Sitecore

Global VP of Solutions

Answer sales questions, RFPs, and security questionnaires 10x faster with 1up.

Strategic Advisor

PreSkale

BoldCap

Helping BoldCap's pre-seed and seed founders to build and execute on their Go To Market strategies.

GTM Partner

Demostack

Great products deserve great demo experiences and Demostack helps software companies create, deliver, and analyze great demos.  Great demos build connection between people and products. They make it easy for people to envision themselves successfully using your product and working with your company. Great demos are controlled, tailored to the prospect, flawlessly delivered, and continually improved based on data. Easier said than done! We're building Demostack to make delivering great demos possible every time.

Chief

Member

Presales Leadership Collective

Formstack

Chief Solutions Officer

Zendesk

Global Vice President Presales

The customer experience is digital - obtaining and retaining customers across multiple channels; building loyalty, trust and security; and predicting the next big thing in innovative technology to service your customers.  We bring rapid transformation and agility across all channels, getting you close to your customers and delivering a consistently great experience at every touch point.  We help you cut cost, time and complexity, freeing you up to focus on innovation and strategy. 

Our brilliant Presales teams work with you, building trusted relationships to guide you through the technology needed for you to provide outstanding service to your customers through a consistently great experience at every touchpoint, channel and device. 
The SAP Hybris solution portfolio includes innovative offerings for commerce, marketing, sales, service and revenue.

Global VP, SAP Customer Experience Presales

Global VP, Design Thinking and General Business Presales

As a dynamic and growth-focused senior executive, I have extensive experience in leading global Solutions Consulting (Presales) teams and pioneering customer-centric methodologies. With a strong focus on operational excellence and revenue growth, I have managed to transform teams into potent forces, contributing significantly to the business growth and customer satisfaction in the software industry.

Being a forward-thinking business transformer, I have consistently fostered innovation and strategic thinking to improve business processes and customer satisfaction. I am known for my deep understanding of the technological landscape and the ability to bridge gaps between business needs and technology solutions.

As a compassionate and motivational leader, I have led large teams, managed high-stakes accounts, and cultivated relationships with key stakeholders. My focus on creating a nurturing environment and implementing effective personnel management reforms has not only improved internal attrition rates but also fostered a culture of excellence within my teams. 

A few of my career highlights include: 

•	Successfully conceived an internal platform for presales, which led to a 20% reduction in redundant work and a 22% YoY increase in net new business growth.
•	At SAP America, I managed a team of 400+ individuals, propelling company revenues from $200M to $500M in three years through strategic leadership, optimized sales processes, and cohesive team coordination.
•	As Co-General Manager of Presales at SAP China, I introduced the principles of Design Thinking, which resulted in an increased win rate to over 50%, a tripled average deal size, and a 60%+ reduction in external spending.
•	As Presales Manager at SAP UK&I LTD., I co-developed and disseminated the “Why We Win, Why We Lose” training video, impacting over 7000 SAP personnel and shaping global sales and training initiatives.

Over the last two decades, I dedicated my career to Solutions Engineering (Presales) and have been humbled by the journey. I’ve met amazing clients, worked across multiple geographies (America, EMEA and China) and developed lifelong working relationships and friendships on this journey.

I’m a passionate mom of two and whenever I can, you can find me cheering them on at their soccer practices or games. We are all avid Atlanta United soccer fans. I love to travel and experience this beautiful planet and recently passed my scuba diving certification - a bucket list goal. 

While traveling I love people watching, great food (I will try anything once!) and nice wine.

Harsh Solutions truth: We’re not demoing fast enough. And we’re showing way too much.

That first five minutes matters more than most SEs think.

Customers want to see themselves in the solution - not sit through 20 minutes of setup before anything clicks.

Here’s how I explain it:

- Start with the outcome
- Show the moment of value early
- Then explain the “how” - not everything, just what’s relevant

You don’t need to show it all.

You need to show what matters.

#presalesevolution

Sara Jones

Leading The Solutions Conversation | Chief Solutions Officer | “The Wonder Woman of Customer Service” | Driving the Presales Evolution

I am delighted to welcome Shannon Gray to Sitecore as our new Field CTO!

After an impressive 13-year run at Optimizely, Shannon brings a wealth of experience, deep industry expertise, and a remarkable track record of customer and partner success. His reflections on that chapter highlight the relationships he built and the impact he made and we’re incredibly proud that he chose Sitecore as the next step in his journey.

There’s no denying this is a major competitive win for Sitecore. Bringing in someone of Shannon’s caliber — with his vision, technical leadership, and passion for the digital experience community — strengthens our momentum in all the right ways.

I am excited for the innovation and energy he’ll bring as he partners with our teams and customers to help drive Sitecore’s vision forward.
Here’s to new beginnings, bold moves, and continued growth.

 Welcome to Sitecore, Shannon. We’re thrilled to have you on board! 🚀

Still buzzing from Sitecore Symposium 2025: Next is Now.
Where Purpose Meets Experience

I’m still energized from an incredible few days at #SitecoreSym — a reminder of how mission, innovation, purpose, and a little fun can come together to create something truly meaningful.

From the Puppy Bowl adoption event 🐶 (yes, real puppies!) to the Shriners Children’s Hospital Challenge, where Sitecore turned attendee engagement into real donations, the message was clear: great experiences create impact — both digital and human.

Jesse Cole’s “Fans First” Savannah Bananas keynote was inspirational, motivational and incredibly entertaining. His storytelling, woven with audience participation, took the roof off!

Beyond the heartwarming moments, the immersive customer experience sessions showcased how brands are using creativity and technology to connect with people in more personal, relevant ways. It’s exciting to see how experience design is evolving beyond engagement — toward empathy. 

📣 2 Spectacular Keynotes,
䷍ 98 breakout sessions,
🙎🏽‍♂️🙎🏻‍♀️ 2000 customers and prospects,
💯 100 MVP’s,
😀 40 Partners – in the comments!! 

Huge thanks to the team of amazing SE’s that supported #SitecoreSym:
Rob Huffstedtler, Zach Escabedo, Johannes Zijlstra, Hossam Medhat, Angela Gustafson, Cormac Hampson Ph.D., Morten Ljungberg, Johan Becue, Arne Schlüter, Atif Unar, Sarah O'Reilly, Nora Staebler, Scott Burnell, Adeline Ashley, Aswin Mannepalli, Jonathan Corley, Sultan Semlali, Michael Sherman, Mark Fronczak, Ben Green, Michael Wingert, Caridad Bojorquez, Bradley Thomsen, David Stremic, Mohamed Krimi, Amy Iannaccone, Kaitlyn Folsom, Thomas Lin, Brandon Bruno, Nick Robinett, Allen Blanton, Yuri Y., Jeffrey Isham, and Shannon Gray.

And yes, the rides at 🎢 Universal Studios were a pretty great way to cap it all off. 

Between the immersive customer experience demos (huge thanks to Scintilla Blue), thought-provoking sessions, and a few thrill rides at Universal Studios, I left feeling motivated to keep creating digital experiences that connect with people on a deeper level. I’m leaving Symposium inspired to keep building moments that don’t just perform — they matter.

#Sitecore #MomentsThatMatter #DigitalExperience #PurposeDrivenTech #CustomerExperience #Innovation #Community #Leadership #FasterForwardTogether

Happy Friday to the SE who mentored the new hire, calmed the AE, spotted the red flag and still had time to help prep the RFP.

You're smashing it 👏

You can have the most polished demo in the world... but if the discovery missed the mark, it won’t matter.

Too many teams are still asking: "What features would you like to see?"
Instead of: "Why is this creating real pain for your team right now?"

Deals get stuck when you don’t connect to urgency.

Don’t skim past discovery to get to the show. 

Make discovery the moment of insight.

#presalesevolution

Great SEs don’t just walk through a product. They walk customers into possibility.

Before any feature is shown, they’ve already:

- Diagnosed the real problem
- Aligned on what “better” looks like
- Created trust that this isn’t a pitch but  a path

That’s not sales support. That’s strategic partnership.

Give SEs the space to lead, not just assist.

#presalesevolution

You wouldn’t expect an athlete to improve without watching game film.

So why do so many SEs skip reviewing their demos?

High-performing teams aren’t winging it.

They’re watching themselves back. Catching the missed signal, the slide that didn’t land, the awkward transition, the missed goal.

They’re asking for feedback not because they’re unsure - but because they’re obsessed with getting better.

The difference between a good SE and a great one?

The great ones study their own performance. They invite critique, they coach each other and then they self-correct.

Not once a quarter but regularly. 

P.S: My son Oliver does this with his soccer games. I'm so proud of him 😊

It’s Friday. And I’m ending the week grateful.

Grateful for the team who:

- Pushes to do better every week
- Shares wins and lessons
- Cares deeply about the customer
- Shows up for each other

The work is complex.

The people make it simple.

Here’s to the quiet wins and the people behind them 👏

It is World Kindness Day today.

The one value I am most proud of in my kids is when they are kind. It is hugely under-rated in our divisive, fractured world right now. 
I love that today is a day to raise this to top of mind.

What can you do?

🥰 Make it a goal to give genuine compliments to at least three people today.
😍 Make a resolution to perform one act of kindness each week throughout the year.
📖 Create a kindness journal to capture wonderful moments throughout 2025.

Tell me your act of kindness today in the comments. I want to feel the warm and fuzzies!!

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