Breaking Barriers: How WISE is Transforming Women's Careers in Presales with Wendy McHenry
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective
Release Date: 09/15/2025
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 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, follow the Presales Collective's LinkedIn page or join the PSC Slack community for updates.
This episode is sponsored by Elvance. More information at https://elvance.io/
On the Show Today
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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 Wendy McHenry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendymac98/
Links and Resources Mentioned
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Join Presales Collective Slack: https://www.presalescollective.com/slack
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WISE Chapter Information: https://www.presalescollective.com/wise
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Presales Collective LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/presalescollective
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome
04:51 Why WISE?
09:12 Being a woman in sales today
12:57 You’re not technical enough
16:16 Women leaving the profession
20:33 How is WISE helping?
27:55 What’s happening next?
Key Topics Covered
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The Current State of Women in Presales
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Only 18% of solutions professionals globally are women
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Many women are the only woman on their SE team
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Higher attrition rates during layoffs disproportionately impact women
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Unconscious Bias and Workplace Challenges
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"Not technical enough" bias applied differently to women
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Interview panels dominated by men
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Social environments that may exclude women
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The importance of calling out bias when witnessed
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WISE Mission and Structure
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Started as an ERG at Salesforce, now part of Presales Collective
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Open to anyone who cares about supporting women in solutions careers
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Regional chapters like Women in Solutions Consulting Australia/New Zealand
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Company-specific chapters at organizations like Salesforce and Pegasystems
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Creating Change and Allyship
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How to be an effective ally in supporting women's careers
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Starting WISE chapters at your company (or expanding to broader sales/tech groups)
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The importance of diverse account teams and client representation
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Free career coaching and mentorship available through WISE council
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