About the author
Presales has flowed through the veins of Dwayne DeSylvia for 20 years. Serving as both an individual contributor and Presales manager, Dwayne has executed Presales at companies ranging from small startups to industry-leading global corporations. Over the course of this career, he has delivered thousands of presentations and demonstrations to Fortune 500 companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, higher education and public sector organizations. Initially becoming a software developer after obtaining his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Dwayne's right brain creativity wouldn't be hampered and he and found a natural path into Presales. Dwayne has a passion to advance the Presales profession and share not just his successes, but also his cuts and bruises, with those aspiring to a Presales career. Dwayne and Bob have a unique relationship in that they have been each other's Presales manager and have both created and driven Presales success at multiple companies. Dwayne lives in Colorado where he enjoys the great outdoors.
Bob Skowron has practiced the art and science of Presales for 15+ years with over 10 years in Presales management. Before becoming a Presales professional, Bob combined business and technology skills sets by implementing IBM mid-range solutions as a financial controller. His business and marketing background were complemented with software engineering and management information system positions. From being a self-taught coder, he became an educational consultant, a project manager and sold implementation services. It was at this time in the mid1990s when Bob met and began working with co-author Dwayne DeSylvia. Bob crossed over from post-sales projects to Presales roles when working at Baan, a large global ERP solution provider. After rising to a Presales executive at Baan, Bob left to join a number of startup companies and brought Presales techniques and success to companies who had newly developed software solutions. Bob worked in the field and demonstrated with success the techniques he was asking his teams to do. An avid skier and outdoor enthusiast, Bob lives in Colorado.