Presale Managers: Increasing Margins and Driving IT Companies Toward Success

In project management, each stage of the project lifecycle plays an important role. One of the most critical but often underestimated stages, in my opinion, is presale. This is the phase when the company interacts with the client, gathers requirements, proposes solutions, and lays the groundwork for project initiation.

Many IT companies try to save costs by relying on regular sales managers during the presale stage or do not recognize the need for a dedicated employee for this role. This approach is not ideal, especially when the project requires precision, detailed planning, and deep technical expertise. Here, we will thoroughly examine what presale is, what a Pre-Sale Manager does, and why it is better for successful project implementation to have a dedicated Pre-Sale Manager rather than entrusting this task to a standard sales manager.

What is Presale?

Presale occurs before the project begins and involves activities related to preparing and collecting all project details, as well as accurately defining goals, requirements, risks, timelines, and costs. It is during this stage that full interaction between the client and your company takes place, where key project parameters are validated.

The main goal of presale is to create a well-thought-out proposal that is most beneficial for both the client and the development company. This stage involves decisions on technology stack, resources, deadlines, and financial terms. In IT projects, this phase is especially crucial because even a small mistake at the start can lead to significant problems later on.

Key tasks of a Pre-Sale Manager include:

• Clarifying all requirements with the client (identifying the client's needs);
• Presenting your company to the client (introducing the company, its services, and advantages);
• Assisting in lead qualification (for example, a technical specialist better understands whether the client's needs can be met using the company's capabilities);
• Preparing and presenting RFPs (Request for Proposal). Fully managing the proposal preparation process and ensuring deadlines are met. Missed deadlines at any stage, from presales onward, are common issues. Meeting deadlines enhances the company's reputation and fosters a positive image with the client;
• Participating in Q&A sessions with the client to identify needs, answer questions, and facilitate the process. The presale manager ensures a balance so that the client does not feel overwhelmed by minor questions and remains actively engaged;
• Creating harmony among the client, IT, marketing, and sales teams for sustainable and effective relationships.

Where is a Pre-Sale Manager Effective?

Let's look at a typical sales process:

• Lead generation — identifying prospective clients and establishing contact; all lead generation activities happen here.
• Familiarization with the product/domain — gaining a deeper understanding of the client's business and daily operations to better meet their needs.
• Contact with key leads — organizing responses and developing relationships.
• Opportunity assessment — exploring and verifying potential for future collaboration.
• Client presentation — presenting innovative solutions to identified problems and a strategic roadmap for partnership development.
• Deal closing — final negotiations and signing contracts, including advance payments.
• Follow-ups — maintaining contact and developing relationships with existing clients.

From these stages, the presale manager is particularly useful in:

• Familiarization with the product/domain. The Pre-Sale Manager will know the domain and understand the client much better than a salesperson. This knowledge helps salespeople better understand what is going on in their clients' minds.
• Opportunity assessment. With a deeper understanding of the domain and technologies, the Pre-Sale Manager can see all possibilities for collaboration.
• Client presentation. The Pre-Sale Manager can speak the client's language, understand their pain points, and identify how to achieve maximum effectiveness during presentations.
• Deal closing. It is often necessary to adjust agreements on the fly to best meet the client's needs. The Pre-Sale Manager knows which parts of the proposal can be tweaked without negatively impacting the company’s future.

In conclusion, the maximum benefit from a Pre-Sale Manager is typically seen when dealing with large, complex requests, such as those arising from RFPs (Request for Proposal). It looks something like this:

Visualization of Pre-Sale Manager actions during large RFP requests.

When do conflicts arise during presale?

Presale is always a stressful situation because all participants find themselves in a new, often unfamiliar context. Under tight deadlines, it is necessary to quickly get acquainted with the client, understand their problem, evaluate possible solutions promptly, and prepare a proposal that satisfies both the company and the client.

Main conflicts during presale often occur due to a lack of understanding of all work stages and roles of participants. If stakeholders are unclear about the process, do not understand who is responsible for what, and are unaware of the presale's objectives, misunderstandings can happen. For example, if a sales specialist performs the presale function, they will focus on closing the deal and maximizing the contract amount. Meanwhile, the project manager’s main task begins after presale, and they will be more concerned with risks, potential delays, and resources. This gap in approaches often leads to conflicts.

Sales managers aim for quick and profitable deal closure, while other team members seek to minimize risks and issues. In such cases, presale managers may try to accelerate processes, skip steps, or underestimate timelines. Common conflict points include:

Deal timelines and key steps;

• Solution formatting, calls, and Q&A sessions;
• Preparation and presentation materials;
• Effort and risk assessment;
• Role distribution and resource planning;
• Gathering and preparing case studies and examples.

How to Minimize Conflicts?

To reduce conflicts and establish effective collaboration between sales and operational teams, it is essential to properly organize the presale process. Clearly define core stages, time estimates for each, and responsible persons. Optimizing this process may take about six months but will provide a solid foundation. It is also important to document the roles of all participants and, where possible, link KPIs to financial results.

Main roles and responsibilities during presales:

• Business Analyst — analyzes the client’s current business, identifies problems, and formulates proposals for their solution.
• Technical Lead (Tech Lead) — responsible for technical project implementation. Defines technologies and resources needed, provides architecture, and estimates timelines and effort.
• Project Manager — organizes team work, manages contract-related tasks, interacts with the client, and participates in negotiations.
• Sales Specialist — communicates with the client, clearly conveys proposals, and guides the client toward deal closure. It’s crucial that the client perceives the salesperson as the main contact; otherwise, confusion may arise regarding who is managing the process and which questions to ask.

For effective cross-departmental interaction, it is vital to agree in advance on what information needs to be shared and what rules should be followed. For example, project managers need the following data:

Project scope

• What is included and what is not;
• Who participates in presale, and what access rights the Tech Lead and team have to client information;
• All existing documents, instructions, tools, and resources .

For presale managers:

• Conduct productive syncs with the team and client representatives;
• Strictly adhere to deadlines: timing at the presale stage is crucial. Even a delay of a couple of days can cause the project to lose to competitors who act faster;
• Organize all presale stages carefully, with a clear plan, responsible persons, deadlines, and requirements.

Another challenge can arise if the presale role is performed by a sales specialist unfamiliar with technical questions or hesitant to consult experts. This approach often results in errors that can have serious consequences, damaging the entire team’s work.

Conclusion

Presale is a vital stage that lays the foundation for successful project delivery. The Pre-Sale Manager plays a key role in creating accurate proposals that consider all client needs, team capabilities, and potential risks. Instead of relying solely on a sales manager, it is important to involve a specialist with both commercial and technical expertise—especially in larger companies. This approach helps avoid problems later in the project and ensures its successful execution.

Ultimately, a Pre-Sale Manager is not just a “salesperson,” but a strategist who helps the company understand what the client truly needs and how best to achieve it.

I hope this information about presale has been helpful. Please leave a comment — does your company have a Presale role? Who performs this role? Do you understand its importance?