Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Pre-Sales Pathways

Few people know pre-sales better than Chris. He’s been an IC, a leader, the GM of PreSales Collective and is now Head of Community at Iris.

Chris's current role combines evangelism, partnerships, voice of the customer and more. It’s not one you’ll find advertised, Chris crafted it himself.

His advice to others looking to do the same? Focus on a problem to solve rather than a specific company or title.

In our conversation, we get into:

• Why ICs can have more power to change things than managers do
• Why buyers now arrive as prepared as you are (and what that means for demos)
• Why relationships and in-person matter more than ever
  

If you like the sound of crafting a role based on a problem space that interests you, you'll want to hear how Chris has done it.

In a world of agents and MCP servers, interoperability matters more than ever. Business Development teams are a critical part of that.

Niromal Perera, now Senior Manager, Slack Product Ecosystem at Salesforce, was the first SE I knew of to make the move from SE to Business Development (aka Partnerships), almost five years ago.

His move was inspired by a deal in 2018, when Atlassian pulled out of the real-time communications market, sold HipChat and Stride to Slack, and took a stake in the company.

Since then he's held several roles in Business Development. Most recently, he signed up over 20 partners for the launch of Slackbot's MCP client.

In our conversation, we get into:

• What Business Development actually involves (product, sales, marketing and more)
• Why the role is a natural fit for SEs
• How product knowledge and specialisation can help you land this (and other) lateral moves

If you like blending commercial and technical work, but would rather do it with partners than customers, this one's for you.

Fear of failure is what stops SEs becoming AEs. Karishma overcame it 7 years ago and is now an AE at the hottest company around: Anthropic.

Karishma has had such a varied career, spanning IC and leadership roles in Product, Solutions Engineering and Sales.

She’s also been an early team member at iconic companies like Box, Slack and, most recently, Anthropic.

In our conversation, we get into:

• What changes when you move from SE to AE, including the 40% of the deal you never had to think about
• How selling consumption (rather than seats) changes the nature of the AE and SE roles
• Why chasing titles can lead to you missing out on the biggest career opportunities

If you’re weighing up a move from SE to AE or a traditional SaaS vendor to an AI-native/consumption-based business, this one’s for you.

SEs have always come from all sorts of backgrounds, with a wide range in how technical they are. But something has shifted lately. AI-native companies in particular want SEs who don't just explain the technology but are comfortable deploying and customising it as well.

If you came into pre-sales from a non-technical background, that shift raises an obvious question. Do you need to upskill technically? And if so, how do you go about it?

A coding bootcamp is one answer. But it's a serious commitment of time and money, and the terrain around it has shifted a lot, especially now that AI can write most of the code for you.

For this episode of Pre-Sales Pathways I brought together two people who've actually walked this path. Molly Elfers and Hannah Hawken both came from non-technical backgrounds, studied languages, went through coding bootcamps back in 2018, and now work as SEs selling into highly technical buyers. Their journeys have a lot in common, and a few telling differences.

We get into:

• why the real value of a bootcamp is the foundations it gives you, not the code itself, and what that means for how you'd learn the same things today
• how to work out whether you'd actually enjoy the technical work, rather than just whether you're capable of it
• what AI changes about all of this, now that it can write much of the code and the real skill is understanding what it's doing

If you're weighing up whether to get more technical, this is a grounded look at what it takes, and the alternatives worth considering before you commit.

For a lot of SEs, management looks like the obvious next step. After all, it's what progression is meant to look like.

But it isn't a rung on the same ladder. It's a different job, with almost the opposite rewards.

As an SE, you're the one delivering the demo and getting the credit. As a leader, your job is to put your team in the spotlight instead. You stop solving problems and start balancing tensions, most of which don't have a clean answer.

Plenty of people rush into it, myself included, without really knowing what they're signing up for.

My latest guest on Pre-Sales Pathways knows exactly what that shift involves. Brian Mazzaferri went from senior manager to VP of Solutions Consulting at Rippling in a little over two years, and he's honest about what changes at each step.

We get into:

• why you should interview for a leadership role before you feel ready
• how a leader's real job is managing the things that don't have a clean answer
• why this career is a jungle gym, not a ladder, and moving back to IC is a great path too

If you're weighing up whether management is your next move, this is your chance to hear what it's really like before you commit.

If you're an SE who's dreamed of running your own business, AI's made it easier than ever, and your role's already given you a head start.

SEs are generalists who sit right at the intersection of product and sales, the two things every business actually runs on.

And the barriers keep falling. AI can help you build a first product, or get the kind of legal and finance advice that used to mean an expensive phone call.

In theory, it has never been easier to take the plunge. Yet in practice, very few people do.

My latest guest on Pre-Sales Pathways is one of those who did. Max left a successful sales career to build his own business coaching SEs on how to demo better.

We get into:

• how he made the transition from pre-sales to sales to founder
• why he spent years building a network before he had anything to sell
• how AI is levelling the playing field without replacing the human factor pre-sales is built on

If you're excited by the idea of using your pre-sales skills to build a business, this is your chance to hear from someone who's done exactly that.

One of the earliest pieces of advice you'll get as a Solutions Engineer is to focus on value, not on features. The Value Consulting role takes that to another level. These individuals think day-in-day-out about how to communicate and quantify the value of solutions, particularly to executives.

In this episode, Alex King joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Lead Value Consultant at Webflow.

We cover:

• How Alex got into pre-sales: Alex was working in Digital Marketing for a pharmaceuticals company when a friend from college recommended he apply for a Solutions Consultant role at Oracle.
• What Alex's role involves: Alex's role combines high-touch engagements like business cases and executive narratives with work to enable the broader sales team on value-based selling.
• What’s driven Alex's career success so far: Alex attributes his success to leaning into his natural strengths, consistently investing in genuine relationships, and maintaining a bias toward forward progress over perfectionism

If you’re interested in not just in technology but the outcomes it's there to deliver, this episode is for you.

Field CTO is generally considered the top role for pre-sales ICs. But what it involves and how to get to it remain something of a mystery. 

In this episode, Will Savage joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Field CTO at Omni.

We cover:

• How Will got into pre-sales: Will was working in management consulting at Deloitte before taking on a pre-sales role at Looker, which was a Series A start-up at the time.

• What Will’s role involves: Will’s work is organised around three primary pillars: acting as the voice of the customer for the engineering team, maintaining a strong market point of view, and enabling the go-to-market team, all while remaining adaptable to company needs.

• What’s driven Will’s career success so far: Building a catalog of lessons learnt, trying to get by without his own products and demonstrating leadership (even when not a manager) have all contributed to Will’s success.

If you’re interested in discussing your technology at the strategic level with technical executives, you won't want to miss Will’s story.

Many SEs feel strongly about strategy but don’t want to become people managers. But what if you could shape strategy whilst remaining an IC?

In this episode, Saskia van Daal joins Chris Clark to discuss her role as Solutions Engineering (SE) Strategy & Operations Lead at Snowflake.

We cover:

• How Saskia got into pre-sales: After a brief stint as a management consultant, Saskia joined Tableau, where she spent time in both the Solutions and Product Marketing orgs.

• What Saskia’s role involves: She supports SE leadership maintain the “rhythm of the business” through things like forecasting and QBRs whilst also supporting strategic projects and programs related to things like tooling or enablement.

• What’s driven Saskia's career success so far: Consistently staying curious has driven her to explore different professional opportunities (both inside and outside the Solutions organisation) instead of staying comfortable.

If you’re interested in process improvement, strategic planning, or discovering how specialised roles can scale an entire Solutions organisation, you won't want to miss Saskia's story.

Being an overlay is fun but you need credibility. Kevin’s “Show Me How” Slack channel (with 1000+ members) demonstrates how to establish it.

In this episode, Kevin Luptowski joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Principal Solutions Engineer at Slack/Salesforce.

We cover:

• How Kevin got into pre-sales: After 4 years as a consultant for an implementation partner, Kevin made the move to Salesforce to work as a Solutions Engineer.
• What Kevin’s role involves: As an overlay for the GTM organisation, Kevin provides support to strategic deals and projects, mentors account teams and develops content to scale his impact.
• What’s driven Kevin’s career success so far: Having fun at work, genuinely enjoying the process of learning and saying “yes” to opportunities have all contributed to Kevin’s success.

For anyone that’s interested in becoming a product specialist/overlay, you'll want to check out this episode.

Partner SEs don’t just support deals; they onboard, enable and activate partners at scale so that they can act as an extension of the team.

In this episode, Hannah Hawken joins Chris Clark to discuss her role as Senior Partner SE (and founding Partner SE) at Chainguard.

We cover:

• How Hannah got into pre-sales: After studying languages at university, Hannah enrolled on a coding bootcamp, which led her into software engineering and then solutions engineering.

• What Hannah’s role involves: Providing test environments, establishing certification programs and building technical champions are just some of the ways Hannah enables partners at scale.

• What’s driven Hannah’s career success so far: Saying “yes” to opportunities, staying curious and engaging in sports have all contributed to Hannah’s success.

For anyone that’s interested in working with partners and applying their creativity to projects and programs, you'll want to check out this episode.

Many Solutions Engineers (SEs) consider a move into sales but relatively few follow through.

In this episode, Julien Simiand joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as an Account Director at OpenAI.

We cover:

• How Julien got into pre-sales and then sales: A desire to oversee the customer journey from beginning to end and a close relationship with a sales leader both played their part.
• What Julien's role involves: From pipeline generation through to negotiation, Julien highlights parts of the sales process we often don’t see.
• What's driven Julien's career success so far: Julien’s curiosity about how customers work and an obsession with detail have both contributed to his success.

For anyone that’s considering a move into sales and wants to hear first-hand from someone else who’s recently made the transition, this is the episode for you.

Delivering keynote presentations. Facilitating executive engagements. Publishing thought leadership content. Could this be your dream role?

In this episode, Derek Laney joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Technology Evangelist at Salesforce.

We cover:

• How Derek got into pre-sales: After a brief stint as an actor, Derek pivoted into tech, initially in implementation before getting involved in pre-sales.
• What Derek's role involves: Derek's role combines high-frequency customer engagements with public speaking and developing original thought leadership content.
• What's driven Derek's career success so far: A focus on maximising value creation and being open to opportunities have both driven Derek's career success.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone that's enjoyed public speaking and wants to make it a bigger part of their career.

What does it take to be a Principal Solutions Engineer (SE) at not one, but three iconic software companies: HubSpot, Slack, and Atlassian?

In this episode, Lotta Mikkonen, Principal SE at Atlassian, joins Chris Clark to discuss what the Principal SE role involves.

We cover:

• How Lotta got into pre-sales: After studying software engineering, Lotta realised she enjoyed the people-oriented aspects of the work and so she applied for a Sales Engineering internship at Salesforce.

• What Lotta's role involves: She is responsible for managing the relationship and architecture of her own accounts as well as scaling the overall team's success through mentoring and strategic projects.

• What's driven Lotta's career success so far: A combination of curiosity, self-reflection and taking on difficult projects have all contributed to Lotta's career success.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the Principal SE role looks like at tier 1 SaaS companies.

How can a Solutions Engineer (SE) provide global leadership and scale their impact without directly managing people?

In this episode, Andrew Nikolic, Distinguished SE at Slack, joins Chris Clark to discuss the unique responsibilities of a high-level individual contributor (IC) role.

We cover:

• How Andrew Nikolic got into pre-sales: He was in an IT generalist role when a sales rep invited him to a customer meeting, which exposed him to the excitement of a sales cycle and a preference for meeting with customers.

• What Andrew Nikolic's role involves: As a Distinguished SE, he operates at a strategic level as an overlay resource for complex deals involving topics like AI and security, while also providing thought leadership and building internal tools to automate demos at scale.

• What's driven Andrew Nikolic's career success so far: His success is rooted in a mindset of staying curious, proactively building relationships with stakeholders in headquarters, and the conscious decision to pivot from management back to an IC path to focus on his craft.

This episode is a must-listen for pre-sales professionals looking to understand how to advance to the highest levels of the individual contributor track while maintaining a massive organisational impact.

You can follow Andrew on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnikolic/

You can follow Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

Can technical enablement go beyond just training to become a strategic engine for go-to-market (GTM) success?

In this episode, Dan Iacono, GTM Engineer & Technical Enablement Manager at Augment Code, joins Chris Clark to discuss his role in evolving technical enablement at companies like Snowflake, Glean and Augment Code.

We cover:

• How Dan got into pre-sales: After realising the lucrative nature of web development compared to his TV production degree, Dan pivoted to technology and landed a startup pre-sales role that doubled his expected salary.

• What Dan's role involves: He focuses on the problems teams are facing and works back from there, building systems like AI role-play programs that allow sellers to practice customer-facing interactions without the risk of losing a deal.

• What's driven Dan's career success so far: His success stems from a willingness to tackle necessary but avoided tasks, such as building onboarding programs, alongside a commitment to continuous learning in a rapidly changing industry.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand how technical enablement goes beyond just training and serves as a more holistic problem-solving function for GTM.

You can follow Dan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniacono/

You can follow Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

What does it truly take to be the first Solutions Engineer (SE) at a high-growth startup, balancing customer demands with product development?

In this episode, Shivam Trivedi, Head of SE at Factory and former Founding SE at Glean, joins Chris Clark to discuss the unique challenges and rewards of being a founding SE.

We cover:

• How Shiv got into pre-sales: After starting his career in corporate security, Shiv realised he missed customer interaction and saw Solutions Engineering as the perfect bridge between his technical background and his desire to work with people.

• What Shiv's role as a Founding SE involved: As a founding SE, his work spanned from managing every deal and troubleshooting early-stage products to providing a tight, consultative feedback loop directly to the engineering team.

• What's driven Shiv's career success so far: His success is built on ruthless prioritization, the ability to write and communicate raw ideas quickly for clarity, and a "customer-obsessed" approach that focuses on building trust and technical champions.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the high-stakes world of early-stage startups and the "grit" required to build a pre-sales function from the ground up.

You can follow Shiv on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivamctrivedi/

You can follow Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/