I recently stumbled upon Steve Jobs’ famous Stanford commencement speech again while scrolling through social media — a fascinating clip I’ve seen many times before – one of my favorites. But this time, something clicked. His message to “stay hungry, stay foolish” didn’t just inspire me; it instantly reminded me of our daily world in Solutions Consulting and Technical PreSales. The connection was so strong, I had to sit down and write about it.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
— Steve Jobs
When Steve Jobs delivered his legendary Stanford commencement speech in 2005, he closed with a line that would echo for generations: stay hungry, stay foolish. More than a motivational mantra, it was a call to live and work with boldness, curiosity, and relentless purpose.
For those of us in Solutions Consulting and Technical PreSales, Jobs’ words resonate on a whole other level. We don’t just sell technology — we diagnose problems, architect possibilities, and build trust in the moments before a decision is made. In a world driven by complexity, competition, and constant change, the most successful PreSales professionals are those who approach each engagement with an open mind, a curious spirit, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
Here’s how staying hungry, curious, and foolish can shape your impact in modern solutions consulting.
Stay Hungry: Discovery Is Your Superpower
In PreSales, hunger doesn’t mean chasing commission — it means chasing understanding.
It starts in the discovery phase, where your job isn’t to pitch but to listen deeply. You’re not just capturing requirements — you’re uncovering unspoken frustrations, political dynamics, operational gaps, and strategic aspirations. That requires intellectual hunger: the desire to get to the root of the problem, not just its symptoms.
Consider this: a customer says they want “better reporting.” The average SC might ask which dashboards they need. But a hungry consultant will go deeper. Who is waiting on these reports? What decisions are delayed? How has this impacted the business so far?
Great discovery is an act of empathy — and hunger drives it. It compels you to get beyond checklists and into meaningful conversations that create real alignment. That’s where deals are won — not in the demo, but in the depth of the dialogue before it.
And when you’re hungry, you don’t stop with what’s asked. You bring ideas. You anticipate objections. You start connecting dots the customer didn’t know were related. And they remember you for it.
Stay Curious: Know More Than Just Your Product
Curiosity in PreSales is your competitive advantage.
The moment you stop learning is the moment you start falling behind. Whether you’re working in cloud computing, security, supply chain, AI, or SaaS — the landscape changes monthly. Curious PreSales professionals don’t just keep up — they lean in.
They explore the customer’s technology stack, not because they have to, but because they genuinely want to understand how the business runs. They read technical whitepapers, listen to customer success stories, experiment with APIs, or test integrations on their own time.
Curiosity makes you better in every room you’re in. It equips you to speak credibly with IT, ask smarter questions to Operations, and surface risks that haven’t even been acknowledged yet.
And it’s not just about technology. Curious consultants learn about industries, market trends, buyer psychology, procurement cycles, and the tools their clients use every day. This turns you from a demo driver into a strategic advisor — someone who can see around corners and challenge assumptions with confidence.
Clients can tell when you’re genuinely interested in their world. That curiosity builds rapport faster than any pitch deck ever could.
Stay Foolish: Think Differently, Act Bravely
Foolishness, in this context, doesn’t mean recklessness. It means being bold enough to break convention and brave enough to lead with authenticity.
Sometimes, it means telling a story in your demo instead of showing feature lists. It means starting with the pain instead of the product. It means saying, “That’s not what you need,” even when it might mean risking the sale.
Foolishness is what drives innovation. It’s the voice inside that says, “What if we challenged the way this process works?” It’s suggesting a proof-of-value instead of a full POC when the timeline is tight. It’s reimagining the implementation model to better fit the client’s business rhythm.
Foolish PreSales professionals also have the humility to say “I don’t know” — and the drive to come back with the answer quickly. They don’t fake confidence; they earn trust. They’re not afraid to go off-script if it means creating a more human, more resonant customer experience.
It’s often the unconventional approaches that create lasting impressions. And in a competitive deal cycle, being memorable — in a good way — can make all the difference.
The Dots Will Connect Later
We often understand the meaning and significance of past experiences only in retrospect, not while they are happening
You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.
— Steve Jobs
That’s true in PreSales too!
Every customer conversation you’ve had — the awkward ones, the insightful ones, the ones that caught you off guard — is a dot. So is every lost deal, every whiteboarding session, every night you stayed up late building a demo environment that nobody asked for but everyone appreciated.
Those dots will connect — not right away, but over time. They’ll form the foundation of a career defined not just by quota, but by impact.
If you stay hungry, you’ll keep asking the questions that matter.
If you stay curious, you’ll keep learning what others overlook.
If you stay foolish, you’ll have the courage to create something better.
And that’s how you’ll become not just a great Solutions Consultant — but a true partner to your customers, and a force for change inside your organization.
Three things you can do today
Reflect on your last few discovery calls. Did you really listen for what wasn’t being said? Pick one new technology trend or tool and explore how it connects to your customers’ business. Challenge one part of your demo or sales motion this week — and try something unconventional.
You’re not just selling software.
You’re solving problems.
You’re building belief.
You’re earning trust.
So stay hungry.
Stay curious.
Stay foolish.
And keep moving forward.