Every year, the same thing happens at SKOs. SEs and Presales teams get told to join the sales sessions because “that is somewhat relevant to them.” It is well-intended, but it misses the point.
I have been speaking with a lot of SE leaders lately who want to organise something meaningful for their teams at their SKO. They want sessions that actually help SEs do their job better.
But the internal suggestions they receive are usually the same as always. A value selling refresher. More product training. The same content as last year. Nothing that focuses on the unique work SEs do.
There is no dedicated SE track. No moment to learn how to explain complex things in simple terms. No space to practise demos or discovery. No room to talk about internal challenges or share best practices. And then companies wonder why demos feel exactly the same twelve months later.
If you want SEs to create real impact, they need their own agenda. Their own training. A space where they can discuss their day-to-day challenges openly and learn from one another. SKO is one of the best opportunities to do that, because you have the whole team in one place with the right level of attention.
Some SE leaders I work with managed to secure a dedicated SE track by doing a few simple things. First, they ran a short survey to ask their team how helpful last year’s SKO content really was.
Many responses were along the lines of “too generic”, which created a clear data point.
Second, they showed the business impact SEs have on win rates, deal sizes, and sales cycle length. When you ask for budget, numbers matter. And third, they pointed to real opportunities the SE team influenced or saved.
They used those examples to explain why it is worth investing in skills that help the team repeat these moments.
If you want new ideas for your SKO, I am happy to help. I also deliver keynotes like “Beyond does that make sense” and “Stop winging it, start winning it”, which focus on better demo conversations and alignment between sales and presales.
These sessions work well when you want to give your SEs something practical they can use right away.
