The time I quarterbacked engineering, product, and client security across four orgs and did not drop the ball.
This was not a deeply technical moment. I did not refactor anything. I did not architect a novel system. But I still helped close a $200K deal by aligning teams that otherwise would have spun out in separate orbits.
The Setup: Boston University
Boston University was evaluating our platform. They had real needs, a healthy budget, and just enough red tape to trip up a rhino. Procurement, security, IT, all involved. Meanwhile, our Product team was still refining what features would land in time. Our AE wanted to close the quarter. I stepped in to stitch the flow together.
Weekly Syncs. Shared Tasks. Transparent Pressure.
I kicked off biweekly calls with BU's IT and security team. We walked through architecture, integrations, and feature timelines. After every meeting, I sent a summary with action items and owners, both on our side and theirs.
This was not a one-way sell. I made sure BU's team had to move too. No passive buyers allowed.
"If it is 10 tasks for us and 1 for them, that is not collaboration, that is babysitting."
Mapping the Decision Process
Through these calls, I charted their approval layers: technical validation, access control, then final procurement. Knowing that let our AE forecast accurately. No false-hope closes. And when delays hit, I could explain exactly where the bottleneck was.
Handling Friction, Not Just Tasks
BU's security team was conservative. But their delay risked stalling the entire implementation. I worked with them to identify lower-risk proof steps. I built docs. I looped in our compliance lead. And when I needed our AE to escalate, I gave him the precise story to run with.
We closed that deal. Not because we rushed, but because we respected the friction and worked through it transparently.
My Pre-Sales Playbook Now
- 🤝Create shared accountability early, especially in PoCs
- 🧭Map decision layers, not just stakeholders
- ⚙️Translate friction into stories sales can act on
- 📅Give Product context without overwhelming them
- 🔄Keep Engineering focused on the known, not the noisy
Pre-sales is not always about selling. Sometimes it is about preventing the thing that would have killed the sale quietly in the background.
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