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The latest episode of the Presales Podcast featured a compelling conversation with Justin McDonald, Co-founder and CEO of Saleo, who shared insights on how demo automation technology is reshaping the presales landscape. Hosted by Jack Cochran, General Manager of Presales Collective, and Matthew James, the episode explored the hidden costs of demo preparation and how solutions engineers can leverage AI to reclaim their time for what matters most: building relationships with buyers.
Listen to the full episode now!
The Demo Prep Tax: A Hidden Cost Center
One of the most striking concepts from the conversation was the "demo tax,” a term coined by Brian Cody, VP of Sales Engineering at Clari, after his team reduced their demo prep time by 93% using Saleo.
As Justin explained, the demo tax extends far beyond just SE time. It encompasses multiple departments and resources: DevOps teams maintaining tenant structures, product and engineering running scripts and seeding data, hard dollar costs for hosting demo environments (sometimes millions of dollars at enterprise scale), and the constant battle against demo data degradation.
"I used to spend sometimes 30 minutes, an hour and a half a day, which is several hours per week, literally grooming the demo environment," Justin recalled from his early SE days. "I was effectively implementing the application to myself."
Why Demo Data Is the Story
Justin emphasized a crucial insight: "The demo data is the story. You cannot tell a great story and be a great storyteller as an SE without great demo data. It's not possible. Otherwise, it's just a blank canvas—it's a UI."
This creates a dilemma for SEs. Generic demo data can work across accounts but limits personalization. Taking the extra step to customize demos for specific industries, use cases, or accounts requires significant additional time, which leads to a higher demo tax. Yet that personalization is exactly what separates good demos from great ones and drives higher technical win rates.
The 17% Problem: Spending More Time with Buyers
The conversation highlighted a sobering statistic: sales teams spend only about 17% of their time with buyers. For presales specifically, that number is likely even lower.
"If you're not with them, what do you need to do to empower, equip, and make sure that you are presenting the most amount of value?" Justin asked. The answer lies in both efficiency and intentionality, using technology to reduce administrative burden while being strategic about every buyer interaction.
Both hosts and guest emphasized that in-person meetings remain irreplaceable for building the kind of relational capital that closes deals. Justin shared how a single in-person interaction earlier this year unlocked opportunities that "would have never, ever have happened if we wouldn't have been in person."
AI Demo Data Agents: From Hours to Instants
Saleo's Demo Data Agent represents a practical application of AI in the demo automation space. The tool allows SEs to type a single prompt and instantly generate contextually relevant demo data that's injected directly into the live product.
"It understands the context of the customer's application, where they are in the application, how all the data and the information is interconnected," Justin explained. "And it literally generates the data instantaneously and then injects it directly into the live product."
The recently launched token capability takes this further, allowing SEs to adapt entire demo stories by industry, vertical, or use case with a single prompt propagating changes across the entire demo environment.
Looking Ahead: What's Coming in 2026
Justin sees AI automation expanding across the entire sales cycle in the coming years. "The spectrum is going to get longer and longer, how AI is used," he noted, pointing to advances in context windows and the rise of agentic AI tools.
However, he firmly believes SEs won't be replaced. Instead, their time will be used differently, with emotional intelligence and relationship-building becoming even more critical differentiators. "I believe the superpower of presales is your ability to really hone your EQ and the relational capital," Justin said. "I think that becomes more important."
Final Advice: Don't Be Complacent
Justin's closing advice was direct: "Don't be lazy. Work hard. Take the next level to personalize or elevate your demo."
He acknowledged that SEs are stretched thin from demo after demo, to constant prep, and demands from AEs. But he urged them to resist complacency: "It's so easy to just show up and deliver because you're great at doing it. But I would just say, go the next mile, take it to the next level."
The Bottom Line
The presales profession has evolved dramatically over the past two decades, from SE work requiring weeks of prep and constant travel to today's high-velocity demo environment. As AI tools mature, the opportunity isn't to replace human connection but to amplify it. Givie SEs more time for the strategic, relationship-building work that technology cannot replicate.
By reducing or even eliminating the demo tax, solutions engineers can focus on what actually wins deals: telling compelling stories, building trusted partnerships, and showing buyers exactly how their problems will be solved.
Join the Presales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes, and follow the PSC LinkedIn page for upcoming shows.
