Product-Trained Agents, and the New SE Workflow with Kintan Brahmbhatt

Jack Cochran and Matthew James welcome Kintan Brahmbhatt, CEO and co-founder of Olto, to discuss how AI agents are fundamentally reshaping the presales workflow and buyer experience. Drawing from over 12 years at Amazon building personalized experiences for Alexa, Amazon Music, and Prime Video, Kintan explores why B2B buyers receive generic "Acme Corp" demos while B2C consumers get highly personalized recommendations, and how product-trained agents can finally close this gap economically. The conversation goes beyond productivity gains to examine how buyers, products, and SE roles have evolved rapidly while metrics, compensation plans, and tooling have remained static.  Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/  Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/  Connect with Kintan Brahmbhatt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kintan/  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  Olto: https://olto.com/psc  (3 months free promotional offer mentioned) Key Topics Covered Why AI Timing Is Better Now: Moving Beyond Productivity to Workflow Transformation The Personalization Gap Between B2C and B2B Buyer Experiences What Olto Is: Product-Trained AI Agents Across the Revenue Journey Kintan's Amazon Background: Building Personalized Experiences at Scale SE Capacity Economics and the Unspoken Rule About Qualified Deals How Product-Trained Agents Differ from Generic AI The New SE Workflow: Agents Handle Discovery, SEs Focus on Sense-Making Evolution of SE Metrics, Compensation, and Tooling for the AI Era Implementation Challenges and Change Management The Future of the Presales Profession Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:04 Now vs a year ago 05:40 What is Olto 07:52 B2C vs B2B personalization disconnect 11:15 Agent capabilities and limitations 21:35 Future of the solutions roles 28:26 Key takeaways from solutions leaders

Presales teams are being asked more and more to do post-sales work. This isn't a fad or something we're doing in the short term. This is a significant change for the broader profession of presales and solutions consulting. What was once occasional support for implementations or customer renewals is now becoming formal job responsibilities for solutions consultants across the industry.   In this episode, Jack Cochran sits down with Shamil Turner, Global Technical Solutions Leader at Figma and Presales Collective advisory board member, to explore why this shift is happening and what it means for the future of presales.   Shamil brings a unique perspective to this conversation: he was the first SE hired at Figma, built their entire solutions engineering organization from the ground up, and has now transitioned into a post-sales technical leadership role. Together they discuss the strengths that SEs bring to the table that has a profound impact on a company-customer relationships AFTER the sale has happened, and how this plays out in a new role that has been emerging over the past year, the Forward Deployed Engineer. Whether you're a leader making organizational decisions or an IC just getting started, this conversation will help you understand how the world of solutions is evolving. Thank you to Saleo for sponsoring this episode! Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/  Connect with Shamil Turner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamil-turner/  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 Saleo: https://saleo.io  Key Topics Covered The Growing Trend of Presales Teams Doing Post-Sales Work Historical Context: How SEs Have Always Supported Post-Sales Forward Deployed Engineer Roles in Consumption-Based Models Why Presales Skills Are Valuable for Customer Onboarding Shamil's Journey from First SE at Figma to Global Technical Solutions Leader The Convergence of Pre and Post-Sales Functions Career Implications for Presales Professionals at All Levels What This Means for the Future of Solutions Organizations  

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

In this episode recorded at the Presales Collective Leadership Next Summit in November of 2025, Jack Cochran sits down with Gretchen Fitzgibbons, Senior Manager of Strategic Solutions Consulting at Airtable, to discuss what it means to be a courageous leader in presales. They explore how to make difficult decisions under pressure, navigate organizational politics with integrity, and build the support systems that enable consistent leadership. Gretchen shares powerful stories from her two decades of experience advising Fortune 500 customers and leading presales teams, including standing up for a team member being unfairly assessed and creating win-win solutions in challenging situations. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Gretchen Fitzgibbons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchenfitzgibbons/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack Sol/Con 2026: https://www.presalescollective.com/solcon-2026  Book mentioned: Think Again by Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/  Book mentioned: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow  Key Topics Covered Redefining Courage and Leadership Making Tough Calls: Standing Up for Team Members Focusing on Your Team rather than on Yourself How to Prepare for a Leadership Role It's OK to be Wrong Developing Your Leadership Skills Grounding Principles for Leadership Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 02:14 Defining Courage and Leadership in Presales 05:15 Making Tough Calls: A Story of Standing Up for What's Right 11:20 Focusing on Your Team rather than on Yourself 22:07 How to Prepare for a Leadership Role 27:40 It's OK to be Wrong 30:30 Developing Leadership Skills 37:42 Final Takeaways and Grounding Principles

In this episode, Jack Cochran is joined by Jon Billett, Founder and CEO of StoryQuadrant, to discuss why storytelling in presales needs to be treated as an industrial skill rather than a soft skill. They explore Jon's framework for the four types of stories every SE should master, the danger of "Mad Libs" style customer stories, and why the most important story is the one told after you leave the room. Jon shares insights from his 15 years in presales and his unique background as a member of the Magic Circle, revealing how structure, rather than content, creates memorable presentations that drive deals forward. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Jon Billett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbillett/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack StoryQuadrant: https://storyquadrant.com/ Key Topics Covered Why Storytelling is an Industrial Skill, Not a Soft Skill The Story Quadrant Framework: Four Essential Story Types The Mad Libs Problem in Presales Discovery as Stepping Into Your Prospect's Story The Power of Contrast in Creating Memory What Makes Stories Retellable Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 03:16 Jon's Journey to Storytelling 06:31 Storytelling as an Industrial Skill 09:23 Overcoming the Belief: "I'm Not a Good Storyteller" 12:24 The Success Story Trap 15:59 The Mad Libs Formula Problem 18:13 Discovery Stories: Stepping Into Their World 21:20 Maximizing Your 5% of Face Time 23:10 Your Story: The Four-Minute Trust Window 26:51 Positioning Stories: Nobody Cares About Your Offices 27:40 The Story They Tell 30:30 One Technique to Implement Tomorrow: The Power of Contrast  

In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Nikhil Sarma, Founder of GTM Solutions Consulting, to explore why customer indecision has become one of the biggest challenges in enterprise sales. They discuss the factors driving buyer hesitation, how to diagnose value clarity vs. organizational issues, and practical strategies for helping customers build the confidence to move forward. Nikhil shares frameworks for understanding stakeholder dynamics, the importance of financial fluency for SEs, and why de-risking the implementation is often more important than the technology itself. Thank you to Storylane for sponsoring this episode. Get more information at https://www.storylane.io/  Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/ Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/ Connect with Nikhil Sarma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilsarma/ Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack GTM Solutions Consulting: https://www.gtmsolutions.co/ The Jolt Effect Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61418641-the-jolt-effect  The Challenger Sale Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11910902-the-challenger-sale  Gartner Research on Buying Team Conflict Key Topics Covered The Factors Driving Customer Indecision in 2025 Value Clarity vs. Organizational Issues Understanding Stakeholder Levels (Operational, Manager, Executive) Discovery as a Two-Way Learning Process Diagnosing and Building Consensus Across Buying Teams De-risking Implementation as a Differentiator Financial Fluency for Presales Professionals Timestamps 00:00 Welcome 04:45 What's Changed about Customer Buying Behavior 09:50 The Jolt Effect and Challenger Sale Frameworks 13:56 Value Clarity Problems vs. Organizational Issues 20:03 Collaborative Whiteboarding for Discovery 25:17 De-risking Implementation Wins Deals 28:50 How to Connect with Nikhil