Dutt: AI obviously gets the big headlines because it’s the 2020s as it is. But customers still have traditional enterprise apps and aging infrastructure that is going to need a refresh. I guess, how does your team handle guiding partners around going after the new shiny thing, the big opportunity that’s out there versus the kind of day-to-day operational challenge of standard data center modernization and refresh? Alan Ashby: Yeah, it’s hard when they have two of these really big shiny objects out there that have a lot of potential value for customers, both with AI but also just traditional data center modernization. We’ve seen a really great success over the last year of helping customers, I would say, clean up the data center, think through what they’ve got today in there and how to modernize it and right-size everything. When you look at some of the things that we’ll announce here at the show, it’s pretty exciting, honestly. There’s some great announcements we had in the Day 1 keynote, Day 2 keynote will be just as exciting, more from an infrastructure perspective of things. I’m really excited what we’re doing just with traditional servers and we’ve seen a lot of great success by our partner ecosystem over the last several quarters with them going in and helping customers look at consolidation of those environments. Our 18G server platforms, which we’ll announce, can consolidate 13 legacy servers into one. That’s kind of crazy math when you think about that. It’s easy now to think about how do I help customers free up space and modernize things that makes it so AI is possible in their own data centers; consolidating racks in the servers is kind of a crazy concept. Then you think of how we’re looking at modernizing just traditional architecture with HCI architecture and the disaggregated architecture providing real value for customers with right-sizing, both compute capacity and storage capacity to be able to extract as much value as possible across the ecosystem of the portfolio. Robert Dutt: Along those lines, any other, I guess hidden opportunities for partners, things that maybe don’t get the big attention of the desk-side AI or PowerRack or some of those things, but still represent—sort of along the lines of the data center example you just gave—opportunities that are worth pursuing, that are worth looking at, but maybe not quite the highest profile? Alan Ashby: I mean, 100%. It’s easy to get excited with what we’re doing in AI. The market’s obviously kind of dictating a lot of that, but there’s a lot of opportunity, a lot of money to be made for our partners to be able to focus on classical data center architecture. We’ve got some great solutions. Our Dell Private Cloud is one that’s extremely exciting for partners, the opportunity to be able to help those customers through that process and think through that. I also am extremely excited with what we’re doing around the security front with our data protection portfolio, our PowerProtect product lines. Security is one that I think in the age of AI, we need to think through security differently. There’s some additional opportunities for partners to think about how do they provide those services, those extra value pieces to help make sure all of these customers are ready for what could be an AI security threat. Robert Dutt: I assume there’s a better together story to be told there between the hardware, the infrastructure, and the cyber protection. Alan Ashby: 100%. That’s one of the biggest values that we have at Dell. There’s inherent value between the products themselves being able to support each other differently, but also they have the large Dell value prop with the Dell supply chain, our security chain, how we build products. Everything provides value across the entire portfolio. Robert Dutt: What’s the single biggest misconception you see customers have around the idea of deploying on-prem AI in particular? Alan Ashby: That’s interesting. The big one I would say is where do I get started and how big do I need to get started? I think that we saw early days, a lot of customers thought initially you had to just get in line for supply on large GPU systems when you could run a lot of workloads, really interesting and exciting AI workloads on a server with a PCIe-based GPU, and now even more so with some of the other platforms with workstations or GB300, GB10. The biggest misconception is just thinking about how big I have to get started. I would encourage almost every executive, every leader of every company to start thinking differently about you probably should have an AI PC in your office and on your desk. You should have one of our, I always call it an AI supercomputer on your desk with the GB10. It’s about who’s going to be the most curious. There’s nothing that limits you from capabilities with what the models can do today. We really just need people to start using and playing and practicing and helping support the overall value to the customers and to our partners. Robert Dutt: It’s an interesting concept that a computer with a better NPU or GPU on board can unlock that curiosity towards AI and ultimately drag to infrastructure refresh down the road, I think. Alan Ashby: I think the key thing is you don’t have to be a coder. You don’t have to be a developer. Really today, anybody could be a developer. You could build your own application if you wanted to. You can build your own dashboards if you wanted to. You can run it 100% on-prem if you wanted to. You can use a coding assistant to help you manage through that. All you have to do is understand how to talk to it. How do you manage it like an individual and how do you manage it like an agent? It’s a secondary employee that helps you basically give you superpowers. Robert Dutt: If an MSP wants to get serious about the data center and AI with Dell, what’s the first step if they’re already in terms of certification, competency, that kind of thing that they should be looking at? Alan Ashby: Yeah, again, the portfolio is changing very quickly. I would say that table stakes obviously is having a good understanding of our compute platforms with what we’ve got put together with NVIDIA. That’d probably be step one. Step two would be thinking about what you can provide from a storage perspective and how you take advantage of both PowerScale and ObjectScale and all the way up through our lightning file systems, having good understanding how you can deploy that for your customers at scale. Then the other one would be how do you work closely with the Dell teams? That’s one of the things that is always encouraging for partners to think through is Dell has this incredibly large sales force that can help give them scale, give them opportunity. How do you share as a partner? How do you share your value back to the Dell teams? Make sure that they understand where you can be supportive of their customer experience. How do you work collaboratively with the Dell teams across the ecosystem? So forth. Tons of opportunity. We’re always looking for partners that have the right skill sets and the right capabilities. Our Dell teams want to bring them into customer accounts because we need their support. We need their help. Robert Dutt: Acknowledging this might be a wide range, what are some of those common threads that make for a good partner for you in terms of skill sets, areas of focus, that kind of thing? Alan Ashby: Yeah, I think it’s evolving over time. Today, I look at partners that have unique skill sets are incredibly important. Partners that have a competency across our portfolio. Table stakes of having competencies around our compute platform, our storage platforms, but then thinking even deeper, how do you have competency around some of our more isolated platforms like what we do in our unstructured storage space with PowerScale and ObjectScale and access scale that we announced today? Same thing with our data protection portfolio, our cyber resilience platforms, our SRP platforms, like partners that have deep technical specialty expertise in those areas, they’re always going to be needed and valued in our partner ecosystem. AI is one other area to differentiate a partner from, but there’s a lot of those opportunities. Even today with our Dell Private Cloud, I always tell partners that whenever you see a pivot change in our portfolio, like we did when we launched the Dell Private Cloud, this is an opportunity to differentiate yourself as a partner from other partners. To jump in early and be able to build the skill sets that our Dell team is looking for out of a partner to support their customers. Our Dell teams are always looking for those partners that can help lead the charge, especially from a technical perspective with the customers to validate the solution themselves to be able to provide that extensive value to the customer themselves. Robert Dutt: All right. Last one for me, without naming any names or with naming names, should you feel like doing so? What’s the most creative, unexpected, surprising use case for a Dell AI factory that you’ve seen a customer deploy thus far? Alan Ashby: Wow, that’s a hard one. I mean, there’s a lot of really interesting ones I’ve seen. I mean, early days, some of the ones I thought was some of the most exciting stuff that we did with Amarillo County in Texas. It’s a county that there’s a lot of languages natively spoken there and the community there needed to provide basically language services to a very large broad-based set of individuals in the community in their native tongue. And the Dell team worked closely with those folks to make that happen. All the way down there to where we got a number of partners helping small entities, both commercial and public entities, really think about how they can drive agentic workflows and some of the things that are dealing around that with dashboarding. Chat, agents, obviously is an easy one. And then helping customers through kind of how do you do code assist models. Those are probably the really big ones that we see from a use case perspective from our partners. Robert Dutt: No shortage of opportunities. Alan Ashby: Oh my gosh, it’s unbelievable how many there are today. Robert Dutt: Thank you for taking the time. Alan Ashby: Absolutely. This is great. Thank you. Robert Dutt: There you have it. Alan Ashby from Dell. I’d like to thank Alan for his time, carving out a few minutes for me amidst the chaos of day one here at DTW. My big takeaway from that conversation is that you don’t have to be deploying a multimillion dollar PowerRack system to get into the AI game with Dell right now. Between the new desktop workstations running localized agentic workflows and the massive 13 to one server consolidation plays they’re seeing in the traditional data center, there’s a very practical immediate path towards revenue here for partners in the mid market. I’d like to thank you as always for listening to the show. If you’re enjoying our coverage from Dell Technologies World, please do take a second and follow or subscribe in the podcast app of your choice. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your audio. And if you have a moment to leave a rating or review, always hugely appreciated. Until next time, I’m Robert Dutt for channelbuzz.ca and I’ll see you in the channel.

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CHINA: Oil Shock Lifts EV Exports, Audi E7X Presales Open and MG4 Continues Domestic Run | 14 May 2026

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2026 16:56

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart OIL SHOCK LIFTS CHINESE EV EXPORTS https://evne.ws/4tDD4rl MG4 HITS 100,000 AS MG DOUBLES DOWN https://evne.ws/438DY40 AUDI E7X PRESALES OPEN IN CHENGDU https://evne.ws/4wzhHKu BYD APRIL EXPORTS TOP TESLA MONTH ESTIMATE https://evne.ws/4diBg0E BYD AND CORVUS SIGN MARINE BATTERY DEAL https://evne.ws/4tDcA9k BYD SHARK PICKUP SET FOR CHINA https://evne.ws/49xDlEN COURT REJECTS XIAOMI SU7 HOOD FRAUD CLAIM https://evne.ws/4u8WiG1 LI AUTO NAMES BENELUX BOSS FOR EUROPE https://evne.ws/4wqGmR4 XPENG SETS MONA EUROPE DEBUT FOR JULY https://evne.ws/48YQRBa XPENG WEIGHS VOLKSWAGEN PLANTS IN EUROPE https://evne.ws/4tvl16j

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Three Human Skills Every Sales Engineer Needs | Ron Whitson

Tech World Human Skills

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2026 38:12

Buyers in a serious software evaluation sit through between eight and thirteen vendor demos, and most of them blur into the same slick performance, so the sales engineer who actually gets remembered is the one who shows up as a real human. This episode digs into the three timeless behaviours that Ron Whitson has spent twenty-eight years in pre-sales learning the hard way: be authentic, listen actively, and leave an impression. The conversation works through each one in turn, what gets in the way of doing it well, and the small habits that move the dial. On authenticity, Ron makes the case that imitating someone else's demo always reads as fake, and that in a market saturated with AI-generated polish, the slightly boring real version of you is more valuable than a perfect performance. On active listening, he separates listening to understand from listening to respond, and explains why putting the phone down and resisting the urge to jump in is harder than it sounds, especially for technical experts who already know where the question is going. On leaving an impression, he frames the audience reality clearly: when a buyer has watched a dozen presentations in a week, the differentiator is rarely the product, it is whether they liked you and whether the solution was simple enough to explain to a colleague. It also questions the lazy assumption that being audience-centric means becoming whatever the room wants you to be. Ron argues that you can adapt to the situation while staying anchored to a consistent set of values, and that giving yourself permission to say "I have not had that question before, let me come back to you" is itself an authentic move. Useful for Sales Engineers and Solution Consultants who are tired of polishing the same deck, and for leaders who keep getting feedback that their team's calls all sound the same. About the guest. Ron Whitson is Senior Director of Solution Consulting at Thomson Reuters and the author of A Friendly Human in Pre-Sales. He has spent twenty-eight years in pre-sales work, roughly half of that in leadership roles, and now spends a lot of his time coaching, mentoring, and developing solution consulting teams. Listen and subscribe: Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUGUEB7s Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eMHTNE-3 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/esq9jDs2 Newsletter and archive: https://www.techworldhumanskills.com Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpthoughts Elevated You Program: https://www.elevatedyou.live Ron Links https://timelessbehaviors.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronwhitsonse/

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Wird es den SE Job in 5 Jahren noch geben? (258)

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2026 33:27

In dieser Episode gehen wir der Frage auf den Grund, ob klassische PreSales- und Sales-Rollen im B2B-Softwarevertrieb bald Geschichte sind. Wir analysieren, wie sich die Rolle des Sales Engineers über die Jahrzehnte gewandelt hat – von Gatekeepern und Demo-Gurus bis hin zu beratenden Partnern in einer zunehmend KI-getriebenen Welt. Wir diskutieren, was moderne Käufer heute wirklich erwarten, wie Self-Service, Reviews und KI den Entscheidungsprozess verändern und ob menschliche Interaktion am Ende doch unersetzbar bleibt. Lass dich inspirieren von unserer Reise durch sieben Phasen der Vertriebsentwicklung – mit einem ehrlichen Blick auf Chancen, Herausforderungen und die Frage: Was ist unser Wert als PreSales-Experten in einer Welt voller Automatisierung? ----------

Bonus Episode: Who is the Smartest? Who is the Fakest?

director ai healthcare platforms unified workday behavioral health resources connect presales tasneem

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2026 32:05 Transcription Available

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager talk about which Challenge Cast are different Off-Cam from On-Cam, who doesn't get enough credit for being smart, who gets too much credit, what moments in Derrick's career mentally broke him and MORE!WATCH This Podcast HERE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-patreon-157287208Bonus Episodes, Full Video and Pre-Sales are just a few perks of joining the Pod Squad at www.ChallengeManiacs.comwww.ChallengeMania.Live for tix to Live Shows5/22 - BOSTON (5/23 SOLD OUT)6/27 - PORTLAND6/28 - SEATTLE& MORE!www.ChallengeMania.Shop

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May 11: AetherFi Raises $120M, and IONIX CHAIN & PEPEBOSS Lead Hot Presales

Daily Crypto News

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2026 6:54

Bitcoin Update: Bitcoin consolidates near $81K after failing to hold $83K resistance, supported by White House confirmation of an imminent crypto market structure bill markup.Institutional Momentum: BlackRock's IBIT saw $480M+ in inflows over 48 hours, while a major U.S. pension fund added another $310M to Bitcoin via ETFs.Regulatory Progress: The U.S. House is set to vote on the revised stablecoin bill next week with state chartering options included; Hong Kong approved two more licensed exchanges.Security Incident: A $19M flash-loan exploit hit a DeFi protocol on Base chain, the second major incident on the network in two weeks.Major Funding Round: AetherFi (AI-powered decentralized lending protocol) raised $120 million in a Series A led by a16z Crypto and Paradigm.Hot Presales: IONIX CHAIN raised $28 million and PEPEBOSS raised $19 million in the past 48 hours, showing strong retail interest in early-stage projects.Altcoin Watch: Galaxy Research and other analysts are highlighting five altcoins (LINK, KAS, SUI, NEAR, and TAO) with tight technical setups and concrete May catalysts that could lead the next leg up if Bitcoin holds above $81K.Sources:CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, Decrypt, The Block, Reuters, Fortune, Yahoo Finance, X trending data, CoinMarketCap & CoinGecko. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Unified Platforms Make Possible In Behavioral Health with Tasneem Sanwarwalla, Director, Healthcare Presales at Workday

Outcomes Rocket

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2026 23:58

Unified enterprise systems are no longer back-office upgrades in behavioral health. They are essential infrastructure for access, workforce stability, and financial resilience. In this episode, Tasneem Sanwarwalla, Director, Healthcare Presales at Workday, explains why behavioral health organizations need a unified platform that connects HR, finance, and operations in real time. She highlights how fragmented systems contribute to burnout, limit visibility, and force leaders to rely on outdated data for critical decisions. Tasneem shares how modern platforms enable better workforce planning, scenario modeling, and early detection of staff strain while aligning staffing, care delivery, and financial performance. She also discusses how AI can reduce administrative burden by automating repetitive tasks and allowing clinicians and leaders to focus more on people than paperwork. Tune in and learn how unified systems and thoughtfully applied AI can help behavioral health organizations scale access, support staff, and make better decisions. Resources: Connect with and follow Tasneem Sanwarwalla on LinkedIn. Learn more about Workday on LinkedIn and explore their website here.

May the 4th, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Mortal Kombat pre-sales

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Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2026 28:57

We're joined again by Lauren Greene, our expert in the UK, to look at the audiences across the world that have made The Devil Wears Prada 2 shine this past weekend. With a great deal to cover, and pre-sales for Mortal Kombat II and Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft, this episode of Behind the Screens is packed with insightsTopics and times:May the 4th - 0:22Box office year-on-year comparison - 1:46Weekend box office overview - 2:14The Devil Wears Prada 2 impressions and reception - 4:24The Devil Wears Prada 2 box office breakdown - 5:35Women-led comedy audiences - 7:22The Devil Wears Prada 2 international box office insights - 8:10The Devil Wears Prada 2 audience insights - 9:44Records, production, and word of mouth opportunities - 13:51Mortal Kombat II previews and pre-sales comparisons - 16:15Mortal Kombat II pre-sales audience - 17:55Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard And Soft pre-sales - 20:25The Sheep Detective - 26:41Next week - 27:29Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on Instagram

SE + AI, 3 Hörerfragen, Founders Diary (257)

Verkaufen an Geschäftskunden - Vertrieb & Verkauf - Mit Stephan Heinrich

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2026 59:11 Transcription Available

In dieser Folge tauchen wir tief in die Zwickmühlen des PreSales-Alltags ein: Wie balanciert man als Solution Engineer zwischen Kundenbindung und interner Rollenerwartung? Wir diskutieren konkrete Hörerfragen, teilen unsere Erfahrungen mit Timeboxing in Demos und geben Insights, wann sich der Wechsel von Generalisten- zu Matrix-Organisationen wirklich lohnt. Zum Abschluss öffnen wir unser Founders Diary und lassen dich hinter die Kulissen unseres eigenen Wachstumsprozesses blicken – von neuen Lernformaten bis zu AI-getriebenen Sales-Workflows. Hör rein, wenn du Lust auf ehrliche Einblicke, praxisnahe Tipps und einen frischen Blick aufs Sales Engineering hast! ----------

Außendienst im B2B-Vertrieb neu gedacht: vor Ort verstehen und Entscheidungen erleichtern

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2026 15:01

Was leistet der Außendienst im Jahr 2026 wirklich noch? Viele Teams halten an der klassischen Trennung von Außendienst und Innendienst fest, obwohl Kundinnen und Kunden längst hybride Kaufwege gehen. Wir schauen nüchtern hin: Wo stiftet Präsenz vor Ort echten Wert, und wo genügt Remote? Und welche Setups ersetzen starre Zuständigkeiten durch ein spielfähiges Team um das Buying Center herum? Mehr als zuhören: In der Community Vertrieb & Verkauf wird mitgedacht und mitdiskutiert. Kostenfrei beitreten: https://stephanheinrich.com/skool Die alte Trennung ist ortsbezogen, die moderne Trennung aufgabenbasiert. Qualifizieren, Verstehen, Beweisen, Verhandeln, Entscheiden begleiten. Außendienst wird zum Orchestrator für Menschen und Momente, in denen Nähe zählt. Lokale Verfügbarkeit wirkt, wenn Risiko, Komplexität oder politische Gemengelage hoch sind. Vor Ort lassen sich nonverbale Signale lesen, Nebendialoge führen, Vertrauen verdichten. In Projekten zeigt sich oft: Ein guter Tag beim Kunden spart Wochen Mailverkehr. Alternativen zur Aufteilung von Innendienst und Außendienst: kleine Account Teams mit klaren Rollen. SDR und BDR für Erstkontakt, Account Executive für Dealführung, Presales für Machbarkeitsnachweis, Customer Success für Wirkung nach dem Kauf. Hybrider Außendienst: 80 Prozent remote, 20 Prozent fokussierte Besuche mit messbarem Ziel. Jeder Termin hat eine Hypothese, eine Agenda und einen nächsten Schritt. Datenbasiertes Routing: Wir reisen, wenn Kaufsignale da sind. Mehrere Entscheider aktiv, kritische Fragen im Raum, interne Deadline beim Kunden. Kein Pflichtbesuch, sondern ein Besuch mit Wirkung. Für Menschen mit technischem Hintergrund: erst verstehen, dann zeigen. Statt erklärungsbedürftig als Ausrede zu nutzen, präzise Erkundungsfragen stellen. Wer nur überzeugen will, wirkt belehrend. Haben Sie sich das schon einmal gefragt: Woran wird intern wirklich entschieden und wer sagt am Ende Ja? Regionale Nähe neu gedacht: kleine Fachtreffen beim Kunden, Werksführungen und Lunch & Learn mit Partnern. Außendienst als Gastgeber einer Fachcommunity im Gebiet. Der Begriff aussendienst mag alt klingen, der Nutzen bleibt, wenn er richtig eingesetzt wird. Hier können Sie sich einen für Sie passenden Gesprächstermin auswählen: https://stephanheinrich.com/trainingsanfrage/

pr team mehr remote wo ziel ort deadline raum schritt entscheidungen vertrauen wert besuch momente statt kunden wirkung hintergrund nutzen rollen risiko woran prozent kauf alternativen trennung gebiet customer success zust komplexit signale partnern gastgeber gedacht entscheiden besuche account executives sdr setups ausrede kundinnen haben sie vor ort der begriff verhandeln bdr aufteilung presales beweisen hypothese orchestrator gemengelage erstkontakt kostenfrei lunch learn innendienst kaufsignale buying center im b2b vertrieb in projekten

The Convergence of Presales and Post-Sales: A New Career Path with Shamil Turner

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2026 32:04

Presales teams are being asked more and more to do post-sales work. This isn't a fad or something we're doing in the short term. This is a significant change for the broader profession of presales and solutions consulting. What was once occasional support for implementations or customer renewals is now becoming formal job responsibilities for solutions consultants across the industry. In this episode, Jack Cochran sits down with Shamil Turner, Global Technical Solutions Leader at Figma and Presales Collective advisory board member, to explore why this shift is happening and what it means for the future of presales. Shamil brings a unique perspective to this conversation: he was the first SE hired at Figma, built their entire solutions engineering organization from the ground up, and has now transitioned into a post-sales technical leadership role. Together they discuss the strengths that SEs bring to the table that has a profound impact on a company-customer relationships AFTER the sale has happened, and how this plays out in a new role that has been emerging over the past year, the Forward Deployed Engineer. Whether you're a leader making organizational decisions or an IC just getting started, this conversation will help you understand how the world of solutions is evolving. Thank you to Saleo for sponsoring this episode! Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Shamil Turner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamil-turner/ 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 Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast Saleo: https://saleo.io Key Topics Covered The Growing Trend of Presales Teams Doing Post-Sales Work Historical Context: How SEs Have Always Supported Post-Sales Forward Deployed Engineer Roles in Consumption-Based Models Why Presales Skills Are Valuable for Customer Onboarding Shamil's Journey from First SE at Figma to Global Technical Solutions Leader The Convergence of Pre and Post-Sales Functions Career Implications for Presales Professionals at All Levels What This Means for the Future of Solutions Organizations

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Michael, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 pre-sales

devil wears prada presales

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2026 15:59

With Michael dazzling the box office, our hosts are bringing all the insights across records, reception, box office results, audience composition, and the accuracy of their personal predictions. Then we turn our attention to The Devil Wears Prada 2 to see how the long awaited sequel is shaping up in pre-sales.Topics and times:Simon's prediction for Michael (which did make it into last week's episode) - 0:21Box office year-to-date and weekend box office overview - 1:03Michael box office results in-depth - 1:46Michael audience analysis - 3:36Michael critical and audience reception - 7:20The Devil Wears Prada 2 pre-sales tracking - 8:30The Devil Wears Prada 2 pre-sales audience - 9:32Upcoming titles - 12:57Next week - 14:46Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on Instagram

Ausschreibungen mit KI knacken, mit CEO Alex Kohler von BidFix (256)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2026 60:27

In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Alexander Kohler von BidFix über das, was viele im PreSales am meisten nervt: Öffentliche Ausschreibungen. Wir tauchen ein in die komplexe Welt von RFPs, zeigen, wie KI-Agenten dabei helfen können, die passenden Ausschreibungen zu finden und Angebote strategisch zu platzieren – und warum trotz aller Automatisierung der Mensch am Ende oft den Unterschied macht. Du erfährst, wie sich der Ausschreibungsprozess im öffentlichen Sektor von der Privatwirtschaft unterscheidet, warum Bieterfragen ein echter Gamechanger sein können und welche Rolle dein eigenes Wertesystem im PreSales spielt. Außerdem diskutieren wir, ob in Zukunft Agenten bessere Kaufentscheidungen treffen als wir – oder ob Menschlichkeit und Vertrauen weiterhin das Rennen machen. Wenn du mit Ausschreibungen zu tun hast (oder sie lieber vermeiden würdest), ist diese Folge ein Muss! Alex bei LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderklr/ ----------

SE Team im Merger: Wenn plötzlich alles neu ist, aber nichts weg darf, mit Julia Thyra Garcia Reuss (255)

EV News Daily - Electric Car Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2026 37:58

In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Julia Thyra Garcia Reuss von MAIT über das, was passiert, wenn zwei Unternehmen fusionieren und plötzlich PreSales-Teams mit völlig unterschiedlichen Rollenverständnissen aufeinandertreffen. Gemeinsam tauchen wir in die Herausforderungen und Learnings einer solchen Zusammenführung ein – von der Tool-Integration über Prozesse bis hin zum Mindset-Shift Richtung Value Selling. Ich teile, wie wir gemeinsam mit Julia erlebt haben, dass Veränderungen selten reibungslos verlaufen, aber mit Offenheit und strategischem Vorgehen echte Fortschritte möglich sind. Hör rein, wenn du wissen willst, wie man aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven eine starke PreSales-Organisation formt, welche Stolpersteine es gibt und was wir beim nächsten Mal definitiv anders machen würden. Julia bei LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-thyra-garcia-reuss/ ----------

CHINA: Large SUVs Dominate New Models, Leapmotor Debuts D19 and VW Launches ID. UNYX 08 | 17 Apr 2026

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2026 20:01

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart BEIJING SHOW TURNS TO BIG ELECTRIC SUVS https://evne.ws/4syejMp LEAPMOTOR LAUNCHES D19 AS UPMARKET PUSH https://evne.ws/42cwPz8 VOLKSWAGEN LAUNCHES ID. UNYX 08 IN CHINA https://evne.ws/4tSytSm IM MOTORS LS8 OPENS STRONGLY IN CHINA https://evne.ws/4sJiPrA NIO PLANS 450 GEN-5 SWAP SITES https://evne.ws/3QeoBnC GEELY OPENS GALAXY STARSHINE 7 PRESALES https://evne.ws/4sKzM55 BYD UPDATES HAN EV WITH FLASH CHARGING https://evne.ws/41EgpQ0 AUDI PLANS CHINA-ONLY ELECTRIC SALOON FOR 2027 https://evne.ws/4857N8F NISSAN TALKS TO CHERY OVER SUNDERLAND OUTPUT https://evne.ws/4cu3B3L

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255. Baking it Down - Pre-Sales Bootcamp Recap

Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2026 87:33

Send us Fan Mail

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#262 Value Based Pricing: Mehr Verantwortung statt Stunden zählen mit Christoph Burchartz

Engineering Kiosk

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2026 82:14 Transcription Available

Agenturen und Freelancer: Stunden tracken vs. Wert-basiert abrechnenStunden schreiben, Tickets buchen, Angebote schätzen und am Ende trotzdem das Gefühl haben, am eigentlichen Problem vorbeizuarbeiten. Kommt dir bekannt vor? Dann ist diese Episode genau dein Ding. Denn wir gehen einer Frage nach, die viele in Agenturen, im Freelancing und in der Softwareentwicklung beschäftigt. Was passiert, wenn wir nicht mehr primär Zeit verkaufen, sondern Wert? Und warum wird genau diese Frage durch KI, Automatisierung und immer schnellere Delivery plötzlich noch viel relevanter?In dieser Episode sprechen wir mit Christoph, Geschäftsführer der E Commerce Agentur Pixolith, über Agenturgeschäft, Billable Hours, Value Based Pricing, Angebotsphasen, Vertrauen in Kundenprojekten und die Psychologie hinter Preisfindung. Wir schauen auf konkrete Beispiele aus dem E Commerce, auf B2B und B2C Shops, auf Shopware, Shopify, Updates, Migrationen und die Frage, wie sich Wert überhaupt greifbar machen lässt.Außerdem diskutieren wir, warum Scrum diese Abrechnungsfrage nicht löst, wo Goodhart's Law plötzlich sehr praktisch wird und weshalb KI nicht nur Code beschleunigt, sondern auch Beratung, Vertrieb und Delivery verändert.Wenn du verstehen willst, wie Agenturen kalkulieren, warum Stundensätze oft falsche Anreize setzen und wo Value Based Working wirklich funktioniert, bekommst du hier reichlich Stoff zum Mitdenken.Bonus mit Augenzwinkern: Selbst ein Klopapier Shop kann zum strategischen Lehrstück für Pricing, Vertrauen und Softwareprojekte werden.Unsere aktuellen Werbepartner findest du auf https://engineeringkiosk.dev/partnersDas schnelle Feedback zur Episode:

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Ep. 522: Kefla Hare Returns!

Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2026 77:57 Transcription Available

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Kefla Hare Live & In Studio at Skutch Media in Atlanta, GA.KEFLA HARE, a true Road Rules and Challenge OG - joins us once again for a talk about how it all got started and evolved over the years, as well as navigating live with such a large gap between show appearances. All this and more from one of the nicest and most thoughtful guys around. Early and Ad-Free Audio and VIDEO are exclusive to Maniac-Level Patrons and above. Join the Pod Squad for this and other perks like Pre-Sales, Group Chats and MORE! WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-kefla-to-154777588www.ChallengeMania.Live for tix!4/25 - STL5/22 - Boston5/30 - Sacramento6/27 - Portland6/28 - Seattle7/18 - Chicago (On Sale SOON)7/31 - Minnesota8/15 - Detroit9/5 - Nola (Pre-Sale 4/14)www.ChallengeMania.Shop

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254. Baking it Down - Good Better Best

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2026 87:53

Send us Fan Mail✅✅✅ Good - Better - Best - A tiered pricing strategy.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 254 - Good Better Best, we explore the Good, Better, Best (GBB) strategy for pricing tiers - the magic being "good" is where it's at.Forgive the lateness of today's Onesday Wednesday... however *checks the clock* - it would seem we've still made the deadline (sorry, had to get today's Bootcamp on Pre-Sales launched).Not all strategies are created equal, and not all strategies will fit your sales approach. I like to compare strategies to a blanket that lies on top of your sales. Find the blanket that's most comfortable for your business approach.Today's blanket = tiered pricing. Specifically, a 3-tier pricing structure designed to drive buyers to the middle tier - the better tier.Benefits of the Good Better Best strategy? It reduces decision fatigue by limiting options to three clear choices, helping customers feel like they are getting a great deal without the baker overextending their time or resources - what baker wants to get burnt out?!And for the baker? Your orders are the ones you want to take, while still making space for the lower budgets and still being open to the budget busters (hey, we can wipe our tiers with hundred-dollar bills, right?).This pricing approach enhances what your clients

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EP 03: Provider of the Week: Samsung SDS Caidentia

Art of Procurement

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2026 21:26

In this episode of the ProcureTech Insider Provider of the Week, host Jyothi Hartley speaks with Imran Shaikh, Head of Pre-Sales and Business Development at Samsung SDS America, about how AI-powered design-to-source-to-pay orchestration is transforming procurement's role in product development. Samsung SDS Caidentia is an AI-powered platform designed to shift procurement upstream, connecting product design, sourcing, and supply decisions before spend occurs. Acting as an orchestration layer between PLM and ERP systems, the platform enables procurement teams to influence cost, risk, and supply resilience earlier in the product life cycle. Imran shares how Samsung SDS Caidentia has evolved from a sourcing solution into a cross-functional platform centered around Bill of Materials (BOM) intelligence. In this conversation, they explore how procurement can move beyond transactional execution to become a strategic contributor to product decisions, leveraging AI to simulate cost impacts, assess supplier risk, and improve cross-functional alignment. Links: Samsung SDS Caidentia Provider Profile Download the 2025-26 ProcureTech100 Yearbook Subscribe to This Week in Procurement Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube

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Reminders of Him, Undertone, and pre-sales for Project Hail Mary

oscars reminders screens project hail mary presales undertone here i come

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 15:55

On the tail of the Oscars, our hosts look at the box office year-to-date this week. Join us to see how 2026 is shaping up so far, hear how Reminders of Him performed at the box office this weekend, and discover previews for Project Hail Mary right here on Behind the Screens.Topics and times:Oscars results and surprises - 0:15Universal extend their theatrical window - 1:55Year-to-date box office - 2:40Weekend box office results - 3:40Reminders of Him audience overview - 4:42Undertone box office and audience - 5:45Project Hail Mary impressions and pre-sales comparisons - 6:56Project Hail Mary pre-sales audience development - 8:40Ready or Not 2: Here I Come pre-sales tracking and audience - 11:49Next week - 14:45Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on Instagram

Sharnael Wolverton Sehon - Grandfather Iboga

Tell Me Your Story

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2026 71:18

https://www.drsharnael.com/ What if the roots of suffering are deeper than we'vebeen taught? Is there hope when hope for the hopeless? When life fractured in ways she could notintellectually solve, Dr. Sharnael — naturopathic physician and consciousnessteacher — was called beyond logic, beyond theology, beyond science — intodirect encounter. Enter Iboga. Often referred to as “Grandfather Iboga” and known asthe “Mount Everest of plant medicines,” this“The Truth Hunter,” African root functions as a powerful neurological andpsychological interrupter, disrupting entrenched patterns of illusion,compulsion, and genetic survival programming. In this deeply personal journey, Dr. Sharnael shareshow one of the most intense and misunderstood plant medicines on earth became amirror — illuminating unresolved grief and the unconscious patterns shapingidentity, while guiding her from darkness and sorrow into renewed hope,courage, love, and joy. At a time when suicide rates remain high and opioidaddiction devastates families worldwide, Iboga has drawn attention for itsunique interaction with opioid receptors and its growing exploration inaddiction recovery research. It is also being studied for its potential relevance indepression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's,Parkinson's disease, Lyme-related neurological complications, and other complexnervous system disorders. Traditionally, the root bark has also been examinedfor antimicrobial and antiparasitic properties. Part personal journey, part clinical guide, GrandfatherIboga serves readers seeking Truth, transformation, and understanding. Written by a doctor who became the patient, this bookis for anyone navigating loss, addiction, neurological complexity, and foranyone seeking Divine Truth where conventional paths have fallen short I almost didn't write these books. It would have beeneasier to stay quiet. Easier not to speak publicly about grief. Trauma. Plantmedicine. Consciousness. Easier to protect my reputation than enterconversations that are complex, controversial, and often misunderstood. But silence felt dishonest. And some stories are meant to be told. Today, I am honored to officially announce the releaseof two deeply personal and professional works: The Science of Miracles Workbook and Grandfather Iboga – A Personal Journey Through Grief,Trauma Healing, and Soul Transformation These are not just books. They are lived experience. Together, these two books represent the bridge I havealways stood on — science and spirit, clinical understanding and consciousness,measurable biology and Divine design. There were moments I nearly stayed silent. But if even one person finds hope in these pages… itwas worth it. Presales are now open. You can order both books here:https://www.drsharnael.com/shop The Science of Miracles Workbook This workbook was born from years of studyingconsciousness, neuroscience, biofeedback, and the unseen laws that shape ourphysical reality. It is practical. Grounded. Interactive. Designed to help you participate in your owntransformation. It bridges biology and belief. Data and divine design. Science and spirit. This is the framework I have taught for years - noworganized so you can apply it step by step in your own life. PREorder THE WORKBOOK here Grandfather Iboga This book is different. It is personal. Raw. Honest. When my life fractured in ways I could notintellectually solve - beyond logic, beyond theology, beyond science - I wascalled into direct encounter. Enter Iboga. Often referred to as the “Mount Everest of plant medicines,” this African root has been describedas “The Truth Hunter.” It is known for its powerful neurological andpsychological interruption of entrenched patterns - disrupting illusion,compulsion, and deeply embedded survival programming.

Tech Career to $271,580 in Board Game Presales

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2026 29:54

Launch your product in the next 90 days

How We Made $1M In Presales (in less than 30 days)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026 29:37

Episode 60: Masters of Crowdfunding—In this episode we'll discover how how this innovative golf trolley combines cutting-edge technology and design to give players a hands-free, smarter experience on the golf course and how they used crowdfunding to bring their businesses to life. Links:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/muedu7rfiXi: https://www.ixi.golf/

masters presales

Getting $200k+ in Product Presales: The Exact Strategy Ep.59

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2026 46:19

In this episode we'll discover why this magnetic belt is turning heads and securing waists around the world and how they leveraged this crowdfunding strategy to raise over $200k for presales.Links:Work with us:https://tinyurl.com/2becdyz8iXi: https://distilunion.com/

The Future of AI in Presales: Beyond Demo Automation with Nalin Senthamil

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2026 31:32

The Future of AI in Presales: Beyond Demo Automation In this episode, Jack Cochran is joined by Nalin Senthamil, Founder and CEO of Storylane, to discuss the evolution of AI in presales beyond simple demo automation. They explore the hidden costs of demos, how the buyer themselves are becoming AI-powered, and the emergence of AI tools for sellers, much like Storylane has developed with RepEx Thank you to Storylane for sponsoring this episode! Visit Storylane.io to learn more. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Nalin Senthamil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nalinpradeep/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack RepEx (AI buyer engagement platform): Available at https://www.storylane.io/ Key Topics Covered Nalin's Journey from Amazon AI Engineer to Demo Automation Founder The Hidden Cost Per Demo AI at the Infrastructure Level RepEx: The Next Generation of Buyer Engagement The Context Handoff Problem Presales as Strategic Advisors in 2026 Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 03:15 Nalin's Background: From Amazon AI Engineer to Storylane Founder 05:54 The Cost Per Demo Problem and Demo Automation Impact 13:24 What are we leaving behind with AI, and what remains human? 20:00 RepEx Launch: Beyond Traditional Chatbots 26:25 The Importance of Context in the Buyer Journey 28:54 How Presales Teams Can Prepare for AI Integration 30:15 Final Advice: Building Long-Term AI Capabilities in Presales

Episode 83 - Burn the Deck: How Presales Wins When Buyers Have AI Superpowers

Two PreSales in a Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2026 51:02

Buyers aren't showing up to your first call “curious” anymore, they're showing up pre-researched, pre-ranked, and powered by AI.In this episode, we're joined by John Brunswick (former Distinguished SE at Salesforce, founder of StoryPath.ai, and author of Burn the Deck) to break down what AI is changing in the buyer/seller dynamic.We dig into:Why AI gives buyers “superpowers” (and what that means for your first meeting)Why traditional product demos can feel like the worst first date everHow story becomes the envelope for your value, and helps you regain controlPractical ways to add framing, “from/to” summaries, and pallet-cleansing medium shifts to keep buyers engagedIf you want your next discovery + demo to actually earn the second meeting, this one's a must.

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295 - SCREAM 7 Massive Box Office PreSales, Top 5 Scenes in SCREAM 1-6, ET Set Video, & A Fortnight to SCREAM 7

SCREAM with Ryan C. Showers

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2026 129:09

Bring on the box office! In this epic episode, Ryan celebrates the fortnight (two weeks) until the release of SCREAM 7. First, Ryan and Amar discuss the SCREAM 7 new massive box office projections after the first three days of tickets being on sale. Then, they discuss the in-depth Entertainment Tonight segment on set of the film, and Neve's answer about SCREAM 8. Then, Ryan is joined by Dustin Putman, author of "The Fright File" and recap their top 5 moments from each of the six SCREAM films. To conclude, Ryan and Ashley elect "Fortnight" as the Taylor Swift Song of the Week. Box Office Presale Success The Entertainment Tonight Segment Film Criticism Top Moments in SCREAM 1-6 "Fortnight" Follow us @ScreamWithRCS at Facebook, X, and Instagram. Subscribe at Patreon.com/screamwithrcs Taylor Swift Song of the Day: "Fortnight" (The Tortured Poets Department)

massive scream scenes amar box office neve entertainment tonight fortnight presales

Episode 71: The 4 Figure Launch - How I Made My First $1000 In Book Pre-Sales!

Published and PaidÂ®: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2026 27:17

In this episode, I break down my exact journey to my first $1,000 in book sales - from publishing to pricing, audience building, and grassroots promotion that still works today.I share the story behind my first book release while I was still a middle school teacher, the mistakes I made, and the strategies I used to sell books long before AI, before social media selling was common, and before I knew what online business really looked like.In this episode, I cover:→ How pricing your book too cheaply can hurt your revenue→ Why pre‑sales and audience momentum matter→ Grassroots, organic strategies that worked→ How a launch party became a sales strategy→ Why promotion continues after warm market exhaustion→ How selling books leads to expanded offers, talks, and digital products→ The mindset shift from creation to intentional monetization→ Why your authentic voice will outlast AI duplication (for now)Whether you're a coach, author, consultant, or business owner, this episode shows you that books are business tools - not just accomplishments.Takeaways:- Price your book based on value, not comparison- Pre‑sell and build momentum before launch- Consistent promotion builds long‑term sales- Warm markets are good - but new audiences grow revenue- Your story plus strategy = influence + profit- Monetization requires intention and consistency- Authentic voice connects deeper than AI aloneSound Bites:“Books don't sell by themselves - you do.”“Your warm market only takes you so far.”“Price it for profit, not permission.”“Promotion begins before launch and continues after.”“Your book should open doors - not just sit on shelves.”Links: Join the Monetize Your Book Challenge: A 5-Day (virtual) sales accelerator workshop for experts using your future or current thought leadership book to grow your coaching, speaking or consulting business! - https://www.jasminewomack.com/monetizeBOOK: Purchase a copy of Published and Paid®: Write, Self Publish, and Launch Your Nonfiction Book in 90 Days or Less - https://a.co/d/95ckzMx COMMUNITY: Published and Paid®: The Community - Facebook Group - www.facebook.com/groups/publishedandpaidfree Socials:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thejasminewomack IG: instagram.com/thejasminewomack FB: facebook.com/authorjasminewomack Youtube: youtube.com/thejasminewomack

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[SPONSORED] Identity at the Centre: Why AI Is Accelerating a New Security Imperative

The iTnews Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2026 24:46

In this episode, iTnews host Jennifer O'Brien is joined by Stephanie Barnett, Vice President of Presales and Interim GM for Asia Pacific & Japan at Okta. Together they unpack why identity has moved from an authentication project to a board-level business layer, and why “attackers don't break in – they log in”.You will hear how organisations across Australia, New Zealand and the wider APJ region are responding to Essential Eight-driven identity requirements, the rise of non-human identities and AI agents, and the growing challenge of fragmented identity estates. Stephanie also shares what CISOs should be telling their boards in 2026, including practical steps to reduce risk while enabling productivity and secure automation.

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Crush Gym Presales & Open with 100+ Members

Fitness Business Musings with Mark Fisher

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 14:54

Looking for help with raising your rates? Get BFU's playbook for raising prices so you can charge what you're worth while minimizing client pushback. Includes step-by-step instructions and email templates you can copy and paste. Get it HERE. Here are 3 ways to get more BFU in your life Follow BFU on Instagram HERE Subscribe to Mark's YouTube channel HERE Pick up a copy of Mark's book HERE Are you a gym owner doing more than $15k/mo looking to grow your gym in the next 90 days? Learn more about the Unicorn Society HERE.

crush includes presales

Courageous Leadership: Making Tough Calls Under Pressure with Gretchen Fitzgibbons

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 40:51

In this episode recorded at the Presales Collective Leadership Next Summit in November of 2025, Jack Cochran sits down with Gretchen Fitzgibbons, Senior Manager of Strategic Solutions Consulting at Airtable, to discuss what it means to be a courageous leader in presales. They explore how to make difficult decisions under pressure, navigate organizational politics with integrity, and build the support systems that enable consistent leadership. Gretchen shares powerful stories from her two decades of experience advising Fortune 500 customers and leading presales teams, including standing up for a team member being unfairly assessed and creating win-win solutions in challenging situations. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Gretchen Fitzgibbons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchenfitzgibbons/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack Sol/Con 2026: https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026 Book mentioned: Think Again by Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/ Book mentioned: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow Key Topics Covered Redefining Courage and Leadership Making Tough Calls: Standing Up for Team Members Focusing on Your Team rather than on Yourself How to Prepare for a Leadership Role It's OK to be Wrong Developing Your Leadership Skills Grounding Principles for Leadership Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 02:14 Defining Courage and Leadership in Presales 05:15 Making Tough Calls: A Story of Standing Up for What's Right 11:20 Focusing on Your Team rather than on Yourself 22:07 How to Prepare for a Leadership Role 27:40 It's OK to be Wrong 30:30 Developing Leadership Skills 37:42 Final Takeaways and Grounding Principles

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WHAT THE TRUCK?!? | Freight Flow & Finances

FreightCasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2026 45:31

On this Friday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, host Malcolm Harris breaks down the biggest stories shaping freight right now — from Winter Storm Fern threatening major U.S. freight corridors to consolidation moves and rail investments impacting the market. Malcolm is joined by two industry heavy-hitters for a jam-packed conversation covering technology, operations, and money on the ground: Steve Shebuski, VP of Presales at MCA Connect, dives deep into how TMS, WMS, ERP, and Dynamics 365 are transforming distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment. Steve explains where companies get digital transformation wrong, how to orchestrate (not just automate) supply chains, and why clean data, integration, and human judgment still matter — even in an AI-driven future. Kimberly “Kim” Fisk, President of Triumph, brings real-world insight into small carrier financing and cash flow strategy. From instant invoice approval and predictable capital to fraud prevention and back-office automation, Kim explains how fast, reliable access to cash is changing how carriers make decisions, survive tight markets, and plan for long-term growth. ⁠Watch on YouTube⁠ ⁠Subscribe to the WTT newsletter⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠More FreightWaves Podcasts⁠ #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Freight Flow & Finances

What The Truck?!?

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2026 45:31

On this Friday edition of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?, host Malcolm Harris breaks down the biggest stories shaping freight right now — from Winter Storm Fern threatening major U.S. freight corridors to consolidation moves and rail investments impacting the market. Malcolm is joined by two industry heavy-hitters for a jam-packed conversation covering technology, operations, and money on the ground: Steve Shebuski, VP of Presales at MCA Connect, dives deep into how TMS, WMS, ERP, and Dynamics 365 are transforming distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment. Steve explains where companies get digital transformation wrong, how to orchestrate (not just automate) supply chains, and why clean data, integration, and human judgment still matter — even in an AI-driven future. Kimberly “Kim” Fisk, President of Triumph, brings real-world insight into small carrier financing and cash flow strategy. From instant invoice approval and predictable capital to fraud prevention and back-office automation, Kim explains how fast, reliable access to cash is changing how carriers make decisions, survive tight markets, and plan for long-term growth. Watch on YouTube Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts #WHATTHETRUCK #FreightNews #supplychain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Netflix, The Bone Temple, and Mercy pre-sales

netflix temple bone chris pratt screens presales

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2026 15:57

With 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple underperforming at the box office this week, Matthew and Simon are digging into the audiences and comparisons to the previous instalment to find out why, and what opportunities marketers may have to boost the title's performance. Mercy pre-sales give us a look ahead to Chris Pratt's next big screen outing here on Behind the Screens.Topics and times:Netflix news from the trades - 0:26Small-screen plotting and the erosion of attention - 2:37Weekend box office overview - 4:5728 Years Later: The Bone Temple international box office breakdown - 6:3428 Years Later: The Bone Temple marketing and reception - 7:2628 Years Later: The Bone Temple audience analysis and marketing opportunities - 8:45Mercy pre-sales comparisons and impressions - 12:14Mercy pre-sales audience - 13:09Next week - 14:45Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on Instagram

#31 | AI Exponentials, Enterprise Adoption, and the Next Cycle of Productivity with Conor Twomey (Co-Founder & CEO, AI One) and Ray Wang (Co-Founder, Constellation Research)

The Vestigo FinTech Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2026 56:46

Can AI really reorder how business works - not just automate tasks, but redefine entire markets? In this episode, Frazer Anderson sits down with two leading thinkers - Conor Twomey and Ray Wang. They discuss: How AI exponentials fundamentally rewrite productivity and what that means for founders, enterprises, and investors competing with legacy incumbents. The evolving state of enterprise AI adoption - from prototypes to production‑scale agent workflows that transform business outcomes and unit economics. Why scaling enterprise AI depends less on model quality and more on your data foundation, internal coordination, and ability to operationalize agents across real workflows. — Conor Twomey is an accomplished executive with over 15 years of experience in addressing complex data challenges for leading global corporations. He is currently an AI Co-Founder at Stealth Startup. Conor is the former Head of AI Strategy at KX, a pioneer in real-time data analytics and decision intelligence. Under his leadership, KX successfully transitioned from a time-series database company to the Enterprise AI platform of choice for large-scale AI implementations. Before this role, Conor managed a 400-person organization encompassing Presales, Professional Services, Support, Managed Services, and Customer Success Management. Renowned for his insights on data and AI, Conor is a sought-after speaker and contributor on frontier technology topics, including Data, Analytics, Machine Learning, AI, and Generative AI. — Ray Wang, a tech luminary, is the Co-Founder & Chairman of Constellation Research, a Bestselling Author, and a Keynote speaker. Renowned for his insights into digital transformation and enterprise technology, Ray's expertise stems from influential roles at Altimeter Research and Forrester Research. His bestselling books, including "Disrupting Digital Business" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," delve deep into the impact of digital technologies on business models.

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This Pillow Made $80K in Presales... and it WASN'T Made For Sleep Ep.58

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2026 30:44

In this episode, Whit Hansen shares his journey in crafting the drop pillow including finding his right audience, manufacturing from a remote place, and marketing strategies.Links:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/5cxhb3smWhit's Website:https://www.facebook.com/thedroppillow/

sleep pillow presales

How Films Really Get Distributed: SVOD, AVOD, Presales & Genre Truths Explained with Alan Green

Best in Fest

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2025 46:08

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Alan Green, Head of Sales & Acquisitions at 123 Media, to break down how film distribution actually works — and why most indie filmmakers misunderstand it.With decades of experience spanning 20th Century Fox, Pathé, international sales, and producing, Alan offers a brutally honest look at what sells, what doesn't, and how filmmakers can avoid costly mistakes when trying to monetize their films.In this episode, we cover:

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Stop Paying the Demo Tax: How AI Is Transforming Presales with Justin McDonald

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2025 31:11

The State of Presales and Demo Technologies, and What's Coming in 2026 In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Justin McDonald, Co-founder and CEO of Saleo, to discuss how demo automation technology is transforming the presales landscape. They explore the evolution of presales over the past 20 years, the hidden costs of demo preparation (the "demo tax"), and how AI is revolutionizing how solutions engineers create and personalize demonstrations. Justin shares insights on building relational capital, the importance of in-person meetings, and why the future of presales lies in leveraging technology to spend more quality time with buyers. Thank you to Saleo for sponsoring this episode! Visit Saleo.io to learn more. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Justin McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcdonald-21a3aa6/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack Saleo: https://saleo.io/ Mockaroo (dummy data generator): https://mockaroo.com/ Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:24 How has presales evolved over 20 years 09:20 Demo tax 13:37 The importance of in-person meetings 15:55 Breaking down the demo tax components 24:47 AI and Demo Data Agents 26:42 Trends reshaping presales in 2026 Key Topics Covered The Evolution of Presales Technology From manual data creation with tools like Mockaroo to automated demo environments The rise of presales as a respected profession with executive leadership Shift from multi-week prep and constant travel to efficient Zoom-based demos The Demo Prep Tax Multiple departments impacted: DevOps, product, engineering, and SEs Hard dollar costs: hosting demo tenants can cost millions at scale Demo data degradation: perfectly prepared demos degrade over time SE time is expensive, and hours spent on manual data preparation adds up Building Relational Capital Only 17% of sales time is spent with buyers (even less for presales) In-person interactions unlock opportunities that Zoom calls cannot EQ and relationship-building will separate good from great in the age of AI AI-Powered Demo Automation Demo Data Agent: generates personalized demo data with a single prompt Token-based customization for industry, vertical, and use case adaptation Data injection technology allows real-time demo personalization The Future of Presales AI will expand automation across the entire sales cycle Agentic and asynchronous AI tools will support SEs 24/7 SEs won't be replaced, their time will be used differently The demo data is the story: great storytelling requires great demo data

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How this Camping Product did $300K in Pre-sales in 3 Weeks Ep. 54

product campaign camping 300k presales

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2025 33:11

In this episode, Dana Mosman shares with us the marketing strategy behind his $300K campaign and how he validated his product before ever launching on KickstarterLinks:Work with us: https://tinyurl.com/ye24s9wkDana's Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

WICKED: FOR GOOD Soars to Record Presales | Maya Cinemas' Greg Heckmann [Presented by Irwin Seating]

Boxoffice Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2025 47:52

This week on the Boxoffice podcast, presented by Irwin Seating, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Chad Kennerk recap the opening weekend of Lionsgate's Now You See Me, Now You Don't and forecast the November 21st release of Universal's Wicked: For Good. In the feature segment, Rebecca speaks with Greg Heckmann, the director of marketing for Maya Cinemas, about key initiatives including the chain's Young Cinema Professionals workshop.Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 What to Listen For00:00 Intro 01:00 What the Maya Interview Covers02:00 Weekend Box Office: Frankenstein, Running Man, NYSM 303:24 Oscar Isaac's Ska Band & Frankenstein Reactions06:59 Running Man Review & Performance07:49 Now You See Me 3: Strong Opening & Franchise Strength09:35 Wicked For Good Tracking: Baseline 135M10:40 UK & US Presales Break Records11:58 High-End Forecast: 180M–210M Possibility14:05 Expected Range: 145M–175M Opening Weekend15:10 Why Many Viewers Will Wait for PLF on Thanksgiving16:57 Behind the Scenes: New Songs & Expanded Story17:35 Wicked as a Cultural Holiday Event19:55 Economic Strain & Moviegoing as the Affordable Alternative21:58 Why Theaters Still Offer the Best Value for Families22:40 2025 Thanksgiving Outlook: Narnia's IMAX Exclusivity24:00 Should Wicked Become a Holiday Double-Feature Tradition?25:25 Harkins Re-Release Success Story26:00 Transition to Feature Interview27:00 Interview: Maya's New Young Cinema Professionals Program29:15 Maya's Community & Holiday Food Bank Initiatives31:00 Why Investing in Young Workers Matters33:20 How Pandemic & Strikes Affected Youth Entry into Exhibition35:10 Anime & Event Titles Bringing Younger Audiences Back36:00 Sending Young Cinema Workers to the CinemaCon Fall Summit38:40 First Impressions from the Selected Participants41:10 Plans to Expand the Program Next Year

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How Time Kills All Deals in Pre-Sales with Rachel Pedreschi | Ep. 8

Streaming Audio: a Confluent podcast about Apache Kafka

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2025 27:40

Listen: https://confluent.buzzsprout.com | In this episode, Tim Berglund talks to his guest, Rachel Pedreschi (DeltaStream), about her career in pre-sales engineering. Her first job: rectory office assistant at her local parish. Her challenge/theme: working at early-stage startups to bridge sales, marketing, and engineering to reach product-market fit.Check out Tim and Rachel's previous podcast, Keyboard and Quill: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLihIrF0tCXdeJxpAJgbOsY48B9lD_w24v&si=5NjdA-Rss9Rsmyy1SEASON 2 Hosted by Tim Berglund, Adi Polak and Viktor Gamov Produced and Edited by Noelle Gallagher, Peter Furia and Nurie Mohamed Music by Coastal Kites Artwork by Phil Vo

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Ep. 496: Will Gagnon

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2025 89:04 Transcription Available

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by "New Threat" Will Gagnon.Will has been making waves in The Challenge world since the first episode of Season 41. Between his show-mances with Dee and Nany, altercations with both Gabe and a kitchen wall, rocky roads with his very own partner Olivia and several online "crash-outs" recently, Will has become one of the most discussed rookies on this season. Now...most people have him partially confused with the similarly dapper Jake, but that's besides the point. Will makes his Challenge Mania debut to tell his story and as you might expect...he does NOT hold back!WATCH this interview here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-will-on-142273354www.ChallengeManiacs.com to join the Pod Squad for Video, Ad-Free Audio, Bonus Podcasts, Pre-Sales and other perks!www.ChallengeMania.Live for tickets to Live Shows like Buffalo 11/15 and Nashville 11/22!Pre-Sale for Philyl featuring CT, Aneesa, Derrick and more is NEXT WEDNESDAY 11/5 at www.ChallengeManiacs.comwww.ChallengeMania.Shop for Swag!

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Episode 12 Breakdown: The Pillow Plunge