Top 19 Focus Areas for Presales Professionals in 2025
As we move into 2025, the world of Presales continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements, changing buyer expectations, and the need for impactful storytelling.
In the middle of the last year, my family and I decided to try something new: a challenge board. The idea was simple but exciting!!! We can set challenges for ourselves and one another. Completing your challenge earns you points, and gathering sufficient points allows you to win a prize.
At first, we weren’t sure how it would go, but it quickly became a favourite activity for everyone, including the kids. Some challenges were funny, like “learn a new dance move” (my youngest nailed this one), while others pushed us out of our comfort zones, like “cook a meal for the family without help” or “complete a week without screen time.” We even set group challenges, like taking a family hike or learning a new game together.
As the new year begins, we’re refreshing the board with new challenges. Everyone’s enthusiasm is infectious, and the kids are already scheming creative (and slightly mischievous) tasks for us. It’s become more than just a fun activity. It’s a way for us to bond, support each other, and keep things exciting.
What about your personal and business challenges this year? For PreSales here’s a comprehensive guide to the top 19 areas Presales professionals should prioritise to stay ahead of the curve:
1. Master the Art of Storytelling
Tailor your narratives to resonate deeply with the client’s pain points and aspirations. Use compelling stories in demos and conversations to build emotional connections and drive engagement.
Why It Matters: Storytelling creates emotional connections, making your product relatable and memorable. A good story positions your solution as the hero solving the client’s most pressing problems.
Actionable Tip: Build a “story library” with templates tailored to specific industries or scenarios. Use frameworks like the “Hero’s Journey” to shape your narratives effectively.
2. Champion Personalisation in Demos
Generic demonstrations are outdated. To ensure relevance and alignment with goals, tailor every demo to the client’s unique needs.
Why It Matters: A generic demo fails to engage clients. Personalised demos show you have listened to their needs and offer tailored solutions.
Actionable Tip: Conduct a stakeholder discovery call pre-demo. Use the insights to script and deliver a presentation focused on their pain points and goals.
3. Prioritise Buyer Enablement
Please make sure to educate your buyers on the process, empower them to make informed decisions, and align expectations to reduce friction and boost confidence.
Why It Matters: Educated buyers make better decisions. Guiding them through the journey reduces friction and builds confidence.
Actionable Tip: Share a “Buyer’s Guide or Buying Journey” outlining each stage of the buying journey, their roles, and how you’ll support them. Here is a Link where you can check a standard Buying / Selling Journey: https://www.presales-handbook.com/avada_portfolio/selling-journey/
4. Integrate AI and Automation
Leverage AI-driven tools to personalise interactions, predict client needs, and automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for strategic activities.
Why It Matters: AI tools can personalise interactions, predict client needs, and automate repetitive tasks, giving you more time for strategic work.
Actionable Tip: Use AI tools like ChatGPT for drafting personalised follow-ups and automate scheduling with platforms like HubSpot or use a personal CRM like Dex (https://getdex.com/invite/r/9uoIZPOey2Sgeb5ttaJDcCeBSlp1).
5. Adopt a Consultative Approach
Position yourself as a trusted advisor by offering genuine insights and value rather than aggressively pushing solutions.
Why It Matters: Clients value trusted advisors over product pushers. A consultative approach builds trust and aligns solutions with their broader objectives.
Actionable Tip: Use open-ended questions like, “What challenges are you aiming to overcome this year?” Focus on their goals before discussing features.
6. Embrace Cross-Functional Collaboration
Strengthen your relationship with sales, product, and marketing teams to present a unified front and improve alignment on strategy.
Why It Matters: Alignment with sales, marketing, and product teams ensures a consistent message and strategy throughout the customer journey.
Actionable Tip: Schedule weekly sync meetings with key teams to share updates, resolve challenges, and refine strategies together.
7. Develop Deep Product Expertise
Stay updated on product features, capabilities, and industry trends to address client queries and objections confidently.
Why It Matters: Expertise inspires confidence. It will help you address complex queries and position your solution as essential.
Actionable Tip: Dedicate an hour weekly to hands-on product use. Maintain a quick-reference FAQ for technical highlights.
8. Engage in Continuous Learning
The pace of technological advancement requires ongoing skill enhancement. Stay informed through certifications, industry webinars, and thought leadership.
Why It Matters: The pace of technological change requires Presales professionals to stay updated on tools, trends, and best practices.
Actionable Tip: Allocate an hour weekly to industry webinars, certifications, or courses. Platforms like LinkedIn Learning are great resources. Would you be interested in the PreSales Mastery Course? Check here: https://www.presales-handbook.com/course/presales-handbook/
9. Utilise Data-Driven Insights
Leverage analytics to refine demos, customise pitches, and predict client behaviour for better outcomes.
Why It Matters: Data helps refine strategies, identify trends, and predict client behaviour, leading to more effective interactions.
Actionable Tip: Use tools like Tableau, Qlik or Power BI to visualise CRM data. Identify demo performance trends and feedback for continuous improvement.
10. Perfect Post-Demo Follow-Ups
Make the golden hours count with personalised thank-you notes, key takeaways, and proposed next steps to keep the momentum alive.
Why It Matters: The immediate hours post-demo are critical for maintaining momentum and deepening client engagement.
Actionable Tip: Send a personalised email recapping the session, addressing key questions, and proposing clear next steps.
11. Refine Pricing Transparency and Value Selling
Open and transparent discussions about pricing build trust and minimize surprises during negotiations. However, prioritize value selling instead of merely quoting prices to clients.
Why It Matters: Pricing discussions are an opportunity to demonstrate the tangible value your solution delivers. By focusing on ROI, you shift the conversation from cost to measurable business outcomes, fostering confidence and trust while aligning with the buyer’s goals.
Actionable Tip: Prepare a “Value and ROI Matrix” that highlights how your solution addresses client challenges, delivers cost savings, and drives revenue growth. Incorporate a tailored ROI calculator (https://www.presales-handbook.com/avada_portfolio/software/#toc_Return_on_Investment_ROI) to quantify potential benefits, and present a pricing breakdown that transparently connects each cost element to a specific value driver.
13. Master Buyer Persona Identification
Understand and address the concerns of various stakeholders, from IT and finance to end-users, tailoring your approach to each.
Why It Matters: Each stakeholder has unique priorities. Understanding these ensures your message resonates with all decision-makers.
Actionable Tip: Map stakeholders into personas and tailor your communication and value propositions to their specific concerns.
14. Focus on Champion Enablement
Identify and equip champions within the client organisation to advocate for your solution effectively.
Why It Matters:Champions advocate for your solution internally, significantly influencing the buying decision. Remember, you are not selling the solution; the champion is.
Actionable Tip: Equip your champion with tailored pitch decks, data points, and narratives to present your solution effectively to their stakeholders.
15. Leverage Social Media for Branding
To establish thought leadership and credibility, showcase your expertise on platforms like LinkedIn through articles, polls, and videos.
Why It Matters: Building a strong personal brand establishes you as a thought leader and builds trust with potential clients.
Actionable Tip: Post weekly updates on LinkedIn. Share insights, stories, or tips relevant to your field to engage your audience.
15. Build Resilience Against Rejections
Not every deal closes successfully. Learn to analyse lost opportunities, refine strategies, and stay motivated.
Why It Matters: Not every deal will close. Resilience helps you bounce back, learn from setbacks, and improve future strategies.
Actionable Tip: Conduct a lost-deal analysis. Document lessons and share insights with your team to refine your approach. A good way to stay calm is breathing techniques like Wim Hof or include meditation into your daily habits.
16. Invest in High-Impact Visual Content
Use infographics, videos, and interactive presentations to engage prospects and make complex ideas easier to understand.
Why It Matters: Visual content simplifies complex ideas and keeps clients engaged during presentations.
Actionable Tip: Use Canva to create infographics or interactive presentations. Experiment with animations or live demos for added impact.
17. Foster Long-Term Relationships
Post-sale engagement is crucial. Regular check-ins, updates, and valuable content keep you on your client’s radar for future opportunities.
Why It Matters: Staying connected post-sale ensures loyalty and opens doors for future opportunities.
Actionable Tip: Reach out to past clients quarterly with valuable updates, industry insights, or success stories.I use Dex to set my frequencies and add insightful notes.
18. Advocate for Ethical Practices
Maintain transparency, integrity, and ethical conduct in all interactions to build trust and long-term client relationships.
Why It Matters: Transparency and integrity build long-term trust with clients and stakeholders. Actionable Tip: Conduct internal workshops to align your team on ethical standards and set clear communication guidelines.
19. Measure and Optimise Performance
Track KPIs such as demo-to-win rates, client engagement levels, and feedback quality to identify areas of improvement.
Why It Matters: Tracking KPIs like demo-to-win ratios helps identify areas of improvement and align efforts with business goals.
Actionable Tip: Use CRM tools to track performance metrics. Review them monthly to identify gaps and refine strategies. Especially for Presales, Homerun Presales is an amazing tool.
Call to Action
Which of these focus areas resonates most with your current goals? Share your thoughts, and let’s discuss how we can evolve together in 2025!
If you want to learn more about PreSales, please visit www.presales-handbook.com, buy the PreSales Handbook, or take the PreSales Mastery Course.
