How to Sell Cyber Security

So you want to know how to sell cyber security?

With all the cyber threats facing businesses these days, selling cyber security should be simple enough, right?

As former CEO of Cisco, John Chambers, once said, “There are two types of organisations; those that have been hacked, and those that don’t know they’re being hacked.”

Senior-level decision makers should be fully aware of the data breach risks faced by their business, and the dangers of not investing in sufficient cyber security software. Of course, if this was indeed the case, one would assume that cyber security solutions providers’ phones would be ringing off the hook.

Unfortunately, for most, this is not the case.

To this day, there appears to be a serious knowledge gap between senior-level decision makers and security departments within most organisations. Instead, decision makers focus on creating positive impacts within the sales team, and have an ‘it won’t happen to us’ approach to cyber security issues.

At durhamlane, we understand how important it is for sales people to overcome this quandary and know how to significantly increase cyber security sales pipelines through our ‘Selling at Higher Level’ methodology.

With this in mind, here are three tips on effectively selling cyber security solutions to decision makers:

• Empathise with C-Levels

C-level decision markers are constantly juggling responsibilities and trying to meet high expectations, and it’s important for sales professionals to understand this when reaching out. Going in with no understanding of a potential customer’s security posture, roadmap and needs will eradicate any hope of doing business.

On average, it takes 7-12 attempts to make contact with decision makers before they seriously engage with you. This is why one of our top sale mantras is ‘professional persistence’ – it’s important to take this into consideration when it comes to selling cyber security (and indeed all) services.

• Do Your Research

Look out for commonality and compelling events that show success with similar businesses looking to solve similar challenges. This will greatly help demonstrate the importance of cyber security solutions to decision makers who lack awareness.

Above all, seek to add value before you extract value. In other words, try to provide potential customers with helpful information rather than opting for the stereotypical bombardment of emails and voicemails shouting about how great you are.

• Don’t Discredit Your Competition

It’s estimated that, on average, consumers are 70% through the buying process before they will engage seriously with an organisation. This is why discrediting your competition right off the bat isn’t always the most effective sales method, as it could actually harm your perceived professionalism. It’s never been easier for a customer to switch suppliers, so earning a customer’s trust will prove rewarding in the long-term.

In summary, cyber security has never been more essential for businesses yet it remains one of the most challenging areas to sell. Therefore, if you lack the time/or fortitude to prospect effectively and consistently in the cyber security space, you should consider speaking to durhamlane for sales outsourcing and/or sales training.