Pre-Sales Excellence featuring Codat’s Matt James

John: Let's start with the basics - what exactly is pre-sales, and how does it differ from traditional sales roles?

Matthew: Pre-sales is essentially about bridging the gap between what customers need in technical detail and what our product offers. While it falls under the pre-sales umbrella, you'll hear various job titles like Solutions Engineer, Sales Engineer, or Solutions Consultant. The key difference from traditional sales roles is that we focus on achieving the "technical win" - ensuring our solution truly meets the customer's technical requirements and can be successfully implemented.

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John: When in the sales process do Solutions Engineers typically get involved?

Matthew: At Codat, we get involved quite early. Usually, our account executives will take one discovery call, and then I'll be looped in from the second discovery call onwards. This includes demos, building business cases, and even staying involved through procurement. The earlier we're involved, the better we can align our solution with the customer's needs.

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John: What makes for an elite or top-performing Solutions Engineer?

Matthew: The best Solutions Engineers excel in two key areas: being effective in front of customers and having deep technical understanding. But what really sets top performers apart are traits like humility, being mission-driven, and the ability to think outside the box.

A great SE stays on top of product updates, proactively considers how these updates can benefit specific deals, and works closely with account executives to move deals forward. It's about building that symbiotic relationship between the SE, the AE, and the customer.

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John: You mentioned working closely with account executives. Who else do Solutions Engineers partner with across the organization?

Matthew: We collaborate with almost everyone in the commercial organization. After account executives, our top collaborators are product teams, product marketing, marketing as a whole, and even engineering. We're in a unique position to understand customer problems in great detail, so we feed that information back to these teams to influence product development and go-to-market strategies.

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John: Can you elaborate on how Solutions Engineers work with marketing teams?

Matthew: Absolutely. Our relationship with marketing is truly symbiotic. We bring deep insights about customer problems and needs to the marketing team, helping them shape both our product vision and how we communicate it to the market.

For example, we might identify common pain points across multiple enterprise deals. We'll share this information with product marketing, who can then use it to refine our messaging and positioning. Similarly, we work with the broader marketing team to ensure our external communications resonate with the real challenges our potential customers face.

It's similar to how customer success teams provide post-sale feedback, but we're offering insights from potential customers and deals in progress. This helps marketing stay ahead of market trends and customer needs.

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John: It sounds like Solutions Engineers play a crucial role in shaping the company's overall strategy. How does Codat structure these cross-functional collaborations?

Matthew: We have what we call "pods” - vertically aligned teams" Essentially, we form cross-functional pods that include an account executive, a BDR, a solutions engineer, someone from product marketing, and someone from product. This team meets twice a week for pipeline updates and to ensure everyone is aligned on our key accounts and opportunities.

This structure allows for rapid information sharing and ensures that customer insights are quickly disseminated across the organization. It's been incredibly effective in keeping our product, marketing, and sales efforts tightly aligned.

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John: Switching gears a bit, can you tell us about the Pre-Sales Collective and why you're involved?

Matthew: The Pre-Sales Collective is the largest online community for pre-sales professionals in the world. I've been involved for about two and a half years and have been lucky to be selected as a pre-sales ambassador for the last two.

For me, it's been transformational in showing what excellence looks like in Solutions Engineering and what career paths are possible. It offers a ton of helpful resources, from blogs to podcasts to paid training courses. It's also a great way to connect with thought leaders in the space.

The pre-sales function is still relatively nascent, and we're still figuring out best practices. Being part of a community like this is invaluable for staying at the forefront of the field.

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John: Any final advice for B2B revenue leaders looking to build or improve their pre-sales function?

Matthew: I'd say the most important thing is to recognize the strategic value of the pre-sales function. It's not just about technical demos - it's about deeply understanding customer needs, shaping your product strategy, and ultimately driving revenue growth.

Invest in your pre-sales team, involve them early in deals, and create strong connections between pre-sales, sales, marketing, and product teams. When done right, a strong pre-sales function can be a significant competitive advantage in the B2B space.

John: Matthew, this has been incredibly insightful. Thank you for your time and expertise.

Matthew: It's been my pleasure, John. Thanks for having me.

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Favorite Business Book:

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

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Matthew James is a top-performing Solutions Engineer at Codat, bringing a unique blend of finance, technology, and legal expertise to his role. He is also a pre-sales ambassador for the Pre-Sales Collective, the largest online community for pre-sales professionals. With a background that includes roles in banking and fintech, Matthew is passionate about transforming the modern workplace through technology and driving excellence in the pre-sales function.

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Codat is the business data streaming service, enabling financial institutions and leading fintechs to build integrated products for their small business customers.