It is time to look at the future of presales in 2025. This is a follow-up to my predictions back in February 2024 as how Presales and the wider go-to-market teams would evolve through 2024. As we hit the end of the year it is time to review my predictions and then look at 2025.
2024 Predictions and How They Played Out
In 2024, the presales community witnessed a dynamic transformation, much of which was forecasted accurately by the blog article “The Future of Presales in 2024”. Let’s dive into the details
Increased Adoption of Automation and AI
The prediction that AI and automation would revolutionize presales came true. From AI-powered lead qualification tools to automated demo platforms, presales teams leaned heavily on these technologies to streamline workflows and drive efficiency. Tools like Vivun, Consensus and Gong saw widespread adoption, empowering teams to spend more time delivering tailored solutions rather than repetitive tasks. The AI-driven future of presales that the article predicted became a central theme of 2024.
Elevated Role of Presales Professionals
The blog foresaw presales professionals stepping into a more strategic role, bridging gaps between sales, product, and customer success. This shift was validated as presales teams took on consultative roles in the sales cycle, shaping how solutions were positioned and ensuring alignment with customer needs. Their insights increasingly influenced broader go-to-market strategies.
Customer-Centric Engagements
In 2024, presales teams leaned into customer-centric approaches, prioritizing value-driven engagements. As buyers became more educated and self-sufficient, personalization and focus on ROI became critical for driving deals. This prediction was spot-on, as customer-centricity became the key differentiator for successful presales teams.
Return to Office (RTO)
One of the article’s bolder predictions was the resurgence of in-office collaboration, driven by the desire to better utilise office space and for stronger cross-functional alignment. This indeed played out in 2024, as hybrid or fully in-office models became more common. Many companies, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, saw improved synergy between presales and other functions when teams spent more time face-to-face. Some companies completely changed their home working strategies and forced people back into office. While some resistance to RTO persisted, the hybrid model became a norm for balancing flexibility and collaboration.
Emerging Trends for 2025
As we transition into 2025, the trends outlined above will continue to shape presales. Here’s what we anticipate for the Future of Presales in 2025:
Automation Matures Further
Demo automation tools like Consensus and Vivun will become more intelligent, leveraging real-time customer data to deliver hyper-personalized experiences. This will reduce time spent on unqualified demos and free up presales professionals for strategic client engagements. Companies like Pepsales.io will deliver AI enabled tooling that takes on key areas of the sales cycle (like Discovery) and provide direct feedback and help to the SE or AE during calls to ensure that they hit all of their key questions
The RTO Debate Will Continue
While the return-to-office trend in 2024 brought some benefits for collaboration, its continuation in 2025 will vary by organization. Companies with high-growth ambitions and complex sales cycles will likely double down on in-office days, as they prioritize face-to-face teamwork to drive faster decisions and more cohesive strategies.
However, organizations competing for top talent may lean toward a hybrid model, balancing collaboration with employee flexibility. There are also many companies that are still fully committed to a fully remote employee experience, and they continue to thrive. They are also likely to pickup some of the top talent that refuses to be forced back into the office.
Expansion of Presales Responsibilities
Presales teams will continue broadening their impact, taking on post-sale responsibilities like adoption consulting and ensuring customer success. This shift aims to close the loop between pre-sales and post-sales, ensuring long-term value realization for customers. This is especially true as the boundaries between presales and customer success continue to blur.
There are some that say we will evolve into being a solutions team and there will be a new Chief Solutions Officer role. My belief is that we will instead see an evolution of the Chief Customer Officer role as companies recognise that the focus should not be on the solution but on the value that the customer gets from the solution. The focus will be on customer outcomes and not how we deliver our platforms and solutions.
AI-Powered Presales Analytics
Advanced analytics platforms will enable presales teams to better understand customer intent, measure engagement, and predict deal success. These insights will further cement presales as a strategic driver within the sales organization. These analytics will also enable the SE to be far more effective at their roles, removing admin tasks, driving up the quality of discovery and ensuring that the solutioneering aspects of the role are far more oriented to customer value and results.
Those companies that fail to utilise the amazing power of these new AI tools will fall behind in the race to win new business. However, we should all be careful to ensure that our company IP is not unintentionally shred with LLMs that then use this IP as training data.
Focus on Team Development
Up-skilling will become a priority in 2025. Companies will invest heavily in training programs that equip presales professionals with not only technical acumen but also consultative skills, allowing them to navigate increasingly complex sales environments.
Companies that continue to focus on individual and team development will retain more of their top talent and ensure that they hit their growth goals for 2025.
Conclusion
“The Future of Presales in 2024” proved very accurate in its predictions, particularly in the areas of automation, the strategic evolution of presales, and the shift toward customer-centricity. Its bold call on the return to office mandates also materialised.
The Future of Presales in 2025 will see many of these trends persist and evolve. As AI and automation becomes smarter, AI delivers deeper insights, and presales teams expand their roles, the function will continue solidifying its importance within the go-to-market strategy. Whether in-office or remote, presales professionals who prioritise collaboration, continuous learning, and customer value will drive success in this ever-changing landscape.
