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Pre-Sales With AI

TL;DR

• AI can draft discovery questions, summarize calls, suggest POC scope, and generate technical designs. It can't run the call, build rapport, or close the deal.
• Use AI for prep and follow-up. You own the conversation and the relationship.
• Pre-sales is trust-building. Trust is human. AI accelerates everything around it; it doesn't replace it.

Pre-sales engineers run discovery, design solutions, and deliver POCs. AI can help with question drafting, call summaries, POC scoping, and technical architecture. It can't listen to the prospect, adapt the conversation, or make them feel understood. That's you. Your job: use AI to prepare and document, stay human in the moment.

What AI Can Do

Discovery question drafting:

• "Questions for a CTO evaluating our platform." AI can suggest. You tailor to your product and the prospect's context.
• Good for prep. Don't read a script. Use questions as a guide. Listen. Follow up.

Call summarization:

• "Summarize this discovery call." Paste transcript. AI summarizes. You review. You add: action items, next steps, risks.
• Saves time. Don't skip the review. AI might miss the "they're worried about X" or "they need this by Y." You capture it.

POC scope drafting:

• "POC scope for a retailer wanting inventory optimization." AI can draft. You validate: Is it achievable? Does it prove value? Does it fit their timeline?
• POCs that are too big fail. Too small don't prove anything. You size it. AI suggests; you decide.

Technical design drafting:

• Architecture for their environment. Integration points. AI can scaffold from your product and their stated needs. You verify against their actual infra and constraints.
• Discovery reveals constraints. AI didn't sit in the call. You add that context to the design.

What AI Can't Do

The conversation:

• Reading the room. Knowing when to go deeper. Knowing when they're not saying something. That's human. AI isn't on the call.
• You listen. You adapt. You build rapport. That's the job.

Relationship and trust:

• "I want to work with this person." That comes from the interaction. From competence, from empathy, from follow-through. AI doesn't build that.
• You show up. You deliver. You're reliable. That's pre-sales.

Deal-specific judgment:

• "Should we do this POC?" "Is this deal winnable?" "What's the risk?" You have context. You have gut feel. AI has patterns. You decide.
• Not every opportunity is worth it. You qualify. AI can't.

Custom solution design:

• Their environment, their data, their constraints. You learned it. You design for it. AI gives generic. You give specific.
• The design that wins is the one that fits. You make it fit.

The Workflow

1. Prep with AI — Discovery questions, competitive angles, POC ideas. Draft. Edit. Make it yours.
2. Run the call — No AI. You. Listen. Take notes. Build the relationship.
3. Summarize with AI — Paste transcript. Get draft. Add your insights. Share with team. Update CRM.
4. Design with AI — Draft architecture, POC scope. Verify against what you learned. Deliver.

Your Edge

• Presence. You're in the room. You're on the call. That's irreplaceable. AI prepares; you perform.
• Credibility. You've done this before. You know your product. You know the pitfalls. Clients want that. AI can't provide it.
• Deal sense. You know when to push, when to back off, when to escalate. That's experience. AI has data. You have judgment.

Do This Next

1. Summarize one discovery call with AI — Paste transcript. Get draft. Add what AI missed. Compare to your manual notes. Refine the process.
2. Draft one POC scope with AI — For a recent or hypothetical deal. Validate: Achievable? Proves value? Right size? Adjust. Use for next time.
3. Define your "human only" moments — Discovery calls. Final architecture sign-off. Key stakeholder conversations. Protect them. Don't let AI replace presence.