Presales, Equilibrist between Science and Art

In my previous reflection, I described presales as the art of successful sales, working hand in hand with the sales function to create tangible business value. Today, I want to take it a step further and dive deeper into the real nature of the presales role.

Let me start with a statement that is both a definition and a summary: presales is the delicate intersection between science 🔭and art🎨.

A great presales professional is not just a technical expert🤓 or a gifted communicator 🎙️. They are an equilibrist🤹 , constantly balancing between precision and empathy, facts and feelings, logic and intuition.

This dimension, in 95% of cases, is omitted from the value equation—or sadly, underestimated by executives when thinking about the Presales function.

So, let’s bring a little light🌌🔦into the room. 😊

The Science

On one side stands science:

• Knowing your product, your industry, and your competition—and staying up to date with customers’ buying journey and technology trends.
• Being technically correct, accurate, and on point. You can’t fake what the product doesn’t do.
• Building repeatable frameworks for discovery, validation, and demonstration.
• Preparing thoroughly—because success in presales is rarely improvised.

Science anchors credibility. It gives presales the authority to stand firm, answer the tough questions, and ensure no false promises are made.

Presales professionals must master the topic, solution, technology, or system they are presenting. Lies have no space in this function. It’s binary: 0 or 1, light or dark, full or empty. Grey areas or half knowledge won’t last long in this arena. True mastery is what allows you to walk firmly on the rope. Be prepared.

The Art

On the other side lies art:

• Translating complex concepts into meaningful stories audience understand.
• Reading the room, adjusting tone and tempo in real time. Even more in the current virtual world.
• Making prospects feel at home, understood, in reliable hands.
• Surfing a presentation with agility, gracefully adapting when things don’t go as planned. Pause, Step back, Adjust, Move on.

Art brings warmth, empathy and connection. It transforms a technical dialogue into a human conversation.

Presenting a product or service with empathy and context is the equilibrist’s practice of balancing on the rope. Every unexpected request is like a gust of wind—it can unbalance, detour, or interfere with the plan. The key is to stay centered: pause, step back, adjust, move on.

Be ready!

The Dance

When science and art flow together, the presales dance begins. Knowledge and structure on one side, creativity and empathy on the other.

The best presales professionals don’t choose one—they blend them, with a third ingredient: storytelling, the cherry 🍒 on the cake.

This is why presales cannot be reduced to “just a demo” or “technical validation.” It is about guiding the audience through complexity while keeping the end goal in sight: helping them make a confident decision. 💪

They craft🥖 their demo flow like a story, balancing knowledge and empathy so everyone feels listened to and answered along the way. In this dance, they lay the foundation for what will hopefully become a life-long relationship with the (to-be) customer.

The best presales professionals are not merely technical advisors; they are narrators of possibility 🎶, architects of trust, and dancers on the fine line between science and art. 🪢

And there’s more: because of their constant exposure to change, curiosity for technology and markets, and direct contact with customers, presales often spot early signals of opportunities and threats. More often than not, they see what’s moving in the Space🌌 before anyone else🕶️.

👉 For corporate executives struggling with win rates or puzzled by stagnant sales, here a quick advice: it’s time to knock on a different door, listen to the presales voices you’re ignoring. They might whisper insights that are contextually sharper than your current playbook. Guaranteed. (Oops—back to the main topic 😅).

Ways to grow

If you’re asking yourself, what does it take to become a great equilibrist?—here are some key ingredients🫑🌶️🧅🍅🍏:

• Preliminary preparation: understand the prospect’s business model (attending or leading the discovery call) and people before the meeting.
• Adjust your equipment🪢 : tailor tools, materials, and stories to the audience’s context.
• Active listening: capture what is said—and what is left unsaid.
• Proactive demo flow: steer through naturally, staying agile and responsive.
• Pragmatic end-goal mindset: be present in the moment, and always tie back to the outcome that matters to the customer.

Although they seem "normal" tasks and the list could look long, the best presales out there make these a habit.🦸🦸‍♀️

Lift, shift, repeat 🎯is their mantra. Progress is built not overnight, but through small, constant improvements—dancing forward one step at a time.

A couple of reads that resonate strongly with the presales mindset:

• Think Fast, Talk Smart – on the art of communicating under pressure.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – especially the chapters on time management and empathy.

More suggestions will come in future articles.

One step at the time.

It’s hard to wrap up when there’s still so much to say. 😊

As stated before, presales, when done well, is not just a support function but the fulcrum of successful sales. This reflection only reinforces it: presales requires the discipline of science🔬🔭 and the grace of art🎨, blended into a craft that is structured yet fluid.🏄‍♂️

Many people ask me how to grow into presales. Of course, much it depends on where you are in your career but here my small advice: pick one skill (say, product mastery) and give yourself 1–2 quarters to learn it inside out. Then move to the immediate next (e.g. Lateral move: competitors (say, learn 2 direct competitors) or vertical move: sharpen your presentation skills). Over time, you’ll shift into “butterfly mode,” exponentially adding new cards 🃏of capability every quarter and complete your Set. 💪

And don’t forget: ask for feedback from peers, trusted colleagues, and managers.

Let me know how your journey goes. Good luck and remember to enjoy the dance! 🕺💃