Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

Manisha Raisinghani, founder and CEO of SiftHub who builds AI agents for sales and presales workflows. She explores how AI evolved from co-pilot to workflow orchestrator. She explains vibe coding and live prototyping during customer interactions. She describes the Forward Deployed Engineer trend and how agents reason across deals to surface institutional knowledge.

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James continue their conversation with Micah Joel, diving deep into the metrics that matter when building and justifying a demo engineering team. Micah shares practical approaches to measuring the value of demo engineering, from simple time-saving calculations to sophisticated surveys that capture SE satisfaction and retention indicators. The conversation explores how to frame these metrics in terms that senior management cares about, moving beyond technical accomplishments to demonstrate real business impact. Micah emphasizes the importance of thinking "top down" when building a demo engineering organization, focusing on what leadership values most: productivity, cost savings, and revenue growth. He shares real-world examples from his time at Salesforce's Q Branch, including how to measure the value of demo environments, how to identify unexpected patterns in the data (like deals where demo engineers get involved), and how cultivating relationships with SEs creates goodwill that extends beyond the numbers. The discussion also covers how demo engineering impacts go-to-market speed for new products and how to position the team as mission-critical support for field teams rather than just a technical function. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Micah Joel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahjoel/ 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 Key Topics Covered Establishing baseline metrics for demo engineering through time-saving calculations Using SE surveys to measure demo environment value and satisfaction Identifying retention indicators at 3-year and 7-year tenure marks Reducing technical barriers to hiring SEs through better demo tooling Thinking "top down" to align metrics with senior management priorities Measuring go-to-market speed and time-to-revenue for new products Building goodwill and political capital with SE teams Branding your demo engineering team with effective metaphors Course-correcting when metrics don't align with expectations Positioning demo engineering within the organization structure Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 02:55 Measuring time saved with tooling 09:20 Reducing technical hiring barriers 13:50 Building the overall business case 18:30 When metrics don't line up 21:20 Product-to-Market (P2M) 27:40 Final thoughts on top-down thinking

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James sit down with Micah Joel, GTM leader and demo engineering pioneer, to explore what it means to build a dedicated demo engineering function from scratch. Micah shares his journey from theater kid to SE to leading Salesforce's legendary Q Branch, and unpacks why demo engineering might be the most underutilized lever in presales today. They cover the difference between deal-focused and infrastructure-focused demo engineers, how to structure the team, why blended teams fail, and how a mature demo engineering org can swim upstream into product strategy to reduce time-to-revenue. This is part one of two. Part two will focus on measuring and proving the value of a demo engineering team. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Micah Joel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahjoel/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack SoulCon 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026 Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast Key Topics Covered Micah's Background: From Theater to SE to Demo Engineering What Is Demo Engineering and How Is It Different from Being an SE? When Does an Organization Need a Demo Engineering Team? The Two Sides of Demo Engineering: Deal Support vs. Infrastructure/Scale How to Hire and Structure the Team Demo Engineering as a Talent Pipeline and Retention Strategy Swimming Upstream: Demo Engineering's Role in Go-to-Market Strategy Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 02:48 Intro Micah Joel 05:42 Demo engineering definition 08:33 When do you need a DE team? 11:13 Deal side vs. infrastructure/scale side 15:48 Demo engineering as SE retention 23:55 Swimming upstream 27:11 Final advice

Nalin Senthamil, Founder and CEO of Storylane and former Amazon AI engineer, tackles AI beyond demo automation. He explores hidden demo costs, AI as infrastructure with a knowledge layer, and how AI tools like RepEx reshape buyer engagement. Short, sharp takes on automating repeatable work, surfacing the right assets, and preparing presales for strategic AI-driven roles.

Gretchen Fitzgibbons, Senior Manager of Strategic Solutions Consulting at Airtable with nearly two decades advising Fortune 500s, talks courageous, people-centered leadership. She recounts making hard calls to protect team fairness. Short takes cover preparing for leadership, clear-as-kind communication, removing emotion with data, and practical frameworks like 10-10-10 and journaling.

Jon Billett, Founder and CEO of StoryQuadrant, brings 15 years of presales expertise to the table. He discusses why storytelling should be treated as a structured industrial skill rather than a soft skill, emphasizing frameworks for four essential story types. Jon unveils the pitfalls of formulaic success stories, likening them to 'Mad Libs' and stressing the importance of memorable, retellable narratives. He shares tips on maximizing in-person meetings and using contrasting examples to create memorable stories. Tune in for valuable insights on advancing your storytelling skills!

Nikhil Sarma, founder of GTM Solutions Consulting and a presales leader with over 20 years of experience, dives into the complex world of customer indecision. He reveals how economic pressure and a crowded marketplace heighten buyer caution. Nikhil discusses the crucial differences between value clarity and organizational issues. He emphasizes the need for financial fluency among presales teams and advocates for de-risking implementation as a key to closing deals. Practical strategies like collaborative whiteboarding to build consensus also take center stage.

Justin McDonald, Co-founder and CEO of Saleo, shares his extensive SaaS experience as he dives into the transformative impact of AI on presales. He discusses the inefficiencies of demo preparation, coining the term 'demo tax' to highlight hidden costs. Justin emphasizes the importance of high-quality, personalized demo data for engaging storytelling. He also predicts a future where AI streamlines automation tasks, allowing solutions engineers to focus more on building relationships with buyers instead.

Allison Macalik, Director of Solutions and imposter-syndrome workshop leader, and Hannah Bloking, Senior Manager of Pre-sales at AWS and co-founder of 4Under3, share practical approaches to imposter feelings. They explore why it’s universal, reframing it as a phenomenon, the lighthouse speaker mindset, naming negative self-talk, and embedding conversations into company culture.

Miriam Graf, a presales veteran with over 30 years of experience, offers wisdom on navigating the presales career landscape. She emphasizes the importance of communicating your career ambitions and shares insights on transitioning from individual contributor to leader. Miriam also highlights alternative career paths beyond management and underscores the significance of continuous learning and industry knowledge. Her advice on becoming visible by taking initiative is both inspiring and practical for anyone looking to advance their career.