One Button Before Every Meeting: My Home Assistant Meeting Mode
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting Smart Home

One Button Before Every Meeting: My Home Assistant Meeting Mode

Working from home means video meetings, demos and customer calls are part of my daily routine. So I built a simple Home Assistant meeting mode that I can activate from a button on my Stream Deck. One press adjusts my office lighting, switches on the video light, silences distracting devices and announcements, turns off the printer, and shows my family that I am in a meeting through Home Assistant dashboards and a red status light outside my office. It is a small smart-home automation, but it makes my home office noticeably calmer and my meetings much more predictable.
A Perfect Home Office Setup for a Solutions Consultant
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting Online & Digital

A Perfect Home Office Setup for a Solutions Consultant

For a Solutions Consultant, the home office is more than just a desk with a laptop. It is where discovery calls happen, live demos are delivered and customer relationships are built through a screen. The perfect home office setup for Solutions Consultants should support clear communication, reliable demos, professional video calls and long working days without getting in the way. In this article, I look at the parts that actually matter: screen space, audio, camera positioning, lighting, ergonomics and network reliability. The goal is not to build the most expensive setup possible. It is to create one that helps you focus on the customer instead of the technology around you.
From Demos to Coach: Navigating the Leap from Solution Consultant to Manager
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

From Demos to Coach: Navigating the Leap from Solution Consultant to Manager

For most of my career, I had no ambition to become a manager. I genuinely enjoyed being a Solutions Consultant, working directly with customers and getting the immediate feedback that comes from solving real problems, running demos and shaping technical sales cycles. But after the better part of two decades in technical pre-sales and solutions engineering, the learning curve started to flatten. It felt a bit like playing a computer game you still love, but one where you have explored most of the map and new challenges increasingly look familiar. Moving into management changed that. It felt less like leaving Solutions Consulting behind and more like unlocking the next level of the same game. In this article, I share what I learned moving from individual contributor to Manager and Senior Manager, including coaching instead of fixing, developing people, working across Sales and Product, using metrics well, and building teams that can succeed without depending on you for every answer.
Four Leadership Books That Changed How I Lead
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

Four Leadership Books That Changed How I Lead

I have read quite a few leadership books over the years. Some were useful in the moment and then quietly disappeared from memory. Others stayed with me because an idea from a chapter would suddenly reappear months later in a conversation with someone on my team, during a difficult decision, or when I caught myself stepping in to solve a problem that probably should not have become mine in the first place. Those are the books I value most. Not because I agree with every page, but because they changed something in the way I actually lead. I am generally…
Build Microwave Doors, Not Warning Signs: What Solutions Consulting Leaders Can Learn from Blame, Process and Formula One
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting Motorsport

Build Microwave Doors, Not Warning Signs: What Solutions Consulting Leaders Can Learn from Blame, Process and Formula One

Great leadership is not about finding someone to blame when processes fail. It is about designing better systems. This article explores what Solutions Consulting leaders can learn from no-blame culture, Formula One, and the simple brilliance of a microwave door: build processes that make the right action easier, reduce repeated reminders, and turn mistakes into learning.
5 High-Performance Morning Habits for SaaS Solutions Consultants
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

5 High-Performance Morning Habits for SaaS Solutions Consultants

In the fast-paced world of SaaS pre-sales, the way you start your morning can set the tone for the entire day. Consistent morning routines act as an anchor, providing structure and focus before the outside world’s demands take over. In fact, a Harvard Business Review study found 92% of highly productive people follow consistent morning habits. The benefits go beyond just getting more done – a reliable routine can boost mental clarity, reduce stress, and even improve technical excellence by making time for learning. In short, strong mornings build momentum for the rest of your day. Win the morning, win…
Burnout to Breakthrough: Resilience Strategies for IT Professionals
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting General

Burnout to Breakthrough: Resilience Strategies for IT Professionals

Resilience Strategies for IT Professionals is a practical, science-backed guide for knowledge workers facing chronic stress and emotional exhaustion. Written with a blend of personal insight and professional experience, the post explores how to recognize early warning signs of burnout—like fatigue, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness—before they take a lasting toll. Drawing on real-life examples from the tech industry, it offers proven strategies such as time-blocking for rest, setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness, and seeking mentorship or therapy. The article is especially relevant for IT professionals navigating high-pressure environments, long hours, and demanding clients. The author shares personal reflections from a near-burnout experience during the LastPass security incident and underscores the value of taking intentional breaks—like a two-week unplugged holiday—as key to recovery. This post is essential reading for developers, sysadmins, engineers, and anyone working in tech who wants to sustain performance without sacrificing well-being. With an encouraging tone and actionable advice, it helps readers shift from burnout toward a more balanced, motivated, and healthy professional life.
The AI-Augmented Solutions Consultant: 15 Ways LLMs Are Redefining Presales in 2025 (and Beyond)
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

The AI-Augmented Solutions Consultant: 15 Ways LLMs Are Redefining Presales in 2025 (and Beyond)

Discover how ChatGPT and Copilot are transforming the role of Solutions Consultants in SaaS presales. This in-depth 2025 guide explores 15+ real-world use cases—like AI-powered demo scripts, faster RFP responses, and smarter discovery prep—backed by the latest data on time savings, win rates, and deal acceleration. Whether you're a Solutions Engineer or presales leader, learn how AI tools are boosting productivity, reducing burnout, and helping teams deliver more value in less time.
Impatience – An Illness of Modern Times
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

Impatience – An Illness of Modern Times

In today’s fast-paced digital era, impatience has become an “illness of modern times” – especially impacting the SaaS sales cycle and B2B sales strategies. This summary delves into how the drive for instant results and quick wins creates challenges in B2B SaaS sales, from rushed sales cycles to strained client relationships. In a culture of instant gratification, sales teams and buyers often expect immediate ROI, yet enterprise SaaS deals typically involve multi-month sales cycles that demand a patient, trust-building approach. It highlights how modern impatience (like abandoning campaigns early when results aren’t instant) often clashes with the consultative presales strategies needed for complex B2B deals. Key themes include the role of solutions consulting and presales in addressing impatience by educating prospects and tailoring solutions, and the value of professional patience in SaaS sales. Readers will gain insights into balancing urgency with patience, adopting presales strategies that foster trust, and understanding why cultivating patience in the modern SaaS environment is crucial for sustainable success.
10 Travel Essentials for Solutions Consultants (from Someone Who’s Been There)
Posted inBehind Solutions Consulting

10 Travel Essentials for Solutions Consultants (from Someone Who’s Been There)

Discover the top 10 travel essentials every Solutions Consultant should carry. From must-have tech gear like a MacBook presenter and privacy screen to practical items like a reusable water bottle and branded lanyard, this guide is packed with real-world tips to boost your productivity and professionalism on the road. Whether you're headed to a client workshop, trade show, or coworking space, these expert-recommended tools will help you stay organized, secure, and ready for anything.