Two PreSales in a Pod

By Adam Freeman

What's Two PreSales in a Pod about?

Join your hosts Don Carmichael, Adam Freeman, Mark Green and Tom Edwards for a relaxed podcast discussing topics relevant to the PreSales and Buyer Enablement world.

This podcast will appeal to anyone in a Presales, Sales Engineering, Solution Engineering role, and also anyone who works with those professions.

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Two PreSales in a Pod episodes:

04.22.2024
Episode 76 - How to build a bootstrap SE team (and how not to)
John Simpson joins us to share his wealth of experience in building teams from scratch otherwise known as 'bootstrapping' the build. There's a right way, a wrong way and it's likely you'll sit somewhere in between, but with John's experience...
03.20.2024
Episode 75 - Networking isn't just for social butterflies
Networking helps your internal team, but as Ron Whitson points out in this episode, it's building that outside your business that ultimately leads to the healthy growth of ideas for you and your team. Thanks Ron, for coming to share your...
02.09.2024
Episode 74 - Presales skills could supercharge your job hunt!
What if you treated your job search as a software sale? You'd need all the skills that great presales people have, and so you're one step ahead already - it's like you were leading up to this exact moment. So...
02.01.2024
Episode 73 - Giving feedback as a leader, plus new Co-host!
Ever had to check yourself before giving feedback? Is your way actually the right way, or just the way you'd do it. Leaders have to foster creativity and growth in others but sometimes things just have to be done the...
10.11.2023
Episode 72 - Live at Demofestx London
For the first time in Two Presales in a Pod history, all the presenters are together, live and in-front of the wonderful Demofestx London 2023 audience. Join your hosts Mark Green, Don Carmichael, Adam Freeman and Tom Edwards as audience members...
09.15.2023
Episode 71 - Goals, Hopes and Dreams
Goals and reviews can be crucial for the best running teams, but how many managers get them wrong and what are the best tips for getting them right? Don, Mark and Adam discuss top tips and pitfalls of working with your...
09.05.2023
Episode 70 - Peter Cohan - Digging into discovery
Hey - do you even do discovery right, and is it really enough? Peter Cohan joins Adam to 'discover' How much discovery is enough?, and is a disco demo a good thing or bad thing? We're all ace at doing discovery (or...
08.09.2023
Episode 69 - Lidia Vasileva - Being a creative, and a woman in presales. Some hard conversations.
Today we tackle an important and difficult conversation. We were excited to welcome Lidia Vasileva on the show who if you don't know yet where HAVE you been! Lidia shares her journey of growth into Presales from a more technical...
07.24.2023
Episode 68 - Ian Merry - Pathway to leadership, mobility of talent, identification and readiness.
Adam and Mark welcome Ian Merry, Global Head of Presales for Ideagen. His journey is a fascinating trip through many areas that made his understanding of people and our industry particularly impactful. So listen in to the key benefits of...
06.01.2023
Episode 67 - Bo Borland brings playbooks to presales and ships outcomes instead.
Bo Borland joins us to discuss presales playbooks, and given his experience orchestrating so many vibrant and effective parts of our world, Mark and Adam are keen to explore just how much the game has changed when it comes to...
05.12.2023
Episode 66 - Champion Enablement with Peter Cohan
This episode Adam Freeman and Don Carmichael welcomes a very special guest, Peter Cohan. We talk about how to identify a Champion within a Buyer, what might be motivating them, and how their previous experience of buying Tech changes their approach. We...
04.28.2023
Episode 65 - Why we're massively excited to be in Presales right now
There's lots of doom and gloom in tech, but we're feeling completely the opposite as there's so much to look forward to in our profession right now. Don, Adam and Mark chat about why we're so excited to be in...
02.13.2023
Episode 64 - Pavey Purewal - Are you coachable?
In this episode of 2PIAP Adam is joined by Pavey Purewal. Pavey is an experienced executive coach with 20+ years tech B2B marketing experience for both large enterprise companies and high growth startups. Former VP and CMO roles at startups...
02.02.2023
Episode 63 - Qualification matters - Back to the basics.
In a world where more of our buyer's spending is scrutinised more closely than ever, qualification matters. Don, Adam and Mark go back to basics about qualification and discuss why BANT, MEDDIC and others are crucial to today's presales teams but...
12.19.2022
Episode 62 - Deal Crash Investigation by Daryn Mason
There are millions of books on sales, but very few on what happens when deals go wrong. Daryn's spent years seeing the need rise, so here's written a book to help presales and sales do a systematic analysis on what...
12.12.2022
Episode 61 - Toby Baker on Customer Experience, and why we should learn the good and bad from B2C
In this latest episode Toby Baker joins Don Carmichael and Mark Green to take us through why consistency is important in B2C, and even more important in B2C. Certainly making the customer journey memorable is an important part of making that...
11.03.2022
Episode 60 - Are presales people coin operated? Should they be? Compensation models and more with Kerry Sokalsky
Kerry Sokalsky from Presales Mastery joins Don and Mark to discuss what he's learned from seeing thousands of presales compensation plans on how and why adopt strategies to help compensate people for different reasons. If payments is base salary, compensation and...
10.29.2022
Episode 59 - How buyer enabled is your organisation? The 5 Buyer Enablement Levels
Adam and Mark discuss a new maturity model for Buyer Enablement, how you can work out your current level and how to level up! What's more - it's another one of those fun episodes where we chat, have fun, discuss ideas...
09.16.2022
Episode 58 - with a very special guest, Matt Dixon
In this episode we are joined by the one and only, Matt Dixon. Matt is the Wall Street Journal bestselling co-author of The Challenger Sale, The Effortless Experience, The Challenger Customer and The JOLT Effect. Matt frequently contributes to Harvard...
08.08.2022
Episode 57 - with Peter Cohen and Rob Dean - What is Lead Churn + Do SDRs block the path?
We're back with another of your favourite topics: How buyers are treated at the start of their journey with you (which is NOT, the start of their journey). Peter Cohan and Rob Dean join hosts Adam Freeman, Mark Green and Tom...
07.11.2022
Episode 56 - with Matt Smith - Let's Explore Value Engineering
This week we're back to our regular podcast series with Adam and Don chatting with Matt Smith, Global Chief Architect at IFS about the world of Value Engineering. Matt is a huge name, and massively influential, in the business value...
07.01.2022
Episode 55 - Recorded live, in person! Presenting hybrid meetings, 2PIAP on the road with Garin Hess and Rob Dean.
This week we're on the road with our first ever in-person, live recording of Two Presales in a Pod coming from the very new and shiny Customer Experience Centre at The Access Group. Don, Mark and Adam are today joined by...
06.17.2022
Episode 54 - An Update on the Job Market w/ Josh Hill (Ikuto)
In this episode of 2PAIP we cover all things recruitment. Josh Hill from Ikuto joins us to provide an update on how buoyant the market is, why are people moving and what is the hot skill you need to have...
05.26.2022
Episode 53 - Demofest 2022 Wrap/After Party with John Cook and Sami Focarino
The Demofest Wrap party - It's exclusive, and you're all invited! After-show goodness from Mark, Don and this week's guests back by popular demand it's John Cook and Sami Focarino from Consensus. Following an exciting week at Demofest, we learn the...
05.11.2022
Episode 52 - Demofest 2022 Launch Party with John Cook and Sami Focarino
17th-19th May is the biggest and boldest presales event of the year, and all the 2PIAP hosts are back this week joined by John Cook and Sami Focarino from Consensus to take you behind the scenes of #Demofest 2022. Join us...
05.02.2022
Episode 51 - Presales - keeping up with the change is HARD
"Don’t look back in anger, I heard em say" - well, we're certainly trying not to! We've all travelled quite the learning journey this past few years when it comes to presales, so should we begrudge the changes or adopt them...
04.05.2022
Episode 50 - Navigating Difficult Topics With Empathy w/ Yair Samban
We celebrate our 50th episode by tackling a really tricky topic for many PreSales professionals. How do you have an opinion on a sensitive subject and do it with empathy? We have seen global events over recent years with Covid,...
03.21.2022
Episode 49 - Your next career step
Join Adam, Don and Tom as we discuss your next career step. Are you in the right place to achieve your goals? If so, then stay! If not, there's a world of opportunity out there ready for you to grab. But...
02.23.2022
Episode 48 - What's your environmental impact?
Join Adam and Tom as we discuss the environmental impact of PreSales. We'll discuss topics such as; Sustainability vs environmental impact Recognition of environmental issues as a key business driver A prospects impression of PreSales and our environmental impact Sustainability...
02.10.2022
Episode 47 - Let's explore the virtual world
Join Don and Adam for this episode of 2PIAP as we explore the virtual world. Just what is virtual reality to the professional world and how can we take our first steps to embrace it. We discuss the tech, the advantages,...
01.26.2022
Episode 46 - Wake up! There's no going back!
Adam, Don, Mark and Tom are joined by good friend of the show, Todd Janzen, Global Vice President Solution Engineering Q Branch, Salesforce. Todd is a thought leader in modern PreSales processes and in this episode, we explore the idea that...
01.18.2022
Episode 45 - How do you feel?
Join Don, Adam and Mark as we welcome Steffen Müller to the show. This episode hits hard and hits close to home. Monday of this week was "Blue Monday", the saddest day of the year. We know the pressures that come...
12.21.2021
Episode 44 - 2022 Predictions!
Join Don, Adam, Mark, Tom and friend of the show Peter Cohan as we dust off the crystal ball and make some predictions for 2022! In this episode we'll discuss; What was the over used word of 2021, and what's the...
12.13.2021
Episode 43 - Hypergrowth, is it for everyone? w/ Semir Jahic
Join us in episode 43 with Semir Jahic of Clari! In this episode we are joined by Semir to discuss what it's like to work in PreSales at a hypergrowth organisation. 57% of our listeners said they'd prefer to join...
11.30.2021
Episode 42 - Hybrid meetings, where should we meet? w/ Peter Cohan
Hybrid meetings are becoming more normalised as the world unlocks at various paces across different geographies. Join us in episode 42 as we discuss this and other topics with Peter Cohan to really understand the advantages and pitfalls of a hybrid...
11.22.2021
Episode 41 - The Social Sales Engineer w/ Patrick Pissang
Join us for episode 41 as we talk to good friend of the show, Patrick Pissang! Patrick has literally written the book on how to be a social media superhero with his new book, "The Social Sales Engineer". Join us in...
11.15.2021
Episode 40 - We The Sales Engineers x 2PIAP w/Ramzi Marjaba
Join us for this episode as we get to know the man, the myth, the legend that is Ramzi Marjaba! Ramzi is the founder and host of the PreSales/SE specific podcast, We The Sales Engineers. Ramzi was a pioneer in starting and...
10.14.2021
Episode 39 - Carpe Diem? Productivity w/ Joe Page
Thrive Guys x 2PIAP Podcast Mash Up! In a recent poll, 88% of our listeners thought they were more productive than in pre-pandemic 2019. So, is the answer to that based on having better outputs, more working time, less travel time........
09.16.2021
Episode 38 - Special Guest John Care: Leading the Leaders! + his book review!
John Care discusses how demand from his clients meant a one-to-many approach was needed to get his and Chris Daly's revolutionary message out to the presales world. The Sales Engineer Manager's Handbook is a massive hit, so to hear the background...
08.20.2021
Episode 36 - Your Slides are S**t!
Who better to tell us about great slides and crazy powerpoint skills than "The Prezenter", Russell Anderson-Williams! In this episode, Russ opens our minds to the latest and greatest Powerpoint and Prezzi tips and tricks. We go through the A to...
07.26.2021
Episode 35 - The DQL = No more wasted demos
Garin Hess, CEO of Consensus joins Mark, Tom and Don to discuss DQLs (Demo Qualified Leads) and how understanding them is revolutionising presales impact to buyers, and to sales cycles. Last time we chatted in Episode 16 buyer enablement was hotting...
07.19.2021
Episode 34 - Qualify your next career move
This week we are joined by returning guest and master of presales recruiting, John Hodgson! John joins Adam and Don to talk specialist presales recruitment. Last time we chatted, the job market was unfreezing - now there's a huge demand and...
07.14.2021
Episode 33 - Digital PreSales is not after your job!
In this episode we unpack the concepts of digital PreSales, why it should be on your radar, what it is (and isn't) and why it's something to embrace rather than be afraid of it's impact on your role. Adam, Don, Tom...
07.05.2021
Episode 32 - The Goal is Director
In this episode we are joined by Melanie Benham, Solution Engineering Director Cloud Systems at Oracle (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniebenham/). Melanie shares a deeply personal, moving and inspiring story for anyone working in tech on how you define and reach your goals. Melanie shares her...
06.30.2021
Episode 31 - Bid to Win!
This week we welcome Melissa Peel to the show (https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissapeelavnio/) Melissa joins us to share her vast experience of the bid process and why it matters to prospects, PreSales and the organisations we represent. We cover lots of ground in this episode; ...
06.18.2021
Episode 30 - Everyone is Hiring!
Everywhere you look, companies are hiring PreSales professionals right now! It's an in demand role so just where do we look for talent to fill roles? How do you stand out as a candidate to get the role you want? If...
06.02.2021
Episode 29 - Vision Generation Demos ft. Peter Cohan
This week we are joined by the oracle of PreSales, Peter Cohan! Peter joins Adam, Don and Mark to talk vision generation demos. This is a topic that is hot in PreSales right now. It's also got huge benefits if you...
05.28.2021
Episode 28 - The death of PreSales.....as a job title
Join Tom, Don, Mark and Adam to discuss job titles! It's one of the more controversial topics in our profession and it's a discussion that has been around for many years. In this episode we discuss the pro's and con's of...
05.21.2021
Episode 27 - The Power of Mind Mapping
Mark, Adam and Tom are joined by Mark McKinley, Solution Consulting Director at Infor. In this week's show, Mark takes us through mind mapping and explaining why it is such a powerful tool for PreSales, and how to use it during...
05.13.2021
Episode 26 - Who cares about personal branding
Don returns to the airwaves alongside Tom and Mark to welcome Denise Quinlan, USP hunter and all-round communications consultant to discuss why it's important to understand the context of how we portray ourselves. Come join the usual friendly chat to find...

What's Two PreSales in a Pod about?

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Two PreSales in a Pod episodes:

Episode 76 - How to build a bootstrap SE team (and how not to)

Episode 75 - Networking isn't just for social butterflies

Episode 74 - Presales skills could supercharge your job hunt!

Episode 73 - Giving feedback as a leader, plus new Co-host!

Episode 72 - Live at Demofestx London

Episode 71 - Goals, Hopes and Dreams

Episode 70 - Peter Cohan - Digging into discovery

Episode 69 - Lidia Vasileva - Being a creative, and a woman in presales. Some hard conversations.

Episode 68 - Ian Merry - Pathway to leadership, mobility of talent, identification and readiness.

Episode 67 - Bo Borland brings playbooks to presales and ships outcomes instead.

Episode 66 - Champion Enablement with Peter Cohan

Episode 65 - Why we're massively excited to be in Presales right now

Episode 64 - Pavey Purewal - Are you coachable?

Episode 63 - Qualification matters - Back to the basics.

Episode 62 - Deal Crash Investigation by Daryn Mason

Episode 61 - Toby Baker on Customer Experience, and why we should learn the good and bad from B2C

Episode 60 - Are presales people coin operated? Should they be? Compensation models and more with Kerry Sokalsky

Episode 59 - How buyer enabled is your organisation? The 5 Buyer Enablement Levels

Episode 58 - with a very special guest, Matt Dixon

Episode 57 - with Peter Cohen and Rob Dean - What is Lead Churn + Do SDRs block the path?

Episode 56 - with Matt Smith - Let's Explore Value Engineering

Episode 55 - Recorded live, in person! Presenting hybrid meetings, 2PIAP on the road with Garin Hess and Rob Dean.

Episode 54 - An Update on the Job Market w/ Josh Hill (Ikuto)

Episode 53 - Demofest 2022 Wrap/After Party with John Cook and Sami Focarino

Episode 52 - Demofest 2022 Launch Party with John Cook and Sami Focarino

Episode 51 - Presales - keeping up with the change is HARD

Episode 50 - Navigating Difficult Topics With Empathy w/ Yair Samban

Episode 49 - Your next career step

Episode 48 - What's your environmental impact?

Episode 47 - Let's explore the virtual world

Episode 46 - Wake up! There's no going back!

Episode 45 - How do you feel?

Episode 44 - 2022 Predictions!

Episode 43 - Hypergrowth, is it for everyone? w/ Semir Jahic

Episode 42 - Hybrid meetings, where should we meet? w/ Peter Cohan

Episode 41 - The Social Sales Engineer w/ Patrick Pissang

Episode 40 - We The Sales Engineers x 2PIAP w/Ramzi Marjaba

Episode 39 - Carpe Diem? Productivity w/ Joe Page

Episode 38 - Special Guest John Care: Leading the Leaders! + his book review!

Episode 36 - Your Slides are S**t!

Episode 35 - The DQL = No more wasted demos

Episode 34 - Qualify your next career move

Episode 33 - Digital PreSales is not after your job!

Episode 32 - The Goal is Director

Episode 31 - Bid to Win!

Episode 30 - Everyone is Hiring!

Episode 29 - Vision Generation Demos ft. Peter Cohan

Episode 28 - The death of PreSales.....as a job title

Episode 27 - The Power of Mind Mapping

Episode 26 - Who cares about personal branding

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