Solutions Engineered for ICs, Leaders, and Organizations to Thrive
Presales Academy
Break into presales with a 10-week online, cohort-based course. Students receive:
- Interactive online curriculum with hands-on projects
- Unmatched support with personal mentors, coaches and advisors
- Ongoing career services to secure a presales job
- Access to the largest presales professional network
PSC Free Membership
Increase your impact, connect with leading practitioners, and accelerate your career. Membership is free and includes:
- 50+ online and in-person events
- The largest presales knowledge base on the internet
- Slack community with 15,000+ presales pros
- 1:1 Member Connections
- And so much more!
40k+ Members
Presales Foundations
Hone your customer-facing skills in a 4-week online, cohort-based course covering:
- Master presales discovery, demoing, and objection handling
- Uncover nuances like storytelling, rapport building, and identifying core needs
- Create a complete toolkit to excel in presales customer engagements
- And more!
PSC Free Membership
Increase your impact, connect with leading practitioners, and accelerate your career. Membership is free and includes:
- 50+ online and in-person events
- Slack community with 15,000+ presales pros
- The largest presales knowledge base on the internet
- 1:1 Member connections
- And so much more!
Presales Leadership Community
PSLC is the preeminent community for presales leaders (managers, directors, VPs). Membership includes everything in free membership, plus:
- Exclusive in-person events and dinners
- Private Slack channel with 350+ presales leaders
- Priority selection for speaking and writing opportunities
- Monthly leadership roundtables
350+ LEADERS
Team Training
Enable presales excellence at scale with best-in-class onboarding and leader training programs:
- For ICs, our programs help them hone skills in discovery, demoing, and objection handling within the unique context of presales
- For Leaders, our programs coach how to bring process to performance, maximize resources, and scale and sustain a team
Hire with PSC
Build an exceptional presales organization. Here's how we help:
- Advertise open roles on our job board
- Browse candidates in our talent network
- Join our Presales Academy career fair
Team Training
Enable presales excellence at scale with PSC's best-in-class training programs for:
- For ICs, our programs help them hone skills in discovery, demoing, and objection handling within the unique context of presales
- For Leaders, our programs coach how to bring process to performance, maximize resources, and scale and sustain a team
25+ TEAMS TRAINED
Sponsor PSC
Showcase your solutions to the largest community of presales professionals. Here's how we engage with sponsors:
- Speak at PSC events
- Sponsor dinners with presales executive leaders
- Co-write thought leadership pieces with us.
- Guest star on the PSC podcast
Join 40k+
PSC members
PSC members
Join the Largest Community of Presales Professionals
PSC helps members increase their impact, connect with leading practitioners and accelerate their careers through professional development, tactical resources, and countless opportunities to engage with other members.
- Slack community of 15,000+ presales pros
- Live events & industry summits with visionary leaders
- Best-in-class articles, reports, and templates
- Job board with the best jobs in presales
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Join the #1 Community of Presales Professionals
Complete the form below to become a free member.
PRESALES COLLECTIVE
EXECUTIVE SUMMIT 2022
November 1 | November 2
Day 1: 8AM to 1:30PM PT
Day 1 (11/2 for APJ) 9:30AM - 1PM (AEST)
Day 2 (11/2): 8AM to 12:45PM PT
The Premier Event for PreSales Leaders
PreSales Leadership Collective presents the Third Annual PreSales Executive Summit!
This two-day event will feature 50+ leaders over 21 sessions.
This two-day event will feature 50+ leaders over 21 sessions.
Learn from PreSales Veterans
Keynotes, presentations, and discussions with PreSales thought leaders on the most relevant topics for the modern PreSales executive.
Opportunities for Building Your Network
Each day will begin with an optional speed networking session! You'll have the chance to be paired with other leaders for a quick introduction and connect for future 1:1 interactions.
Live Discussion on Real Experiences
Presenters and attendees are ready to share ideas, experiences, and strategies to help you overcome challenges and drive progress for your team.
Meet the speakers
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Agenda
Any sessions in yellow are for PSLC members only
Day 1 - November 1, 2022
7:00AM - 7:45AM (PDT)
Optional Pre-conference Networking and Gathering (Exclusively for PSLC Members)
8:00AM - 8:15AM (PDT)
Opening Messages (Exclusively for PSLC Members)
James Kaikis - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
Kevin Mefford - Head of Community @ PreSales Collective
Shawna James - Community & Events Manager @ PreSales Collective
Kevin Mefford - Head of Community @ PreSales Collective
Shawna James - Community & Events Manager @ PreSales Collective
8:15AM - 9:00AM (PDT)
PSLC Opening Keynote: Forging a Career Path: Develop Your Team While Paving Your Own Way
Speaker:
Dominic Dinardo, CEO & Co-founder @ Aforza
Your role as a leader is to steer members of your team along the path to career growth. But what about your own? Join us for this keynote as Dominic Dinardo, CEO and Co-founder of Aforza, shares how he leveraged his experience in PreSales to advance his career and found his own company. Get inspiration for finding unique opportunities to develop your team and planning your own career path.
Dominic Dinardo, CEO & Co-founder @ Aforza
Your role as a leader is to steer members of your team along the path to career growth. But what about your own? Join us for this keynote as Dominic Dinardo, CEO and Co-founder of Aforza, shares how he leveraged his experience in PreSales to advance his career and found his own company. Get inspiration for finding unique opportunities to develop your team and planning your own career path.
9:00AM - 9:45AM (PDT)
Aligning PreSales to Business Outcomes
Speaker:
Todd Janzen - GVP, Q Branch @ Salesforce
Moderator:
Amin Ibrahim - Senior Director, Value & Solutions @ Hootsuite
Too often, PreSales leaders prioritize growing their SE teams — and while this is important, it’s more critical to tie the team’s initiatives to revenue. In this session, we’ll discuss why Solutions Engineers should own all demo interactions, not just live demos with buyers. Learn how making this shift can lead to a 30% increase in deal velocity, 2X close rates and happier SEs.
Todd Janzen - GVP, Q Branch @ Salesforce
Moderator:
Amin Ibrahim - Senior Director, Value & Solutions @ Hootsuite
Too often, PreSales leaders prioritize growing their SE teams — and while this is important, it’s more critical to tie the team’s initiatives to revenue. In this session, we’ll discuss why Solutions Engineers should own all demo interactions, not just live demos with buyers. Learn how making this shift can lead to a 30% increase in deal velocity, 2X close rates and happier SEs.
9:45AM - 10:30AM (PDT)
Leading Through Turbulent Times
Speakers:
Naz Irani - Head - Enterprise Solutions Architecture @ Stripe
Andrea Bondi - VP, Global Solutions Engineering @ Onfido
Priyanka Amrith - Manager Solutions Architecture @ Stripe
Moderator:
Amin Ibrahim - Senior Director, Value & Solutions @ Hootsuite
Change in an unstable economy presents many challenges for leaders across industries, and requires proactive planning. The way you treat your team during a crisis permanently defines your brand moving forward. So, how do you develop trust in unpredictable times? Attend this discussion to discover the most common frameworks and best practices for leading change and preparing for a successful future.
Naz Irani - Head - Enterprise Solutions Architecture @ Stripe
Andrea Bondi - VP, Global Solutions Engineering @ Onfido
Priyanka Amrith - Manager Solutions Architecture @ Stripe
Moderator:
Amin Ibrahim - Senior Director, Value & Solutions @ Hootsuite
Change in an unstable economy presents many challenges for leaders across industries, and requires proactive planning. The way you treat your team during a crisis permanently defines your brand moving forward. So, how do you develop trust in unpredictable times? Attend this discussion to discover the most common frameworks and best practices for leading change and preparing for a successful future.
10:30AM - 11:00AM (PDT)
Break
Sponsor booths will be open in the expo area!
11:00AM - 11:15AM (PDT)
Public Kickoff
(Open to all registrants)
11:15AM - 12:00PM (PDT)
Keynote: The Future of PreSales: Reimagining the Profession
Speaker:
Matt Darrow - Co-Founder & CEO @ Vivun
James Kaikis - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
PreSales Collective has teamed up with Vivun to introduce a new approach to the name, structure and overall profession of PreSales. As a start, we want to have a conversation around the word “PreSales” and propose a new title for those in the role that better describes its evolution and power in modern organizations: Solutions Consultant. To better understand, benchmark, brand and build an industry community, we’ve got to reimagine and standardize the role.
Matt Darrow - Co-Founder & CEO @ Vivun
James Kaikis - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
PreSales Collective has teamed up with Vivun to introduce a new approach to the name, structure and overall profession of PreSales. As a start, we want to have a conversation around the word “PreSales” and propose a new title for those in the role that better describes its evolution and power in modern organizations: Solutions Consultant. To better understand, benchmark, brand and build an industry community, we’ve got to reimagine and standardize the role.
12:00PM - 12:45PM (PDT)
Nurturing Relationships Across the Sales Cycle
Speakers:
Diana Cappello - Director, Solutions Engineering @ Eightfold
Tina Phillips - Director, Global PreSales Consultants @ ADP
Vikram Gupta - Senior Director, SE and TAM @ Akamai Technologies
Moderator:
Cortney Zamm - Director of Solutions Engineering @ Sprout Social
Most PreSales teams have a narrow focus on new logo acquisition; others may only be concerned with expanding business with existing customers. It’s important to understand the difference between how to manage net-new logo sales versus selling into existing accounts, and align on team and individual roles and responsibilities for each. Join this session as we look into establishing Installed Base SE teams to help customers see value in your products throughout their contracts.
Diana Cappello - Director, Solutions Engineering @ Eightfold
Tina Phillips - Director, Global PreSales Consultants @ ADP
Vikram Gupta - Senior Director, SE and TAM @ Akamai Technologies
Moderator:
Cortney Zamm - Director of Solutions Engineering @ Sprout Social
Most PreSales teams have a narrow focus on new logo acquisition; others may only be concerned with expanding business with existing customers. It’s important to understand the difference between how to manage net-new logo sales versus selling into existing accounts, and align on team and individual roles and responsibilities for each. Join this session as we look into establishing Installed Base SE teams to help customers see value in your products throughout their contracts.
12:45PM - 1:30PM (PDT)
Running Your Team Like a Business: Measuring & Proving Success Through Data
Speakers:
Achint Sehgal - Director, Solutions Engineering @ OneTrust
Lori Payne - Vice President, Global Solutions Consulting @ BlackLine
Dan Katz - Head of Solutions Engineering @ Demostack
Ryan Lavalee - Vice President, Solution Engineering @ Salesforce
Moderator:
Cortney Zamm - Director of Solutions Engineering @ Sprout Social
How do you measure success? How do you demonstrate the value of your PreSales teams to an executive audience? Many members of the PreSales community are just beginning to track data and leveraging it to get a seat at the table. This session will cover why you need to use data to drive organizational outcomes — and the pitfalls of failing to do so. Leave with a leadership strategy for scaling and aligning PreSales to your sales and financial goals.
Achint Sehgal - Director, Solutions Engineering @ OneTrust
Lori Payne - Vice President, Global Solutions Consulting @ BlackLine
Dan Katz - Head of Solutions Engineering @ Demostack
Ryan Lavalee - Vice President, Solution Engineering @ Salesforce
Moderator:
Cortney Zamm - Director of Solutions Engineering @ Sprout Social
How do you measure success? How do you demonstrate the value of your PreSales teams to an executive audience? Many members of the PreSales community are just beginning to track data and leveraging it to get a seat at the table. This session will cover why you need to use data to drive organizational outcomes — and the pitfalls of failing to do so. Leave with a leadership strategy for scaling and aligning PreSales to your sales and financial goals.
1:30PM - 1:45PM (PDT)
Closing
Details to come
Schedule for AEDT Time Zone
9:00AM - 9:30AM (AEDT)
Optional Pre-Conference Networking and Gathering
9:30AM - 9:45AM (AEDT)
Opening Remarks
James Kaikis - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
Kevin Mefford - Head of Community @ PreSales Collective
Shawna James - Community & Events Manager @ PreSales Collective
Kevin Mefford - Head of Community @ PreSales Collective
Shawna James - Community & Events Manager @ PreSales Collective
9:45AM - 10:30AM (AEDT)
Working Toward a Common Goal: Give Back as a Team
Speakers:
Alethea Josephson - Community Impact Manager @ Zoom
Davinder Mann - Senior Director, Global Citizen Philanthropy Programs Team @ Salesforce
Moderator:
Paul Baptist - VP, Solution Engineering APJ @ Alteryx
Encouraging teamwork can extend beyond the four walls of the office and four corners of your computer screen. Working together to give back and help others not only boosts morale but also leads to higher productivity and performance. Employees need a break from core job functions to recharge, and partnering with each other toward a common goal establishes trust amongst coworkers. Discover how to give back to your community while strengthening your team dynamics in this session.
Alethea Josephson - Community Impact Manager @ Zoom
Davinder Mann - Senior Director, Global Citizen Philanthropy Programs Team @ Salesforce
Moderator:
Paul Baptist - VP, Solution Engineering APJ @ Alteryx
Encouraging teamwork can extend beyond the four walls of the office and four corners of your computer screen. Working together to give back and help others not only boosts morale but also leads to higher productivity and performance. Employees need a break from core job functions to recharge, and partnering with each other toward a common goal establishes trust amongst coworkers. Discover how to give back to your community while strengthening your team dynamics in this session.
10:30AM - 11:15AM (AEDT)
Building a Regional Organization Within a Global Business
Speakers:
Aditya Dohroo - Head - Solutions Consulting @ Adobe
Sarah Hayward-May - Director, Technical Services APAC Domo, Inc. @ Domo
Stephanie Barnett - Head, Solution Engineering @ Cloudflare
Moderator:
Karthik Krishna - Manager, Solution Engineering @ Freshworks
Details: This session is brought to you by leaders who are building teams in the APJ region for organizations headquartered in the United States or Europe. This region faces unique challenges, from developing talent to working with buyers across various markets. Sit in to learn ways to more effectively lead your team and align across geographic — and potentially cultural — differences.
Aditya Dohroo - Head - Solutions Consulting @ Adobe
Sarah Hayward-May - Director, Technical Services APAC Domo, Inc. @ Domo
Stephanie Barnett - Head, Solution Engineering @ Cloudflare
Moderator:
Karthik Krishna - Manager, Solution Engineering @ Freshworks
Details: This session is brought to you by leaders who are building teams in the APJ region for organizations headquartered in the United States or Europe. This region faces unique challenges, from developing talent to working with buyers across various markets. Sit in to learn ways to more effectively lead your team and align across geographic — and potentially cultural — differences.
11:15AM - 12:00PM (AEDT)
Running Your Team Like a Business: Measuring & Proving Success Through Data
Speakers:
Angelica Veness - Senior Manager Solution engineering Development @ Salesforce
Chris Streit - VP, Solution Consulting and Industry Principals, Americas @ Domo
Linda Glucina - Enterprise Solution Consulting Manager @ MYOB
Moderator:
Karthik Krishna - Manager, Solution Engineering @ Freshworks
How do you measure success? How do you demonstrate the value of your PreSales teams to an executive audience? Many members of the PreSales community are just beginning to track data and leveraging it to get a seat at the table. This session will cover why you need to use data to drive organizational outcomes — and the pitfalls of failing to do so. Leave with a leadership strategy for scaling and aligning PreSales to your sales and financial goals.
Angelica Veness - Senior Manager Solution engineering Development @ Salesforce
Chris Streit - VP, Solution Consulting and Industry Principals, Americas @ Domo
Linda Glucina - Enterprise Solution Consulting Manager @ MYOB
Moderator:
Karthik Krishna - Manager, Solution Engineering @ Freshworks
How do you measure success? How do you demonstrate the value of your PreSales teams to an executive audience? Many members of the PreSales community are just beginning to track data and leveraging it to get a seat at the table. This session will cover why you need to use data to drive organizational outcomes — and the pitfalls of failing to do so. Leave with a leadership strategy for scaling and aligning PreSales to your sales and financial goals.
12:00PM - 12:45PM (AEDT)
Embracing a Coaching Culture
Speaker:
Ross Rotherham, Technology and Business Innovation Director @ Mental Fitness Crew
As leaders, we want our Solutions Engineers to continue developing their competencies and maximizing their impact. Instituting a coaching culture motivates individuals to strive to be the best version of themselves, lead from their strengths and perform exceptionally. We’ll dive into the fundamentals of an effective coaching culture, habits of a good coach and the different types of coaching you can incorporate when you return to work.
12:45PM- 1:00PM (AEDT)
Closing
Kevin Mefford - Head of Community @ PreSales Collective
Day 2 - November 2, 2022
7:00AM - 7:45AM (PDT)
Optional Pre-Conference Networking and Gathering (Open to all registrants)
8:00AM - 8:15AM (PDT)
Opening
Yuji Higashi - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
8:15AM - 9:00AM (PDT)
Developing the Next Generation of PreSales Professionals
Speakers:
Alex Hall - Senior Director, Global SC Academy @ ServiceNow
Wally Bruner - Sr. Manager, Applications Sales & SE Onboarding & Excellence @ Oracle
Moderator:
Steve Bullington - Director, SE Talent Development @ Salesforce
With limited resources surrounding the PreSales profession, many companies are interested in building their own programs for developing early career professionals or those transitioning into a PreSales role. This session will provide insights from leaders who have successfully navigated the creation of such programs. Learn about the advantages of academy programs for hiring and developing talent and how to get started in establishing your own.
Alex Hall - Senior Director, Global SC Academy @ ServiceNow
Wally Bruner - Sr. Manager, Applications Sales & SE Onboarding & Excellence @ Oracle
Moderator:
Steve Bullington - Director, SE Talent Development @ Salesforce
With limited resources surrounding the PreSales profession, many companies are interested in building their own programs for developing early career professionals or those transitioning into a PreSales role. This session will provide insights from leaders who have successfully navigated the creation of such programs. Learn about the advantages of academy programs for hiring and developing talent and how to get started in establishing your own.
9:00AM - 9:45AM (PDT)
Level the Field: How Buyer Enablement Eases the Talent Requirement
Speaker:
Garin Hess, CEO @ Consensus
Research shows that only 7.7% of technical sellers are skilled at meeting the varying needs of the different stakeholders in the buying group. That means the vast majority are ill equipped to lead buyers through the complexity of the buying process. This results in longer sales cycles and lower close rates. In this session we'll explore how technical sales teams (Presales and Sales together) can design and implement a buyer enablement strategy that creates a system that less experienced and less skilled sales engineers and sales reps can lean on to create a more consistent and effective buying experience, regardless of the individual talent of the individuals involved.
Garin Hess, CEO @ Consensus
Research shows that only 7.7% of technical sellers are skilled at meeting the varying needs of the different stakeholders in the buying group. That means the vast majority are ill equipped to lead buyers through the complexity of the buying process. This results in longer sales cycles and lower close rates. In this session we'll explore how technical sales teams (Presales and Sales together) can design and implement a buyer enablement strategy that creates a system that less experienced and less skilled sales engineers and sales reps can lean on to create a more consistent and effective buying experience, regardless of the individual talent of the individuals involved.
9:45AM - 10:30AM (PDT)
Realigning Your Team to Serve Customers
Speakers:
Tim Ebbers - Head of Customer Engineering @ Era Software
Brendan Sapience - Director, Customer Solution @ Twingate
Peter Lyu - VP, Global Solutions & Customer Success @ Rescale
Moderator:
Wendy McHenry - Director, Solution Consulting @ Pegasystems
It’s an age-old story for organizations: siloed departments leading to disjointed data and a clunky customer experience. By bringing PreSales, post-sales, professional services, customer success and more into one team, businesses can better serve their customers’ needs from day one. Hear from leaders who have successfully tackled this alignment as they share best practices for collaboration and cooperation between departments.
Tim Ebbers - Head of Customer Engineering @ Era Software
Brendan Sapience - Director, Customer Solution @ Twingate
Peter Lyu - VP, Global Solutions & Customer Success @ Rescale
Moderator:
Wendy McHenry - Director, Solution Consulting @ Pegasystems
It’s an age-old story for organizations: siloed departments leading to disjointed data and a clunky customer experience. By bringing PreSales, post-sales, professional services, customer success and more into one team, businesses can better serve their customers’ needs from day one. Hear from leaders who have successfully tackled this alignment as they share best practices for collaboration and cooperation between departments.
10:30AM - 11:00AM (PDT)
Break
11:00AM - 11:45AM (PDT)
Commitment Means Success: Leading Your Team as Individuals
Speakers:
Delia Parman - Senior Director, Solutions Consulting @ Medidata Solutions
Chris Browne - Director, Solutions Consulting @ Lattice
Moderator:
Wendy McHenry - Director, Solution Consulting @ Pegasystems
The new Gen Z member of your team has different motivations than the more seasoned Gen Xers or Millennials — yet many leaders tend to get stuck in a singular management strategy. Developing every PreSales professional on the team means tailoring your approach based on their unique preferences and career drivers. In this session, we’ll explore ways to better understand both your employees and your buyers one or two generations ahead to build a more productive and lucrative team.
Delia Parman - Senior Director, Solutions Consulting @ Medidata Solutions
Chris Browne - Director, Solutions Consulting @ Lattice
Moderator:
Wendy McHenry - Director, Solution Consulting @ Pegasystems
The new Gen Z member of your team has different motivations than the more seasoned Gen Xers or Millennials — yet many leaders tend to get stuck in a singular management strategy. Developing every PreSales professional on the team means tailoring your approach based on their unique preferences and career drivers. In this session, we’ll explore ways to better understand both your employees and your buyers one or two generations ahead to build a more productive and lucrative team.
11:45AM - 12:30PM (PDT)
How B2B Sales is Evolving and Why Our Role is So Important to that Evolution
Speakers:
Lexi Bohonnan - EVP, Global Customer Success @ Yext
Marc Ferrentino - President and COO @ Yext
Moderator:
David Maloof - GVP, Strategic Advisory Services @ Salesforce
The world of B2B sales has transformed. Buyers once enjoyed a round of golf, a steak dinner, and a handshake to seal the deal — but now, they’re more sophisticated than ever, doing the majority of their research into products and services before even speaking with a potential vendor.
Sales and revenue teams must bring immediate value, and Solutions professionals have become all the more important in bridging the gap between a buyer’s business needs and the solutions offered.
In this discussion, join our host, David Maloof, GVP at Salesforce, as he talks to Yext’s EVP, Global Customer Success, Lexi Bohonnon, and President and COO, Marc Ferrentino, as they share their experiences in aligning teams to build an effective go-to-market approach.
Lexi Bohonnan - EVP, Global Customer Success @ Yext
Marc Ferrentino - President and COO @ Yext
Moderator:
David Maloof - GVP, Strategic Advisory Services @ Salesforce
The world of B2B sales has transformed. Buyers once enjoyed a round of golf, a steak dinner, and a handshake to seal the deal — but now, they’re more sophisticated than ever, doing the majority of their research into products and services before even speaking with a potential vendor.
Sales and revenue teams must bring immediate value, and Solutions professionals have become all the more important in bridging the gap between a buyer’s business needs and the solutions offered.
In this discussion, join our host, David Maloof, GVP at Salesforce, as he talks to Yext’s EVP, Global Customer Success, Lexi Bohonnon, and President and COO, Marc Ferrentino, as they share their experiences in aligning teams to build an effective go-to-market approach.
12:30PM - 12:45PM (PDT)
Closing with PreSales Collective
James Kaikis - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
Yuji Higashi - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
Yuji Higashi - Co-Founder @ PreSales Collective
Our Sponsors & Partners
Thank you for your interest in Executive Summit 2022! We have two offerings as you'll see in the ticket choices below.
The PSLC Member ticket is only for members of the PreSales Leadership Collective (presalescollective.com/leaders) and eligibility will be checked for anyone registering with this ticket. If you are currently a PSLC member, select this ticket. This ticket will allow you entry to the private portion of the conference on day 1.
The Non-member ticket is open to anyone who is currently a people leader. Eligibility will also be checked for these tickets. You will have access to the public sessions, starting in the afternoon of day 1.
We are also hosting sessions starting at 9am AEDT November 2/ 4pm PST November 1 to better accommodate leaders in APJ. These are public sessions, so either ticket will be allowed entry.