“Hey Adam, how’s your business going?”
I’ve always approached presales with a growth mindset. It wasn’t just about supporting deals, it was about scaling impact. That meant building out the right KPIs early, so we could speak the language of the business and show up as a true strategic partner. I realized if I wanted presales to be seen as a strategic driver of the business, not just a support function, I had to measure it like one.
That’s where KPIs come in. They’re not flashy, but they’re powerful. The right ones don’t just track progress, they prove value, spotlight opportunities, and earn influence.
So I built a presales operating system anchored in KPIs the business actually cares about: revenue efficiency, contribution per head, pipeline quality. It changed how I viewed my team—and how others did too. Suddenly, I wasn’t just the “SE leader”—I was someone who could speak in metrics that mattered at the executive level. Somewhere along the way, a buddy dubbed me the “King of KPIs” after a DEMOFEST keynote. Not the flashiest title, but I’ll take it if it means people are paying attention to the numbers.
One metric I always push for, but rarely see, is revenue efficiency. Not just how much revenue you helped close, but how efficiently you generated it. Can you scale without bloating headcount? Improve win rates while increasing revenue per SE? When I showed execs that deals with both presales and Consensus content more than doubled our revenue efficiency, it turned heads—and unlocked budget and headcount.
The truth is, presales often gets lost in the high-five moments of a sales org. But when you can measure and communicate your team’s value in business terms, that’s how you stop being seen as a cost center, and start being seen as a growth engine. How will you earn your seat?
Talk soon,
Adam
(P.S. I’ll be hanging out at DEMOFESTx East Coast next week with presales pros and GTM leaders. If you’re in NYC and want to chat KPIs, join me! The event is free.)
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