What does a presales consultant actually do?
You sit between the account executive and the delivery team. The salesperson owns the relationship and the number. Your job is to prove the product fits. That starts with discovery: workshops where you learn how the prospect sells, services customers, closes the books or runs the warehouse, and where it hurts today. Good discovery notes decide whether the demo lands.
Then you build the demo. For a Customer Engagement deal that might be a tailored Dynamics 365 Sales environment with the prospect's own pipeline stages, Copilot features and a Power Automate flow or two. For finance deals it is a scripted order-to-cash or procure-to-pay walk-through. You present it live, field the hard questions and keep a list of gaps you could not show.
After the demo you scope the work. You estimate effort, list assumptions, describe the solution at a high level, and help write the proposal or the response to a request for proposal. On larger deals you may build a short proof of concept. You hand the deal to delivery with enough detail that the project manager is not starting from zero.
How does a partner sales cycle run?
Most Dynamics 365 presales roles sit at Microsoft partners. A typical cycle goes from a qualified lead to discovery, then a scripted demo, then scoping and a statement of work, then negotiation. Mid-market Business Central deals can move in weeks. Enterprise Finance and Operations deals can run for many months, with several demo rounds against competing partners.
Partners also get help from Microsoft. Microsoft's Technical Presales and Deployment benefit lets eligible partners request demo and proof-of-concept guidance, licensing Q&A and help handling customer objections. It excludes complete demo environments, end-customer discussions and RFP responses, so that work stays with you. Microsoft also publishes a partner presales learning catalogue for Business Central aimed at people who demonstrate the product to customers.
How are presales consultants paid?
No source tracks Dynamics 365 presales pay on its own. The closest US data is the BLS Sales Engineers occupation, which covers people who sell technical products such as software. BLS says employers usually pay sales engineers a salary plus commission, or a salary plus bonuses. Commission is generally a percentage of what is sold. Bonuses can depend on your own results, your team's or the company's.
In practice the variable share differs a lot by employer. Some partners pay presales staff mostly salary with a modest team bonus. Others tie a bigger slice to closed revenue. Ask how the plan works, what it paid out last year, and whether your bonus depends on deals you influence or only ones you own. BLS also notes that income and job security in sales engineering often depend on sales results, which makes the work stressful.
Why do experienced consultants move into presales?
Presales rewards people who have delivered projects. A consultant who has lived through several go-lives knows what breaks, what takes longer than planned and which demo promises turn into change requests. That knowledge makes estimates credible and demos honest, and buyers notice.
People move for variety. You see many businesses and industries in a year, and you spend more time designing and presenting than configuring and testing. Some want variable pay tied to wins. Others want fewer late-night cutovers. The trade-off is quota pressure, travel, and losing deals you put weeks into. Many presales consultants later move into solution architect or practice lead roles, because the skills overlap heavily.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. Sales Engineers figures are BLS OEWS May 2025 national data moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index; it is a generic occupation, the nearest match, and includes non-Dynamics work. Dynamics 365 figures are D365 Market advertised pay from 48 US adverts that stated pay (snapshot 2026-11-05) across all Dynamics 365 roles, not presales alone; neither is an official rate, and commission or bonus can move total pay well above base.
What you need
- Delivery experienceMost partners hire presales staff who have implemented the product. You need to know what a realistic project looks like before you scope one.
- Demo build skillsYou configure your own demo environments. For Customer Engagement that means model-driven apps, Power Automate cloud flows and sales features.
- Discovery and listeningYou run workshops, ask about current processes and turn pain points into a demo script and solution outline.
- Presenting under pressureYou demo live to buyers and executives and answer questions you did not prepare for, without overpromising.
- Estimating and writingYou write scope, assumptions and proposal sections that delivery teams can actually meet.
- Relevant certificationNo certification is required. For Sales-led deals, the Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate (exam AB-210) covers Dynamics 365 Sales, Copilot and agents; Microsoft lists it as beta with a passing score of 700.
- DegreeBLS says sales engineers typically need a bachelor's degree, often in engineering or a related field. Dynamics partners weigh product and delivery experience heavily.
How to get there
- Early careerLearn one product deeplyStart as a functional consultant on one app, such as Sales, Customer Service, Finance or Business Central.
- Several go-livesDeliver full projectsWork through discovery, build, testing and go-live on several projects so you know where estimates go wrong.
- While still deliveringSupport presales on the sideVolunteer to build demos, join discovery workshops and draft scope sections for your partner's sales team.
- Mid-careerMove into a presales roleTake a solution consultant or presales consultant job with a partner or ISV, usually with a bonus or commission plan.
- LaterGrow into architecture or leadershipCommon next steps are solution architect, presales lead or practice lead.
Open now on D365 Market
Questions people ask
Is a presales consultant a salesperson?
Partly. The account executive usually owns the relationship and the quota, while presales owns the technical and functional case for the product. Many presales roles still carry a team target or bonus linked to deals won.
Do Dynamics 365 presales consultants earn commission?
Often, but plans vary. BLS says sales engineers are usually paid salary plus commission or salary plus bonuses, with commission generally a percentage of what is sold. Ask any employer how their plan pays and what it paid last year.
How much does a Dynamics 365 presales consultant earn in the US?
No source tracks Dynamics presales pay on its own. The nearest generic comparison, BLS Sales Engineers, has a median of about $128,800 a year after adjustment to 2026. D365 Market US adverts for Dynamics 365 roles in general show a median of $153,050 in advertised pay.
Can I go straight into presales without implementation experience?
It is uncommon at Microsoft partners. Buyers test demos with hard questions, and estimates need delivery experience behind them. Most people come from functional consulting, and some come from solution architecture.
Which certification helps most for presales?
Pick the one that matches the deals you will demo. For Dynamics 365 Sales deals, the Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate (AB-210) covers Sales, Copilot and agent features. For finance deals, use the matching functional consultant exam.
Does Microsoft help partners with demos?
Yes, to a point. Microsoft's Technical Presales and Deployment benefit gives eligible partners demo and proof-of-concept guidance, licensing Q&A and objection handling. It does not provide complete demo environments, talk to end customers or write RFP responses.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Sales Engineers, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Microsoft Learn: Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate certification
- Microsoft Learn Partner Center: Technical Presales and Deployment services
- Microsoft Learn: Business Central partner pre-sales learning catalogue
- D365 Market: advertised salaries
