Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

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

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

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

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack 

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

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

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

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

Setting boundaries and tracking workload to prioritize effectively

Cross-functional relationship building as the company "facsimile"

Interview questions to ask when evaluating founding SE opportunities

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

Finding company culture fit and working with good people

In this episode, Jack Cochran sits down with Paul Vogt, VP of Pre-Sales and Professional Services at GPG, to explore how building repeatable methodologies can transform solutions organizations at scale. The conversation dives deep into two powerful frameworks: the Technical Win Definition (5 binary yes/no questions that eliminate ambiguity and improve forecast accuracy) and the PGA Framework (Purpose, Goal, Agenda for planning every customer meeting). 
 
Thank you to Saleo for sponsoring this episode: https://saleo.io 
 
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

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

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://presalescollective.com/slack 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Technical Win Definition: Creating 5 Binary Questions to Eliminate Ambiguity

How Technical Win Criteria Improve Forecast Accuracy Better Than Sales Tracking

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

Warning Signs Your Organization Needs Repeatable Methodologies

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

The Lost Art of Prep Calls and Meeting Alignment

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

Small Impactful Changes: The Ted Lasso Approach to Leadership

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

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

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

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack 

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

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

Consumption-Based Pricing Models and the Death of Shelfware

The Critical Importance of Accurate Consumption Forecasting

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

AI's Impact on Demo Capabilities and Presales Productivity

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

Which Sales Roles Face AI Replacement and Future Career Pathways

The Need to Accelerate Professional Development Beyond 1% Daily

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James sit down with Adam Bauman, Staff Solutions Engineer at Kong, to challenge the myth of the "traditional" path into presales. Adam shares his journey from nearly 20 years in software engineering and management into solutions engineering, exploring why technical backgrounds can be powerful entry points into presales.
 
The conversation also tackles practical advice for both sides of the hiring equation: how candidates without presales experience can demonstrate their value in interviews, and how hiring managers can look beyond traditional backgrounds to find great talent.
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ 

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

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

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack 

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

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

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

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

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

Scoping Engagements and Understanding Buying Journeys Beyond Technical Validation

Staying Involved Through Security, Procurement, and Legal Reviews

Understanding Business Value and ROI from an Engineering Mindset

Using AI Tools Like Claude for Personal and Professional Efficiency

How to Interview for Presales Without Traditional Experience

Changes Needed in Recruiting: Using Rubrics and Formalized Evaluation

Timestamps
00:00 Start
03:36 Welcome Adam Bauman
06:58 Building confidence without all the answers
10:25 Drawing from an engineering background
13:55 Timeline for feeling confident in the role
22:07 Communicating value without presales experience
24:34 Changes needed in recruiting and hiring
27:23 Final Thoughts

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James sit down with Lisa Jameson, a seasoned solutions professional, to explore how she built strategic influence and became a trusted advisor to sales leadership without moving into management. 
 
Lisa provides a practical framework for assessing your current level of trust with sales leadership, finding creative solutions beyond product limitations, and ultimately structuring a custom role that maximizes your impact while staying on the individual contributor track.
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ 

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

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

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack 

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

Key Topics Covered
Building Initial Trust Through Proactive Learning and Debrief Calls

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

Strategic Use of Closed Lost Deals to Increase Credibility

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

Recognizing When Sales Teams Trust Your Strategic Input

Developing Deep Expertise in a Niche Area

Creating Custom IC Roles Through Proven Value

Moving Beyond Product Limitations with Partners and Creative Solutions

The Long Game of Career Development and Building Credibility

Structuring Compensation and Proving ROI for Strategic Roles