This is an open contribution post to best define the nature of presales job, so anyone can post comments to enrich it as much as we can 
The nature of presales job is very unique as it contains collection of multiple roles and responsibilities.
The presales engineer can play one or more of the following roles:
Consultant
By getting involved with the client to better utilize and enhance their daily work and presenting a tool or set of tools that can help them to better do their job.
Ex. When a presales help his client to write a RFP – from a technical prospective – to request a proper implementation for a specific business need.
In addition to help the client to write a proper technical requirements, the presales engineer should be involved in determining the client’s business needs and highlighted in a way that help internal team to present it to the top management and get approval and budget for it.
Technical Account Manager
The presales engineer must see himself sometimes as an account manager – again from technical prospective –, he should think of the client as his assigned account and try to be engaged with the client in all the available levels.
Ex. You should listen carefully to your client and try to be available for them as much as you can, if you are a SharePoint presales, it doesn’t mean that if there is a problem with their Exchange, you just set back and say it is not in my area, you should try to help, even if it will be just communicating the problem to another one who can really help and keep following until it is solved.
It’s your account, keep them happy and make them feel that you are the one who they can count on.
Technical Sales
The main part of course is to do selling and promoting the product or set of products which you are expert in.
A huge difference between a bad and a good presales is the fact that you should sell value not products.
You must propose and demonstrate a solution which the client needs and will use.
From that prospective, you need to build your demos, presentations and POCs based on your understanding of the client’s business and work nature.
Ex. It’s not proper to go and focus on SharePoint 2010 social features when you are talking with a governmental client, it’s OK to mention it but try not to waste a lot of valuable time talking about it.
Conclusion
Presales is a very strategic and important job, you can’t just play one of the three roles by itself in order to succeed as a presales.
Try to be:
- Expert
- Good listener
- Honest
- Diplomatic
- Dependable
So, guys what do you think?
I hope that helped
Ahmed
