Presales Podcast by Presales Collective

In this episode, Jack Cochran sits down with Darlene Volas, a senior solutions engineering executive, to explore what it truly means to be an AI-enabled SE in 2025 and beyond. The conversation moves well past basic ChatGPT usage to examine sophisticated operational workflows, custom automation tools, and practical implementation strategies that enhance both efficiency and quality of work. 
 
This episode was recorded during Presales Collective's 2026 AI-Powered Presales Summit on March 19th, 2026. Pro and Pro+ members can view all of the recorded sessions on-demand in the PSC Knowledge Hub: https://www.presalescollective.com/knowledgehub 
 
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ 

Connect with Matthe James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ 

Connect with Darlene Volas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darlenevolas/ 

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack 

Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026 

Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast 

Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/ 

Claude by Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/claude 

Cursor AI coding tool: https://cursor.sh/ 

GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot 

Gong conversation intelligence: https://www.gong.io/ 

ChatGPT Enterprise: https://openai.com/enterprise 

Obsidian note-taking: https://obsidian.md/ 

Firebolt database: https://www.firebolt.io/ 

Key Topics Covered
Personal AI Usage Evolution: Moving Beyond Google Replacement to Creative Applications

Three Buckets of AI for SE Leaders: Operations, Team Workflows, and Technical Implementation

Daily Meeting Preparation Automation and Custom-Built AI Applications

Operationalizing SE Teams with Repeatable AI Workflows

Quality vs. Efficiency Trade-off: Better Preparation Rather Than Less Time

Building Technical Credibility Through Hands-On AI Coding

The "One More Thing" Problem and Where Human Expertise Remains Essential

Data Security, Governance, and Vendor Considerations for AI Tools

Why AI Won't Replace SEs: The Irreplaceable Human Element

Hiring AI-Native SEs: What to Look For Beyond Basic Tool Awareness

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome
02:41 How AI conversations have evolved
06:30 Three buckets of AI usage
12:40 Efficiency versus quality improvements
18:40 Building credibility through AI coding
21:07 The one more thing problem
30:59 Why AI won't replace SEs
36:45 Q&A session
39:20 Closing remarks

In this episode, Jack Cochran welcomes back Manisha Raisinghani, Founder and CEO of SiftHub, exactly one year after her first appearance on the show. Together they explore the dramatic shift in how AI is being used by solutions engineers. Manisha shares what it means for SEs to become Forward Deployed Engineers, how vibe coding is changing live customer interactions, and what enterprise leaders are getting wrong about AI adoption. She also offers concrete first steps for SEs and SE leaders who feel like they're behind.
Thank you to SiftHub for sponsoring this episode! Visit sifthub.io to learn more.
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

Connect with Manisha Raisinghani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-raisinghani/

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack

SiftHub: https://sifthub.io/

Sol/Con (PSC Annual Conference, Chicago): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026 

Paytm (referenced in board discussion): https://paytm.com

Key Topics Covered
How AI Shifted from Co-Pilot to Workflow Orchestrator

Vibe Coding and the Forward Deployed Engineer

Democratizing Institutional Knowledge

AI Transformation at Enterprise Scale

Making SE Value Visible with Data

Where to Start if You Feel Behind

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome & Intro
03:58 One year later: the headline shift in AI and SE workflows
07:20 Vibe coding — what it is and why SEs should care
10:23 The rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer
14:01 How SiftHub has evolved: from retrieval to reasoning
20:23 Lessons from the Paytm board on enterprise AI adoption
24:43 Sales: the most blamed, least understood function
28:40 First steps for SEs and SE leaders who feel behind

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James continue their conversation with Micah Joel, diving deep into the metrics that matter when building and justifying a demo engineering team. Micah shares practical approaches to measuring the value of demo engineering, from simple time-saving calculations to sophisticated surveys that capture SE satisfaction and retention indicators. The conversation explores how to frame these metrics in terms that senior management cares about, moving beyond technical accomplishments to demonstrate real business impact.
 
Micah emphasizes the importance of thinking "top down" when building a demo engineering organization, focusing on what leadership values most: productivity, cost savings, and revenue growth. He shares real-world examples from his time at Salesforce's Q Branch, including how to measure the value of demo environments, how to identify unexpected patterns in the data (like deals where demo engineers get involved), and how cultivating relationships with SEs creates goodwill that extends beyond the numbers. The discussion also covers how demo engineering impacts go-to-market speed for new products and how to position the team as mission-critical support for field teams rather than just a technical function.
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

Connect with Matthew James https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ 

Connect with Micah Joel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahjoel/

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack

Sol/Con 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026

Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast

Key Topics Covered
Establishing baseline metrics for demo engineering through time-saving calculations

Using SE surveys to measure demo environment value and satisfaction

Identifying retention indicators at 3-year and 7-year tenure marks

Reducing technical barriers to hiring SEs through better demo tooling

Thinking "top down" to align metrics with senior management priorities

Measuring go-to-market speed and time-to-revenue for new products

Building goodwill and political capital with SE teams

Branding your demo engineering team with effective metaphors

Course-correcting when metrics don't align with expectations

Positioning demo engineering within the organization structure

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome 
02:55 Measuring time saved with tooling 
09:20 Reducing technical hiring barriers 
13:50 Building the overall business case 
18:30 When metrics don't line up 
21:20 Product-to-Market (P2M) 
27:40 Final thoughts on top-down thinking

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James sit down with Micah Joel, GTM leader and demo engineering pioneer, to explore what it means to build a dedicated demo engineering function from scratch. Micah shares his journey from theater kid to SE to leading Salesforce's legendary Q Branch, and unpacks why demo engineering might be the most underutilized lever in presales today. They cover the difference between deal-focused and infrastructure-focused demo engineers, how to structure the team, why blended teams fail, and how a mature demo engineering org can swim upstream into product strategy to reduce time-to-revenue. This is part one of two. Part two will focus on measuring and proving the value of a demo engineering team.
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/

Connect with Micah Joel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahjoel/ 

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack

SoulCon 2026 (Chicago, August 2026): https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026 

Presales Collective Podcast: https://www.presalescollective.com/podcast

Key Topics Covered
Micah's Background: From Theater to SE to Demo Engineering

What Is Demo Engineering and How Is It Different from Being an SE?

When Does an Organization Need a Demo Engineering Team?

The Two Sides of Demo Engineering: Deal Support vs. Infrastructure/Scale

How to Hire and Structure the Team

Demo Engineering as a Talent Pipeline and Retention Strategy

Swimming Upstream: Demo Engineering's Role in Go-to-Market Strategy

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome
02:48 Intro Micah Joel
05:42 Demo engineering definition
08:33 When do you need a DE team?
11:13 Deal side vs. infrastructure/scale side
15:48 Demo engineering as SE retention
23:55 Swimming upstream
27:11 Final advice

The Future of AI in Presales: Beyond Demo Automation
In this episode, Jack Cochran is joined by Nalin Senthamil, Founder and CEO of Storylane, to discuss the evolution of AI in presales beyond simple demo automation. They explore the hidden costs of demos, how the buyer themselves are becoming AI-powered, and the emergence of AI tools for sellers, much like Storylane has developed with RepEx
Thank you to Storylane for sponsoring this episode! Visit Storylane.io to learn more.
Follow Us
Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/

Connect with Nalin Senthamil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nalinpradeep/ 

Links and Resources Mentioned
Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack

RepEx (AI buyer engagement platform): Available at https://www.storylane.io/

Key Topics Covered
Nalin's Journey from Amazon AI Engineer to Demo Automation Founder

The Hidden Cost Per Demo

AI at the Infrastructure Level

RepEx: The Next Generation of Buyer Engagement

The Context Handoff Problem

Presales as Strategic Advisors in 2026

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome
03:15 Nalin's Background: From Amazon AI Engineer to Storylane Founder 
05:54 The Cost Per Demo Problem and Demo Automation Impact 
13:24 What are we leaving behind with AI, and what remains human? 
20:00 RepEx Launch: Beyond Traditional Chatbots 
26:25 The Importance of Context in the Buyer Journey 
28:54 How Presales Teams Can Prepare for AI Integration 
30:15 Final Advice: Building Long-Term AI Capabilities in Presales