With the rise of AI and the public use of tools such as OpenAI, Sora, Gemini, and Copilot (to name a few), nearly every industry is asking the question: “Will AI replace my job?” Solutions Consultants have been asking this question along with everyone else.

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There is no doubt that the landscape of presales is undergoing a significant transformation. Early entrants into the AI space have launched “AI Sales Engineers.” While the specifics of each vendor vary the implication is simple: Sell more details without hiring more presales professionals. Use AI instead.

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Historically, presales professionals were often viewed primarily as demo specialists or "demo jockeys,” and some of the promises of AI do make sense in this context. If all your presales team does is run demos and answer questions, why do you need a full person on the call with you to do that?

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Unfortunately, this perspective severely undersells the strategic value that most presales professionals bring to their teams. The role of the solutions consultant has evolved far beyond simple product demonstrations into a position of strategic importance within the sales cycle. While none of these capabilities are necessarily new, the importance of these capabilities in order to complete a sale has increased over the last decade.

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As a knowledgeable technical resource, presales professionals now establish themselves as trusted advisors who guide customers through their buying process. Their value extends into multiple strategic areas:

• ‍Solution Design: Architecting complex technical solutions that align with customer needs
• ‍Technical Champion Building: Developing strong relationships with technical decision-makers
• ‍ Value Engineering: Quantifying and articulating business value
• ‍Business Value Architecture: Mapping technical capabilities to business outcomes

The Impact of AI and Demo Automation

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Technology is revolutionizing the presales space, particularly through AI-driven demo automation. As John Cook, Director of Demand Generation at Consensus, notes, "Today, technology is creating more opportunities in the pre-sales space. One area in which sellers and buyers in a B2B transaction benefit from technology is the advent of interactive demos. Rather than have a pre-sales engineer spend time analyzing and identifying customer needs, an interactive demo would let the customers identify their problems themselves slowly narrowing down to a possible specific pain point that causes everything."

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The rise of advanced technology isn't diminishing the importance of presales professionals – quite the opposite. As Ajay Jay, Head of Business at Storylane and former CEO of PreSkale, observes, "Although sales account executives are skilled in initiating and finalizing transactions, buyers require specialists to assist them in making informed purchasing decisions, especially with the introduction of sophisticated technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, among others."

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This increasing complexity of technology solutions has created a fascinating paradox: while AI and automation simplify certain aspects of the presales role, they simultaneously make presales expertise more crucial than ever.

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As basic demonstrations become automated, presales professionals can focus on more complex technical discussions and strategic solution design. They're no longer constrained by the need to perform repetitive demos, allowing them to engage in deeper technical discovery and architecture discussions. This evolution transforms them from pure technical demonstrators into strategic technical consultants who can:

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• Design complex, integrated solutions that leverage multiple technologies
• Provide insight into technology trends and their business implications
• Guide customers through digital transformation initiatives
• Create sophisticated proof-of-concepts that demonstrate real business value
• Architect solutions that incorporate AI and other advanced technologies

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The advent of AI and automation tools isn't replacing presales professionals. Instead, it's elevating their role. By automating routine demonstrations and basic technical explanations, these technologies free up presales teams to focus on more strategic initiatives and complex customer challenges. This evolution transforms presales from a purely technical role into a strategic business function that drives value throughout the sales cycle.

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Sources

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• Cook, John. "Understanding the Difference Between Sales and Pre-Sales." Consensus Blog, 29 October 2024, goconsensus.com/blog/understanding-the-difference-between-sales-and-pre-sales/
• Jay, Ajay. "What is Presales or Sales Engineering." PreSkale Blog, 7 May 2024, preskale.com/blog/what-is-presales-or-sales-engineering

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