Insights from an SE-Leader-Turned-Recruiter: Personal Branding for SEs with Raphael Joseph
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
Release Date: 05/19/2025
Charting Your Presales Career Path with Miriam Graf
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
Episode 181: Charting Your Presales Career Path with Miriam Graf In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James welcome Miriam Graf, a presales veteran with 20 years as an individual contributor and 10 years in leadership roles. Miriam shares invaluable insights on navigating career growth in presales, from speaking up about your aspirations to recognizing when leadership is and isn’t the right path for you. She discusses the evolution from being "the hero" to becoming a leader who helps others shine, and explores the diverse career opportunities available beyond traditional management...
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From Overloaded to Optimized: Concierge Services and Deal Desks with Rob Bruce
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Rob Bruce, a presales leader at Syndigo with 20 years of experience, to discuss an innovative approach to presales operations: the Pursuit Desk. Rob shares how Syndigo has built a dedicated "concierge team" that handles RFPs, security questionnaires, reference coordination, and other time-consuming tasks, freeing solutions engineers to focus on discovery, solutioning, and building customer relationships. The conversation explores how to operate at the "top of your license," the role of AI in scaling pursuit operations, and practical...
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Presales and Sales Working Together SEAMlessly with Art Fromm
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Art Fromm, author of "Making Seamless Sales" and sales enablement expert, to discuss how presales and sales teams can work together more effectively. Art shares insights from his 25+ years in sales enablement, exploring the common disconnects between SEs and AEs, and provides practical strategies for building stronger partnerships that drive better outcomes. The conversation covers the evolution from tribal knowledge to systematic collaboration, the importance of discovery before demos, and how to create value perception rather than...
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Breaking Barriers: How WISE is Transforming Women's Careers in Presales with Wendy McHenry
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Wendy McHenry, Chair of WISE (Women in Solutions Excellence) at Presales Collective and Former Head of Global Solutions Engineering at CDATA, to discuss the critical need for supporting women in presales careers. They explore the challenges women face in a field where only 18% of solutions professionals are women, discuss unconscious bias in hiring and workplace environments, and highlight how WISE is creating support networks and career development opportunities to advance equity in the solutions field. To join the show live,...
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Tailoring AI for Growth: What Startups and Enterprises Should Do Differently with Akash Ganapathy
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Akash Ganapathi, CEO of Opine, to discuss how AI strategies differ between startups and enterprises in the presales space. They explore the myth of AI replacing SEs, the importance of specialization vs. generalization, and how AI can help presales teams manage more revenue per team member while focusing on strategic, relationship-building activities. Follow Us Connect with Jack Cochran: Connect with Matthew James: Connect with Akash Ganapathi: Links and Resources Mentioned Join Presales Collective Slack: Opine:...
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Scaling Presales Teams without Burning Out Your Best People with Ben Hills
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Ben Hills, Founder and CEO of Iris, to discuss how to scale presales teams effectively while avoiding burnout. They explore the difference between healthy high performance and unsustainable overwork, the role of AI in streamlining repetitive tasks like RFPs, and practical strategies for building scalable processes that enhance rather than replace human expertise. To join the show live, follow the Presales Collective's LinkedIn page or join the PSC Slack community for updates. The show is bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM...
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How to Speak So Senior Leaders Listen with Ben Pearce
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Ben Pearce, founder of Elevated You, to discuss how technical professionals can effectively communicate with senior executives. They explore the critical differences between speaking to technical stakeholders versus C-suite leaders, covering everything from preparation strategies to delivery techniques. Ben shares practical frameworks for being relevant rather than just expert, emphasizing the importance of focusing on "what" and "why" instead of "how" when presenting to senior leaders. Thank you to Storylane for sponsoring this...
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How Demo Automation and AI Are Transforming Presales with Nalin Senthamil
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Matthew James and Timmy Hendrickson are joined by Nalin Senthamil, Founder and CEO of Storylane, to discuss the future of pre-sales and AI driving influence beyond pipeline. They explore how demo automation is transforming the self-serve buyer experience, the changing role of solutions engineers, and how AI can create 10X impact in pre-sales workflows. Nalin shares insights on leveraging AI for demo personalization, managing complex product integrations, and why the traditional discovery call may be dying. To join the show live, follow the Presales Collective's LinkedIn page...
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Insights from an SE-Leader-Turned-Recruiter: Why Classic Job Hunting is Dead
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this second part of our conversation with Raphael Joseph, former SE turned recruiter and founder of Brando Tech, Jack Cochran and Matthew James dive deep into why traditional job hunting methods no longer work in today's market. Raphael shares strategic insights on how SEs should approach job searching in 2025, treating themselves as products and leveraging their natural skills to navigate the competitive landscape. IMPORTANT: This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Make sure to listen to Part 1 first for the complete discussion on personal branding and LinkedIn optimization. To join the show...
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Insights from an SE-Leader-Turned-Recruiter: Personal Branding for SEs with Raphael Joseph
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Raphael Joseph to discuss the critical importance of building a strong LinkedIn profile for PreSales professionals. They explore how the platform has evolved as a powerful career tool, especially in today's competitive job market. Raphael shares practical tips on crafting a professional presence that highlights your unique value proposition, explains the impact of consistent engagement, and offers advice on creating authentic content that resonates with hiring managers. To join the show live, follow the Presales Collective's...
info_outlineIn this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Raphael Joseph to discuss the critical importance of building a strong LinkedIn profile for PreSales professionals. They explore how the platform has evolved as a powerful career tool, especially in today's competitive job market. Raphael shares practical tips on crafting a professional presence that highlights your unique value proposition, explains the impact of consistent engagement, and offers advice on creating authentic content that resonates with hiring managers.
To join the show live, follow the Presales Collective's LinkedIn page or join the PSC Slack community for updates. The show is bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM GMT.
Follow the Hosts
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Connect with Jack Cochran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcochran/
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Connect with Matthew James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewyoungjames/
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Connect with Raphael Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-joseph-23044150/
Links and Resources Mentioned
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Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack
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Sponsor: Opine - https://tryopine.com
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and introduction to LinkedIn's evolution
01:50 Sponsor: Opine
03:06 Raphael's background and career journey
10:46 Why you should build your LinkedIn profile before you need it
21:11 Focusing on your ideal customer profile (ICP)
25:21 Engagement strategies: connecting, commenting, and posting
33:49 Overcoming nervousness about posting
Key Topics Covered
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LinkedIn Profile Optimization
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Using your banner as prime real estate to showcase your unique value
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Crafting a clear headline that highlights your specialization
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Writing descriptions that focus on the value you provide
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The importance of professional photos and consistent branding
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Strategic Profile Positioning
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Reverse-engineering your profile based on your target roles
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Focusing on 3-4 key specializations rather than listing everything
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Using industry-standard job titles even if your company uses different terminology
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Making it easy for recruiters to find you through targeted keywords
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Building Meaningful Connections
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Connecting with 100-200 potential hiring managers weekly
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Engaging with their content through thoughtful comments and questions
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Creating a network before you need it for job searching
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Leveraging connections for opportunities when transitions occur
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Content Creation Strategy
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Starting with comments before moving to creating original posts
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Sharing authentic experiences from customer interactions
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Finding your niche audience within the PreSales community
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Focusing on consistency rather than viral metrics
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The Changing Job Market
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How market conditions have shifted from candidate-focused to employer-focused
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Why specificity now trumps broadness in skills presentation
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Standing out in a competitive environment through specialization
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Using LinkedIn as your primary job search tool rather than traditional resumes
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