Since joining as General Manager in November, I've been on a mission to listen, learn, and understand what makes our community tick. I’m going to give you an update every quarter on what’s working, what’s not working, and what we’re doing to make PSC the best place for presales professionals.
Acknowledging Our Challenges
While we've achieved remarkable growth—50,000 members in under 5 years is no small feat—some aspects of our community needed a fresh approach to continue to grow.
One significant challenge was the growing disconnect between two vital segments of our membership:
- Experienced professionals seeking ongoing enablement, growth, and networking
- Newcomers trying to enter the profession or rebuild after layoffs
Without a balanced strategy addressing both groups, one inevitably dominates, leaving the other feeling unwelcome.
For example, our Slack community, originally designed to support seasoned professionals, had transformed into a resource hub primarily for job seekers and career switchers. Simultaneously, the Presales Academy, intended to help newcomers, was becoming financially inaccessible due to its program structure. The result? Neither community segment felt fully supported. All of these groups are important, but they need different things from the community and should have dedicated spaces in the community to ensure that one doesn’t become more dominant than the others.
Our Strategic Shifts
This insight has driven most of our recent changes:
1. Restructured Slack Environment
We've carved out dedicated spaces for job seekers and newcomers while restoring other channels to their original purpose—networking, professional growth, resource sharing, and peer community.
2. Reimagined Presales Academy
We recognized that the previous format was both too expensive and geographically limited to the US. We've transformed it into an on-demand format, making this valuable content and training more accessible while maintaining its educational integrity. The new PSA On-Demand will launch in the spring later this year.
3. Localized Community Focus
2025 is the year of the local PSC community. Our new Regional Community Leader program has already launched in over a dozen cities with nearly 20 leaders identified to facilitate local gatherings. We're also bringing our events to local venues with Sol/Con, our first-ever in-person conference designed specifically for presales leaders. The surge in requests for leadership dinners and networking events signals strong momentum in our regional communities.
4. Enhanced Enablement Strategy
Late last year, we launched "Unlimited," our corporate enablement strategy allowing companies to purchase seats for unlimited access to our programs. Soon, individuals will be able to purchase this access as well.
But we've heard your feedback that live courses alone aren't sufficient. In response, we're introducing ongoing enablement programs as part of our Unlimited offering, featuring:
- Easy-to-consume weekly content
- Discussion guides
- Weekly discussion and role-playing exercises
I'm thrilled about the industry experts we've lined up to contribute to this content. I'm confident this will be transformative—an always-on enablement engine powered by the Presales Collective.
Looking Forward
This is just the beginning. If you've been on the sidelines with the Presales Collective, now is the perfect time to get involved. This is YOUR community, and we can't realize its full potential without you.
Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into this role with open arms. You make my job a joy to wake up to every morning, and I'm excited about what we'll accomplish together throughout the rest of this year.