Most Solutions Architects use AI, but very few use it in a way that actually helps their job. It’s treated like a new treadmill, a few tries, nothing sticks, and it ends up collecting dust.

The truth is AI can take a considerable amount of weight off your day, but only if you give it the right prompts and use it with intent. Over the past three years, I’ve tested what works in real deals, not theory, across North American and international prospects.

Each month, I’ll share a new set of prompts designed to address the problems SAs face every week: messy discovery calls, tight timelines, confused executives, competitive pressure, customer hesitation, and the chaos that comes with it all.

But how do I get started?

To get any AI platform working for you as a Solutions Architect, you have to give it context. Tell it who you are, what you do, who you sell to, and the problems your product actually solves. Share your role, your industry, your territory, and the types of customers you work with every day. Give it the language your company uses, the products you support, the competitors, the objections you hear, and the patterns you look for in discovery.

I also recommend attaching your current technical and business documents, referencing your website, and adding examples of deals you’ve worked on, your demo flow, and how your buyers make decisions. The more you teach it how you think and what you’re selling, the faster it becomes a real assistant instead of a generic chatbot. Doing this before you try the next set of prompts, and the magic shows up fast.

Photo by Google DeepMind on Unsplash

Here are the first 10 prompts you can customize to help you today:

1. Deal Strategy and Discovery Prep

Prompt (complete this one first):

• “Here’s a new prospect [company name]. Summarize what they care about based on their industry, size, risk profile, and recent news. Tell me what a top SA would focus on in the first discovery call. Then give me 10 questions that expose pain, priority, urgency, and buying intent.”

2. Competitive Positioning

Prompt:

• “We’re positioning [product name] and here’s the competitor: [name]. Here’s what we do: [description]. Build a comparison that’s accurate and free of marketing noise. Spell out where we win, where they win, the traps they’ll use, and the traps I should set.”

3. Executive Explanation (Risk, Cost, Time)

Prompt:

• “I need to explain [topic] to an executive who doesn’t care about technical detail. The name of his company is [name]. Write a short version that speaks to risk, cost, speed, and business impact. Cut the jargon.”

4. Technical Deep Dive

Prompt:

• “Explain [technology] in a way that’s simple but still real. Include how it works, why companies use it, common mistakes, tradeoffs, edge cases, and the questions I should ask to assess a customer’s maturity.”

5. Demo Storyline Builder

Prompt:

• “I’m giving a demo to a customer in [industry]. Build a step-by-step narrative that shows how the solution fits their world. Tie every step to a real business problem. Point out the moments where I should pause and check alignment.”

6. Objection Handling

Prompt:

• “The customer said: ‘[objection].’ Break down the real concern behind it, the best way to respond, and how to pivot back to value without arguing or getting defensive.”

7. RFP and Security Questionnaires

Prompt:

• “Here’s an RFP requirement: [paste]. Write an accurate response grounded in how we actually work, and avoid marketing talk. Keep it compliant and precise.”

8. Discovery Call Summary

Prompt:

• “Here are my raw notes from a discovery call. Turn them into a clean summary with: goals, current state, problems, impact, technical landscape, risks, blockers, urgency, and recommended next steps. Add anything I might have missed.”

9. Architecture Diagram Draft

Prompt:

• Create a text outline for an architecture diagram based on this workflow: [describe]. Include components, data flow, trust boundaries, integrations, and labels so I can recreate it in Lucidchart or Canva.”

10. Follow-Up Email

Prompt:

• “Write a follow-up email based on my meeting with [name] from [company name]. Keep it short and direct. Confirm what we understood, what we’re doing next, and what they owe us. Avoid fluff.”

This gives you a running start. AI won’t replace the work SAs do, but it can take a lot of the weight off your shoulders if you point it in the right direction.

If you enjoyed this and want more practical tools each month, subscribe to this publication. And if you have questions, ideas, or something you want me to cover next, send me a message. I read everything, and I’m always up for a good presales conversation.

Tom M
securitytom.com

Let’s be real: enterprise sales is tough. I respect the sales reps and account managers who find deals, pick up the phone, send emails and texts, navigate customer politics, manage technical chaos, grind through RFPs, hit quota, and chase wins. If you are in the field, you know it is never “sell the vision and watch it happen.” So thank you.

Now is the time to recognize the SE. Not as a sidekick or a last minute fixer, but as a true sales partner. SEs build credibility and trust in ways reps sometimes cannot. They remove obstacles, guide buyers through difficult trade offs, identify risks, and keep deals moving forward. Strong SE leadership does not mean taking over. It means coaching SEs to succeed so the deal stays on track.

How the best teams operate:

• Sales calls the plays and drives momentum
• Presales builds trust, removes technical blockers, and clears the path
• Product teams support with roadmaps and delivery, not by dictating opportunity strategy

Too many companies still treat presales like demo jockeys or emergency support. That leaves credibility and revenue on the table.

Sales and Presales: Two Sides of the Same Coin
The strongest teams put SE leaders beside sales leaders at the go-to-market table. Not reporting up. Not buried under layers. Equals. Together they shape the playbook: Which opportunities are real? What do we listen to, ask, and say?

When this alignment is correct, everything changes:

• Fewer deals collapse after signature
• Support stops chasing ghosts
• Close rates climb and fire drills fade

Shared Success, Not Heroics
Smart AEs pull SEs in early. Trust is built from day one, and customers see alignment between sales promises and technical reality. Nobody wants last-minute heroics except those chasing a badge.

But SEs can only succeed if their leader has a proper seat at the go-to-market table. Without that, presales becomes reactive, boxed in, or dependent on individuals who eventually burn out.

Strategic Leadership Scales Trust
A great presales leader builds a system that raises the whole team:

• Clear expectations by region
• Consistency in how SEs show up in deals
• A voice and career path for every SE, not just the loudest

They are not managing calendars. They are shaping outcomes. That is what separates scalable success from burnout.

SE and Sales Leaders: Strategic Complements
Sales leadership cannot run presales the same way Presales leadership cannot run sales. These are different jobs! Aligned together, they challenge each other and build credibility across the go-to-market engine.

You do not need another cheerleader. You need an SE leader who says, “This will not work, and here is why. But here is what will land with the customer.”

Why Companies Need Presales Leadership at the Top
If your SE leader is not in the room when the go-to-market strategy is set, you are flying blind! If your SE leader is not in the room for the largest deals, you are flying blind!

Buried presales leaders often lack direction, effective feedback loops, and meaningful influence. That is when deals look good on paper but fall apart after the signature. You’ll also find this in contract cancellations as soon as the customer is legally able to do so. Same concept as buying a car from the best “used car salesman”… you’ll be pissed the next day — just like some of your customers!

The fix: one global presales leader with a seat at the table alongside sales, marketing, product, and customer success. One voice. One strategy. One system.

I have seen it. The moment presales leadership reported directly into the executive team, everything sharpened: qualification, feedback, close rates, and delivery. It’s not about titles as much as it is visibility, trust, and shared accountability.

That is why Salesforce and ServiceNow treat presales leadership as essential to growth, not optional overhead.

Final Thought
Presales has matured. SEs and SAs are no longer sidekicks. They:

• Architect customer journeys
• Lead technical qualification
• Run POCs with structure
• Guide executive decisions on architecture and risk

Presales is business-critical, and the test is whether the organizational chart in your company reflects it.

Ask yourself:

Is your presales leader part of the go-to-market strategy, or just a dotted line under story teller with a focus on closing? Are they empowered to shape the motion, or stuck running demos on demand?

Presales leaders are the closest voices to your customers’ risks and realities. The more influence they have, the more your company leads with credibility, not just charm. Give them authority, access, and career paths, or lose them to someone who does.

- Tom Mills

Check out more presales insights at presales.substack.com

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EMPOWERING PRESALES LEADERSHIP: The missing ingredient in high-trust sales was originally published in The Presales Professional on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

U.S. Market: Show First, Explain Later

In the U.S., prospects expect an immediate impact. A strong demo often sets the tone for the entire conversation. Buyers want proof that a product will solve their problem, and they want to see it early.

Speed matters: Clear communication and fast results resonate.
Focus on outcomes: Emphasize ROI and direct business impact.

U.K. Market: Explain First, Then Demonstrate

In the U.K., the sequence flips. Buyers want to understand the reasoning before they see the product in action. They are more likely to ask about integration, long-term fit, and compliance before entertaining a live demo.

Trust is critical: Relationships and credibility carry more weight than flash.

Compliance is non-negotiable: Address privacy, security, and regulations such as GDPR from the start.

Leadership, Culture, and Nationalism

The contrasts extend beyond sales tactics. Leadership styles are shaped by culture. In the U.S., leaders are expected to set bold goals, move quickly, and drive their teams with urgency. In the U.K., leadership tends to lean toward consensus, pragmatic planning, and steady execution.

National identity reinforces these expectations. American business culture often celebrates ambition and disruption. British business culture prizes continuity, risk awareness, and regulatory discipline. Both approaches have merit, but they demand different styles of engagement from sales leadership.

Leading Across Markets

A global CRO who applies the same playbook everywhere risks missing the mark. Success comes from adjusting the approach:

In the U.S.: Lead with a high-impact demo that highlights value immediately.
In the U.K.: Take a consultative approach, build trust, and address compliance early.

Executive Takeaway

Global leadership isn’t about enforcing one method everywhere. It’s about knowing when to press for speed and impact, and when to slow down and build trust. The best leaders teach their teams to flex between these modes. That balance is what keeps deals moving and growth sustainable.

The MITRE ATT&CK and MITRE ATLAS frameworks are essential tools for presales security architects. They provide a comprehensive understanding of adversary tactics and techniques, enabling architects to effectively assess and communicate the effectiveness of cybersecurity solutions.

MITRE ATT&CK

What it is:

• A globally accessible knowledge base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations.
• Organizes these behaviors into matrices for different environments, such as enterprise, cloud, mobile, and industrial control systems (ICS).

Why it’s important:

• Understanding the threat landscape: Helps presales architects grasp attackers’ tactics and techniques, enabling better alignment between customer requirements and proposed solutions.
• Demonstrating solution efficacy: Vendors can map their products’ capabilities to the ATT&CK framework to show how they detect or prevent specific adversary behaviors.
• Providing threat context: When discussing customer pain points, referencing ATT&CK allows presales architects to frame the conversation in real-world attack scenarios, making the discussion relevant and impactful.
• Supporting threat hunting and detection: Many security tools integrate with ATT&CK to facilitate threat hunting and detection. Presales architects can showcase how the product simplifies investigations using ATT&CK mappings.

Key use cases in presales:

• Discuss how solutions align with ATT&CK techniques to mitigate threats.
• Explaining how a tool maps to specific ATT&CK techniques during POCs.
• Differentiating your product’s threat detection capabilities using ATT&CK alignment.

MITRE ATLAS

What it is:

• A knowledge base that documents the potential adversarial tactics and techniques that can be used against AI and machine learning (ML) systems.
• An extension of the ATT&CK framework but tailored to threats targeting AI systems.

Why it’s important:

• Emerging threat awareness: As AI and ML are increasingly integrated into security tools, understanding ATLAS ensures presales architects can discuss threats specific to these technologies.
• Proactive positioning: Customers are concerned about securing AI-driven systems. A presales architect who can articulate how their solution addresses ATLAS-based threats demonstrates forward-thinking expertise.
• AI in cybersecurity solutions: Many modern security solutions (e.g., EDR or threat intelligence platforms) leverage AI/ML. Understanding ATLAS helps architects discuss how AI/ML-driven detection mechanisms safeguard against adversarial attacks.
• Building trust: By discussing AI risks and referencing ATLAS, presales architects can position their organization as knowledgeable and proactive, especially for industries adopting AI heavily (e.g., finance, healthcare).

Importance for Presales Security Architects

1. Effective customer conversations: Understanding these frameworks allows architects to have strategic, value-driven discussions with prospects. Customers often seek solutions that are not just effective but are also validated against industry-standard frameworks.
2. Technical credibility: A deep understanding of ATT&CK and ATLAS establishes trust with technical stakeholders. You’re not just selling a product — you’re offering a solution grounded in real-world threat intelligence.
3. Solution differentiation: By tying product capabilities to these frameworks, presales architects can differentiate their solutions, especially when competitors lack clarity.
4. Strengthening POCs and RFP responses: Mapping product capabilities to ATT&CK or ATLAS techniques in demos, POCs, and documentation provides concrete, standardized proof of efficacy.
5. Education for buyers: Many customers may not fully understand these frameworks. As a trusted advisor, you can help them become informed buyers.

Conclusion

For presales security architects, understanding MITRE ATT&CK and MITRE ATLAS is not optional — it’s essential. These frameworks are potent tools for articulating the value of a security solution in the context of real-world threats. They enable better customer conversations, stronger POCs, and a clearer demonstration of how your solution helps address the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Resources

• Mitre ATT&CK https://attack.mitre.org/
• Mitre ATLAS https://atlas.mitre.org/

1. Misaligned messaging: AEs and SEs may convey conflicting information or emphasize different aspects of the solution.
2. Missed opportunities: Failure to leverage each other’s strengths, resulting in overlooking potential upselling or cross-selling opportunities.
3. Reduced credibility: Customers may perceive a lack of preparation between the AE & SE, potentially undermining trust.

I wrote this article to help sales teams everywhere:

Cultivating a Successful Partnership: Account Executives and Sales Engineers Working in Harmony

An exceptional working relationship between an Account Executive (AE) and a Sales Engineer (SE) or Solution Architect is one of the most crucial factors in boosting sales success rates. Understanding how each other thinks, reacts, speaks, asks questions, and responds during calls or meetings will increase your sales success with prospects. They will see you as prepared and professional and tend to trust you more as a sales team.

Photo by X on Unsplash

Here is the list I’ve used with Account Executives since I started my career in Presales years ago.

1. Set Mutual Expectations

Frequent Open Communication

Regular and transparent communication forms the bedrock of any successful relationship. Pre-meeting calls (not just texts) are a must! These conversations ensure both parties are aligned on objectives, strategies, and potential challenges. They provide an opportunity to discuss client backgrounds, anticipate questions, and coordinate roles during presentations.

Agree to Co-Selling and Co-Presenting

Establishing a co-selling and co-presenting approach ensures that the AE and SE actively engage in the sales process. This collaboration presents a unified front to clients, demonstrating teamwork and a comprehensive understanding of their needs. By sharing responsibilities, both parties can leverage their strengths — relationship-building or technical expertise — to drive the sale forward.

2. Define Roles and Responsibilities

Photo by Mario Verduzco on Unsplash

Sales Rep as the Quarterback

The Sales Rep agrees to quarterback the opportunity, orchestrating the sales process from start to finish. This role involves:

• Understanding the Product at a 101 Level: While the SE provides deep technical knowledge, the AE should have a foundational understanding of the product or service being sold. This enables meaningful conversations with clients and helps identify opportunities for the SE to delve deeper.
• Coordinating Efforts: The AE ensures all team members are aligned, schedules are coordinated, and the client’s needs are promptly met.

Sales Engineer’s Expertise

The SE brings technical proficiency and in-depth product knowledge to the table. Responsibilities include:

• Delivering Technical Presentations and Demos: Crafting and presenting tailored demonstrations that address the client’s specific challenges and showcase the product’s value.
• Answering Technical Queries: Providing detailed answers to technical questions, alleviating concerns, and highlighting how the solution meets the client’s needs.

3. Embrace Continuous Learning and Feedback

Willingness to Provide and Accept Feedback

A culture of open feedback is essential for continuous improvement. Both the AE and SE should:

• Regularly Debrief After Meetings: Discuss what went well and areas for improvement.
• Be Receptive to Constructive Criticism: Embrace feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than a personal critique.

Workshop Pitches and Presentations Together

Collaborative preparation strengthens the delivery of pitches and presentations. By working together, both parties can:

• Ensure Consistent Messaging: Align key points, value propositions, and responses to potential objections.
• Enhance Each Other’s Strengths: Leverage the AE’s sales acumen and the SE’s technical expertise to create compelling narratives.

4. Support Each Other Through Internal Pressures

Recognize that each role comes with its own set of challenges:

• For the Sales Rep: Pressure to meet sales targets, manage client relationships, and navigate deal reviews with sales executives.
• For the Sales Engineer: The demand to deliver flawless technical demos, stay updated with product developments, and handle complex client questions.

Offer Mutual Support

• Be Empathetic: Understand the stresses each other faces and offer encouragement.
• Assist When Needed: Proactive support strengthens the partnership, whether it’s jumping in to help with a presentation or providing additional resources.

Conclusion

Building a strong AE-SE partnership doesn’t happen overnight. It requires effort, open communication, and mutual respect. Account Executives and Sales Engineers will achieve more tremendous sales success by setting clear expectations, defining roles, embracing feedback, and supporting each other through internal pressures.

Start following this process today!

Your feedback is Important! I would love to hear your thoughts on this article or ideas for future articles. Share your insights in the comments or send me a direct message.

Technical Sales: How Account Executives and Sales Engineers Drive Sales Together was originally published in The Presales Professional on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.