Two PreSales in a Pod

Hosted by Adam Freeman

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May 2026

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About the show

PreSales podcast hosted by Adam Freeman and Todd Janzen. We discuss the burning issues facing the PreSales world in a relaxed and conversational style. The world can get pretty serious, so join us with for a casual chat on all things PreSales. Listen to the podcast on your preferred platform with episodes posted regularly.

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60 recent

May 8, 2026Episode 8446 min

Episode 84 - The Human Advantage in an AI-First World

Your buyers already researched you. Your competitors. Your product. And probably generated a shortlist with AI before the first meeting even started.In this episode, we’re joined by Stephen Morse (30+ year SE leader, founder of the SC Leadership Institute, executive coach, and former Salesforce global SE leader) to unpack what leadership looks like in an AI-first world.We dig into:Why SEs need to shift from “stable state managers” to wartime strategistsHow AI is amplifying the value of emotional intelligence, empathy, and human connectionWhy buyers still need confidence and belief before making big decisionsThe danger of automating away the human moments that actually matterHow modern SE leaders can balance decisiveness, pressure, and compassionWhy the future of presales belongs to people who know when to leverage AI, and when to slow down and be intentionalWe also dive into Steven’s upcoming leadership book, decades of lessons from scaling global SE organizations, and why this may be the most important moment yet for the presales profession.

February 16, 2026Episode 8351 min

Episode 83 - Burn the Deck: How Presales Wins When Buyers Have AI Superpowers

Buyers aren’t showing up to your first call “curious” anymore, they’re showing up pre-researched, pre-ranked, and powered by AI.In this episode, we’re joined by John Brunswick (former Distinguished SE at Salesforce, founder of StoryPath.ai, and author of Burn the Deck) to break down what AI is changing in the buyer/seller dynamic.We dig into:Why AI gives buyers “superpowers” (and what that means for your first meeting)Why traditional product demos can feel like the worst first date everHow story becomes the envelope for your value, and helps you regain controlPractical ways to add framing, “from/to” summaries, and pallet-cleansing medium shifts to keep buyers engagedIf you want your next discovery + demo to actually earn the second meeting, this one’s a must.

December 18, 2025Episode 6946 min

Episode 82 - The Rise of Forward Deployed Engineers with James Kaikis

In this episode, James Kaikis (Co-Founder, PreSales Collective; Founder, GTM Shift) joins Adam + Todd to unpack the rise of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) and what it signals for the future of presales: a world where proof beats polish, and the teams that win are the ones who can show it working—fast.We get into:What an FDE actually is (and why it’s not as “new” as it sounds)The real driver behind the trend: the burden of proof and collapsing trustWhy the “harbor cruise” demo needs an upgradeHow AI is accelerating skepticism (and why “see it to believe it” is the new default)A practical approach for leaders: start with jobs-to-be-done + small experiments, not a massive org redesign

April 15, 2025Episode 6944 min

Episode 81 - How to stand out in a shifting presales job market

The presales job market is evolving—leadership roles are competitive, and entry-level SE opportunities are tighter than ever. But there’s good news: hiring is picking up again. So… how do you stand out and land your next role?We’re joined by Yuji Higashi, Co-Founder of PreSales Collective and Better Career, to break down:The current state of the presales hiring landscapeWhy first-time SE roles are harder to land—and what to do about itHow to differentiate yourself and make the move you’ve been waiting forWhether you're actively job hunting or just keeping your eye on the market, this episode is packed with real talk, success stories, and tactical advice.

March 5, 2025Episode 6940 min

Episode 80 - AI Fluency & the Future of Presales

AI isn’t just another tool—it’s becoming a career-defining skill. In this episode, Zach Lawryk, Head of Solutions Engineering at OpenAI, joins us to talk about why AI fluency is essential for presales professionals. We dive into how AI can streamline workflows, accelerate onboarding, and even reshape how we think about demos. Zach also shares practical ways to integrate AI into your daily life—both at work and beyond.

November 26, 2024Episode 6943 min

Episode 79 - Arm the sales team by aligning presales and enablement

Sheevaun Thatcher, a seasoned sales enablement leader with a presales background, joins us to discuss how aligning presales and enablement functions can empower sales teams and organizations at large. Listen in to hear her five key questions to ask before launching any project, what KPIs presales and enablement can share, and what the career pathway between these roles can look like.

November 6, 2024Episode 6933 min

Episode 78 - Elevate the customer experience by aligning presales and CS teams

Susan Beal, Chief Customer Officer at Blue Yonder, joins us to discuss why presales teams need to think "beyond the sale" and work closely with CS to drive account growth, expansion, and ultimately a better client experience.

October 21, 2024Episode 7731 min

Episode 77 - We are back!

2PIAP is back!!! After a 6-month break, your favourite presales podcast is back and ready to dive head first back into the world of presales and all things GTM. Adam is back and joined by Todd Janzen. We’ll be joined by some world class thought leaders and visionaries in GTM space. Come join us as we catch up on what we've been up to, share some hilarious presales stories, and discuss the latest in demo automation and GTM trends.

April 22, 2024Episode 7637 min

Episode 76 - How to build a bootstrap SE team (and how not to)

John Simpson joins us to share his wealth of experience in building teams from scratch otherwise known as 'bootstrapping' the build. There's a right way, a wrong way and it's likely you'll sit somewhere in between, but with John's experience and the chat from Mark Green, Adam Freeman and Mark McKinlay there's sure some interesting discussions on the topic. https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsimpso/ Come connect with us on LinkedIn!

March 20, 2024Episode 7535 min

Episode 75 - Networking isn't just for social butterflies

Networking helps your internal team, but as Ron Whitson points out in this episode, it's building that outside your business that ultimately leads to the healthy growth of ideas for you and your team. Thanks Ron, for coming to share your wealth of knowledge and for offering connections at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronwhitsonse