SolutionScience #016 | A curated guide to the best Presales content
This issue is a bit special because I have written it in English exceptionally.
Almost every quality Presales resource still lives in this language and to be honest, talking about them would have felt a bit "bizarre" like finding an English voice for Fabrice Luchini... It sort of works, but the experience is not real!
After more than 15 years in Presales, I’ve seen, used, and tested most of the content that circulates in our little world. Some are generic, some are outdated, but a few are truly game changing.
What follows is not a random list of links: it is a curated selection of the communities, podcasts, books, and most importantly people that have actually shaped the way I think and work as a Solution Engineer.
Don’t worry, SolutionScience will stay a French-speaking newsletter!
But for once, I wanted to open the window a little wider and take you on a short trip through our global Presales ecosystem.
Think of this issue as a gateway, a practical entry point into the best Presales resources out there. Bookmark it, share it with your team, and pass it along to anyone who wants to grow faster in this role.
Let's go!
- Communities (you’re not alone in this job!)
If you still think no one understands what you actually do for a living, these spaces will change that!
Presales Collective
I think PSC is the biggest global Presales network with a community of 50,000+ SEs and tons of stuff including blog, podcast, webinars, Slack, job boards, events, mentorship, etc. It’s the best place to ask questions, share best practices, and actually realize you’re not crazy: the job is that complex.
r/salesengineers (that's a subreddit)
I love reading this subreddit full of pretty candid and unfiltered discussions. It is less polished than PSC, more "raw" and even sometimes hilarious. You’ll find real stories about deals gone wrong, burnout, and internal chaos I talk about here. I guess it is the Presales version of group therapy!
DEMOFEST (that's a Discord server)
Demofest is a growing Discord community with almost 1k members, centered on demo craft and live events. Created by demo automation folks at Consensus. It is very active with mostly SEs sharing ideas, templates, and experiments.
North American Association of Sales Engineers (NAASE)
This is a professional association for SEs, more institutional, less chatty, but valuable if you want to keep an eye on certifications, standards, and industry trends. Not 100% adapted to SEs working in Europe but worth browsing.
- Blogs & Websites (food for your brain)
Presales Collective Blog
You can read regular articles written by active SE practitioners and leaders. Content is often deep, data-backed, and honest : it’s not marketing fluff!
We The Sales Engineers
Created by Ramzi Marjaba, this blog is a goldmine of Presales fundamentals. The archives are especially rich: timeless lessons on discovery, storytelling, and handling rejection.
The Sales Engineer Guy
This site is now inactive, but packed with practical breakdowns of demos, discovery calls, and a lot of great reading. It’s like finding an old training notebook from a great mentor!
Presales Rockstars
This space is created by Max Lüpertz. I find it to be modern, creative, and refreshingly European! Great for discovering the new generation of SEs pushing for smarter processes, storytelling, and demo design.
- Podcasts
PreSales Podcast (by PSC)
This is a fantastic resource where you can find interviews with Presales leaders, SE managers, and even founders. For me, it’s THE voice of the global community: short episodes but full of perspective.
Two PreSales in a Pod
I love this podcast! It is laid-back, witty, and always relevant. The hosts (from the UK scene) talk about discovery, demo philosophy, and life as an SE with that dry British tone we all (secretly) enjoy.
PRESALES UNLEASHED
Yep, this is a German podcast (and we all know German folks do great stuff). most episodes can be auto-translated with YouTube, so that's pretty easy to follow. Insightful, mature conversations about leadership and how the role evolves in modern SaaS.
- LinkedIn profiles (great voices to follow)
Peter Cohan
Author of Great Demo!, one of the industry’s references for demo storytelling.
Chris White
Practical advice on Presales posture, communication, and customer psychology.
John Care
Co-author of Mastering Technical Sales, the book you can't escape. Still the voice of reason for me.
Yugi Higashi
Co-founder of PSC, now active on a lot of career-oriented stuff.
Ramzi Marjaba
For me, the everyman SE: authentic and deeply relatable!
Don Carmichael
A mentor for the whole European Presales community, now retired but still sharp! I met him in person for demo workshops during my time at Adobe.
Max Lüpertz, Natasja Bax, Patrick Pissang, Sara Jones
I think they are part of what I call the new wave: modern and creative. Each brings a fresh take on enablement, leadership, solutioning or AI in Presales.
- Books (the essentials)
A quick note: the book links below use affiliate URLs on Amazon. That means if you buy one, a few cents might come my way at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change my opinion (I own and I have read them all), it just helps keep SolutionScience running strong.
Mastering Technical Sales (John Care)
For me, it looks like the "foundational text". If you read only one book about being an SE, make it this one: it’s the framework that basically defined the profession. Every SE manager should make this read mandatory during onboarding!
The Six Habits of Highly Effective Sales Engineers (Chris White)
This book is simple and genuinely useful. A great guide for building sustainable performance as an SE.
Great Demo! (Peter Cohan)
For me, this is another essential book to guide you through how to craft demos that tell a story, not just click through an interface. Once you’ve read it, you’ll never present the same way again!
The PreSales Handbook (Dr. Johannes Hangl)
This handbook is a modern and I would say a SaaS-native view of the Presales role. It is short, sharp and really community-driven (the real world, not just theory).
The Presales Navigation System (Dmitri Lee)
I ordered it last month. This one is perfect for leaders or senior SEs who want to structure, scale, and coach teams.
The Social Sales Engineer (Patrick Pissang)
I loved that one in a period I decided to really boost my soft skills. Brilliant for building an authentic personal brand in the Presales world.
Sales on Rails (John Haldi)
This book has been really useful for structuring my work. It is an approach to Presales productivity and deal enablement to help SEs sell better (yes, we sell).
Doing Discovery (Peter Cohan)
Discovery is one of the key topics SEs should focus on. Discovery isn’t a step: it’s the spine of the deal. This is a book every SE (and AE) should read twice.
My closing thoughts
The Presales world has quietly built its own ecosystem that is mature, diverse, and surprisingly generous. The hard part is not finding stuff anymore, but curating it, applying it, and keeping your curiosity alive when your calendar says otherwise.
If this list helps you find even one resource that changes the way you think or work, my job is done with this content.
And you... what are the Presales resources you couldn’t live without?
Thanks for reading!
See you next Friday, same time. But in French (but with AI, do you guys think that's a real problem for people who speak only English?)
Philippe