Top 19 Focus Areas for Presales Professionals in 2025

Presales keeps changing in 2025. New technology, different buyer expectations and the need for better storytelling drive the change.

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. 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). 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. The board brings us closer, and we cheer each other on.

What about your personal and business challenges this year? For presales, here are the 19 areas I would prioritise this year:

1. Master the Art of Storytelling

Tailor your stories to the client's pain points and goals. Use them in demos and conversations.

Why It Matters: Stories create an emotional connection and make your product easy to remember. A good story shows your solution 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 them.

2. Champion Personalisation in Demos

Generic demos are outdated. Tailor every demo to the client's needs and goals.

Why It Matters: A generic demo bores clients. A personalised demo shows you have listened.

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

Explain the buying process to your buyers. Help them make informed decisions and agree on expectations early.

Why It Matters: Informed buyers make better decisions. When you guide them through the process, there is less friction and more confidence.

Actionable Tip: Share a "Buyer's Guide or Buying Journey (opens in a new tab)" 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: presales-handbook.com/journey/selling-journey (opens in a new tab)

4. Integrate AI and Automation

Use AI tools to personalise interactions, predict client needs and automate repetitive tasks.

Why It Matters: Every task a tool takes over gives you time for strategic work.

Actionable Tip: Use AI tools like ChatGPT for drafting personalised follow-ups. Automate scheduling with platforms like HubSpot, or use a personal CRM like Dex (https://getdex.com/invite/r/9uoIZPOey2Sgeb5ttaJDcCeBSlp1 (opens in a new tab)).

5. Adopt a Consultative Approach

Act as a trusted advisor. Offer real insight and stop pushing products.

Why It Matters: Clients trust advisors more than product pushers. A consultative approach links your solution to their wider goals.

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

Work closely with sales, product and marketing so you face the client as one team.

Why It Matters: When these teams agree, the client hears one message from first call to contract.

Actionable Tip: Schedule weekly sync meetings with key teams to share updates, resolve challenges, and refine strategies together.

7. Develop Deep Product Expertise

Keep up with product features and industry trends. Then you can answer client questions and objections with confidence.

Why It Matters: Clients trust people who know the product. Deep knowledge lets you answer complex questions on the spot.

Actionable Tip: Dedicate an hour weekly to hands-on product use. Maintain a quick-reference FAQ for technical highlights.

8. Engage in Continuous Learning

Technology changes fast, so your skills need to keep up. Certifications, industry webinars and expert articles help.

Why It Matters: Tools, trends and best practices change every year. What worked in your last role may not work in the next deal.

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: presales-handbook.com/course (opens in a new tab)

9. Utilise Data-Driven Insights

Use analytics to improve demos, adapt pitches and predict client behaviour.

Why It Matters: Data shows you which demos and messages work, so you stop guessing.

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

Use the golden hours after a demo. Send a personal thank-you with the key takeaways and proposed next steps.

Why It Matters: Interest is highest in the first hours after a demo. Wait too long and it fades.

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. Still, lead with value. A bare price quote says nothing about what the client gets.

Why It Matters: Pricing discussions are an opportunity to demonstrate the tangible value your solution delivers. When you focus on ROI (opens in a new tab), the talk moves from cost to measurable business outcomes. That builds trust and ties the price to 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 (presales-handbook.com/tools/software (opens in a new tab)) to quantify potential benefits. Also present a pricing breakdown that transparently connects each cost element to a specific value driver.

12. Master Buyer Persona Identification

Understand the concerns of each stakeholder group, from IT and finance to end-users. Adapt your approach to each.

Why It Matters: Each stakeholder has different priorities. If you know them, your message reaches every decision-maker.

Actionable Tip: Map stakeholders into personas and tailor your communication and value propositions to their specific concerns.

13. Focus on Champion Enablement

Identify and equip champions (opens in a new tab) within the client organisation to advocate for your solution effectively.

Why It Matters: Champions argue for your solution inside the client's company and strongly influence the buying decision. In the end, the champion sells your solution, not you.

Actionable Tip: Equip your champion with tailored pitch decks, data points, and narratives to present your solution effectively to their stakeholders.

14. Use Social Media for Branding

Show your expertise on platforms like LinkedIn through articles, polls and videos.

Why It Matters: A strong personal brand (opens in a new tab) makes you known as an expert 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. Learn to analyse lost opportunities and stay motivated.

Why It Matters: Resilience helps you recover from a loss and do better in the next deal.

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 (opens in a new tab) or include meditation into your daily habits.

16. Invest in High-Impact Visual Content

Use infographics, videos and interactive presentations to make complex ideas easier to understand.

Why It Matters: A good visual explains a complex idea faster than a slide of text and keeps clients attentive.

Actionable Tip: Use Canva (opens in a new tab) to create infographics or interactive presentations. Experiment with animations or live demos for added impact.

17. Build Long-Term Relationships

Stay in touch after the sale. Regular check-ins, updates and useful content keep you on your client's radar.

Why It Matters: Clients you stay close to come back and recommend you.

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

Be transparent and honest in every interaction.

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 (opens in a new tab) such as demo-to-win rate, client engagement and feedback quality.

Why It Matters: The numbers show where you need to improve and whether your work supports the business goals.

Actionable Tip: Use CRM tools to track performance metrics. Review them monthly to identify gaps and refine strategies. For presales in particular, I like Homerun Presales.

Call to Action

If you want to learn more about PreSales, please visit www.presales-handbook.com (opens in a new tab), buy the PreSales Handbook (opens in a new tab), or take the PreSales Mastery Course (opens in a new tab).