Pre-Sales Pathways

Chris Clark
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Pre-Sales Pathways is a podcast that showcases highly successful pre-sales professionals and the career paths they've taken. Find out how they got into pre-sales, what their roles involve and what's driven their career success so far. Pre-Sales Pathways is hosted by Chris Clark. Having had a successful career as a Solutions Engineer at companies like Slack, Salesforce and Glean, Chris now helps other pre-sales professionals do the same through coaching and mentoring. You can follow Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Will Savage, Field CTO at Omni

    Field CTO is generally considered the top role for pre-sales ICs. But what it involves and how to get to it remain something of a mystery.  In this episode, Will Savage joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Field CTO at Omni. We cover: How Will got into pre-sales: Will was working in management consulting at Deloitte before taking on a pre-sales role at Looker, which was a Series A start-up at the time. What Will’s role involves: Will’s work is organised around three primary pillars: acting as the voice of the customer for the engineering team, maintaining a strong market point of view, and enabling the go-to-market team, all while remaining adaptable to company needs. What’s driven Will’s career success so far: Building a catalog of lessons learnt, trying to get by without his own products and demonstrating leadership (even when not a manager) have all contributed to Will’s success. If you’re interested in discussing your technology at the strategic level with technical executives, you won't want to miss Will’s story.

    35 min

  2. Jun 1

    Saskia van Daal, SE Strategy & Operations Lead at Snowflake

    Many SEs feel strongly about strategy but don’t want to become people managers. But what if you could shape strategy whilst remaining an IC? In this episode, Saskia van Daal joins Chris Clark to discuss her role as Solutions Engineering (SE) Strategy & Operations Lead at Snowflake. We cover: How Saskia got into pre-sales: After a brief stint as a management consultant, Saskia joined Tableau, where she spent time in both the Solutions and Product Marketing orgs. What Saskia’s role involves: She supports SE leadership maintain the “rhythm of the business” through things like forecasting and QBRs whilst also supporting strategic projects and programs related to things like tooling or enablement. What’s driven Saskia's career success so far: Consistently staying curious has driven her to explore different professional opportunities (both inside and outside the Solutions organisation) instead of staying comfortable. If you’re interested in process improvement, strategic planning, or discovering how specialised roles can scale an entire Solutions organisation, you won't want to miss Saskia's story.

    34 min

  3. May 26

    Kevin Luptowski, Principal Solutions Engineer at Salesforce

    Being an overlay is fun but you need credibility. Kevin’s “Show Me How” Slack channel (with 1000+ members) demonstrates how to establish it. In this episode, Kevin Luptowski joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Principal Solutions Engineer at Slack/Salesforce. We cover: How Kevin got into pre-sales: After 4 years as a consultant for an implementation partner, Kevin made the move to Salesforce to work as a Solutions Engineer.What Kevin’s role involves: As an overlay for the GTM organisation, Kevin provides support to strategic deals and projects, mentors account teams and develops content to scale his impact.What’s driven Kevin’s career success so far: Having fun at work, genuinely enjoying the process of learning and saying “yes” to opportunities have all contributed to Kevin’s success. For anyone that’s interested in becoming a product specialist/overlay, you'll want to check out this episode.

    30 min

  4. May 18

    Hannah Hawken, Senior Partner SE at Chainguard

    Partner SEs don’t just support deals; they onboard, enable and activate partners at scale so that they can act as an extension of the team. In this episode, Hannah Hawken joins Chris Clark to discuss her role as Senior Partner SE (and founding Partner SE) at Chainguard. We cover: How Hannah got into pre-sales: After studying languages at university, Hannah enrolled on a coding bootcamp, which led her into software engineering and then solutions engineering. What Hannah’s role involves: Providing test environments, establishing certification programs and building technical champions are just some of the ways Hannah enables partners at scale. What’s driven Hannah’s career success so far: Saying “yes” to opportunities, staying curious and engaging in sports have all contributed to Hannah’s success. For anyone that’s interested in working with partners and applying their creativity to projects and programs, you'll want to check out this episode.

    33 min

  5. May 11

    Julien Simiand, Account Director at OpenAI

    Many Solutions Engineers (SEs) consider a move into sales but relatively few follow through. In this episode, Julien Simiand joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as an Account Director at OpenAI. We cover: How Julien got into pre-sales and then sales: A desire to oversee the customer journey from beginning to end and a close relationship with a sales leader both played their part.What Julien's role involves: From pipeline generation through to negotiation, Julien highlights parts of the sales process we often don’t see.What's driven Julien's career success so far: Julien’s curiosity about how customers work and an obsession with detail have both contributed to his success.For anyone that’s considering a move into sales and wants to hear first-hand from someone else who’s recently made the transition, this is the episode for you.

    33 min

  6. Apr 30

    Derek Laney, Technology Evangelist at Salesforce

    Delivering keynote presentations. Facilitating executive engagements. Publishing thought leadership content. Could this be your dream role? In this episode, Derek Laney joins Chris Clark to discuss his role as Technology Evangelist at Salesforce. We cover: How Derek got into pre-sales: After a brief stint as an actor, Derek pivoted into tech, initially in implementation before getting involved in pre-sales.What Derek's role involves: Derek's role combines high-frequency customer engagements with public speaking and developing original thought leadership content.What's driven Derek's career success so far: A focus on maximising value creation and being open to opportunities have both driven Derek's career success. This episode is a must-listen for anyone that's enjoyed public speaking and wants to make it a bigger part of their career.

    46 min

  7. Apr 24

    Lotta Mikkonen, Principal Solutions Engineer (SE) at Atlassian

    What does it take to be a Principal Solutions Engineer (SE) at not one, but three iconic software companies: HubSpot, Slack, and Atlassian? In this episode, Lotta Mikkonen, Principal SE at Atlassian, joins Chris Clark to discuss what the Principal SE role involves. We cover: How Lotta got into pre-sales: After studying software engineering, Lotta realised she enjoyed the people-oriented aspects of the work and so she applied for a Sales Engineering internship at Salesforce. What Lotta's role involves: She is responsible for managing the relationship and architecture of her own accounts as well as scaling the overall team's success through mentoring and strategic projects. What's driven Lotta's career success so far: A combination of curiosity, self-reflection and taking on difficult projects have all contributed to Lotta's career success. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the Principal SE role looks like at tier 1 SaaS companies.

    25 min

  8. Apr 6

    Andrew Nikolic, Distinguished Solutions Engineer (SE) at Slack

    How can a Solutions Engineer (SE) provide global leadership and scale their impact without directly managing people? In this episode, Andrew Nikolic, Distinguished SE at Slack, joins Chris Clark to discuss the unique responsibilities of a high-level individual contributor (IC) role. We cover: How Andrew Nikolic got into pre-sales: He was in an IT generalist role when a sales rep invited him to a customer meeting, which exposed him to the excitement of a sales cycle and a preference for meeting with customers. What Andrew Nikolic's role involves: As a Distinguished SE, he operates at a strategic level as an overlay resource for complex deals involving topics like AI and security, while also providing thought leadership and building internal tools to automate demos at scale. What's driven Andrew Nikolic's career success so far: His success is rooted in a mindset of staying curious, proactively building relationships with stakeholders in headquarters, and the conscious decision to pivot from management back to an IC path to focus on his craft. This episode is a must-listen for pre-sales professionals looking to understand how to advance to the highest levels of the individual contributor track while maintaining a massive organisational impact. You can follow Andrew on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnikolic/ You can follow Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

    31 min

  9. Apr 6

    Dan Iacono, Technical Enablement Manager and GTM Engineer at Augment Code

    Can technical enablement go beyond just training to become a strategic engine for go-to-market (GTM) success? In this episode, Dan Iacono, GTM Engineer & Technical Enablement Manager at Augment Code, joins Chris Clark to discuss his role in evolving technical enablement at companies like Snowflake, Glean and Augment Code. We cover: How Dan got into pre-sales: After realising the lucrative nature of web development compared to his TV production degree, Dan pivoted to technology and landed a startup pre-sales role that doubled his expected salary. What Dan's role involves: He focuses on the problems teams are facing and works back from there, building systems like AI role-play programs that allow sellers to practice customer-facing interactions without the risk of losing a deal. What's driven Dan's career success so far: His success stems from a willingness to tackle necessary but avoided tasks, such as building onboarding programs, alongside a commitment to continuous learning in a rapidly changing industry. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand how technical enablement goes beyond just training and serves as a more holistic problem-solving function for GTM. You can follow Dan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniacono/ You can follow Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

    29 min

  10. Apr 6

    Shiv Trivedi, Founding Solutions Engineer (SE) at Glean

    What does it truly take to be the first Solutions Engineer (SE) at a high-growth startup, balancing customer demands with product development? In this episode, Shivam Trivedi, Head of SE at Factory and former Founding SE at Glean, joins Chris Clark to discuss the unique challenges and rewards of being a founding SE. We cover: How Shiv got into pre-sales: After starting his career in corporate security, Shiv realised he missed customer interaction and saw Solutions Engineering as the perfect bridge between his technical background and his desire to work with people. What Shiv's role as a Founding SE involved: As a founding SE, his work spanned from managing every deal and troubleshooting early-stage products to providing a tight, consultative feedback loop directly to the engineering team. What's driven Shiv's career success so far: His success is built on ruthless prioritization, the ability to write and communicate raw ideas quickly for clarity, and a "customer-obsessed" approach that focuses on building trust and technical champions. This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the high-stakes world of early-stage startups and the "grit" required to build a pre-sales function from the ground up. You can follow Shiv on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivamctrivedi/ You can follow Chris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

    32 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Pre-Sales Pathways is a podcast that showcases highly successful pre-sales professionals and the career paths they've taken. Find out how they got into pre-sales, what their roles involve and what's driven their career success so far. Pre-Sales Pathways is hosted by Chris Clark. Having had a successful career as a Solutions Engineer at companies like Slack, Salesforce and Glean, Chris now helps other pre-sales professionals do the same through coaching and mentoring. You can follow Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-james-clark/

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Clark
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Chris Clark
  • Show Website
    Pre-Sales Pathways