Cyber Security Prospecting Playbook

If you lose control of the discovery call, you’ve probably lost the deal. Do great on the discovery call and there are still plenty of ways to let the deal slip through your fingers. This playbook shares key lessons learned from 8 years of working closely with cybersecurity vendors.

WHY DEALS GET STALLED

Hardware/lengthy implementations require more approvals.
CISOs may want to buy your product but aren’t ready for the spend needed to make your solution work in their environment.
Lots of CISOs have internal roadblocks like a backlog of projects they are impatient to see implemented.
There is always someone who works closely with CISOs to understand different vendor capabilities. Not identifying these people and respecting their timelines will halt the momentum.

Facts are, CISOs don’t have time to respond and narrate their strategy to every vendor they meet. Tell them what problem you solve, how it relates to their environment, and most importantly: be quick about it.

Back up your assertions with data

It doesn’t “add value” to simply dump all your sales collateral on them.

YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT PROOF OF CONCEPTS WRONG

CISOs will often reject a POC even if they like the product.
Most CISOs view POCs as a potentially disruptive commitment of resources, not a low-risk introduction to a potential new vendor
Getting data for a POC is ALWAYS a challenge especially if the client has to do the heavy lifting
Most large firms have an innovation lab; these are the guys who will actually determine whether a POC is warranted
Cybersecurity firms often seem (to CISOs) more focused on their next funding round than on solving their clients’ problems. POCs are often used as proxy for future revenue. Your urgency to meet targets for that next funding round doesn’t match well with CISOs’ preferred pace.

PREPARE THE SALES INTELLIGENCE YOU’LL NEED

These are the kinds of questions you’ll need to answer in order to guide your account strategy, including messaging, positioning, and content marketing.

Cyber Security Prospecting Playbook

WHY DEALS GET STALLED

YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT PROOF OF CONCEPTS WRONG

PREPARE THE SALES INTELLIGENCE YOU’LL NEED

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