your cybersecurity technology won't sell itself

YOUR CYBERSECURITY TECHNOLOGY WON’T SELL ITSELFTips to Distinguish Your Brand in a Crowded Market

INTRO

THE SALES CHALLENGE

THE BUYER’S CHALLENGE

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

MORE

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YOUR CYBERSECURITY TECHNOLOGY WON’T SELL ITSELF 2

INTRONot only are buyers harder to reach because of the

lack of in-person meetings, but the marketplace

is more crowded than ever before. CIOs and

their teams are inundated with advertising and

marketing messages from multiple vendors that

sound alike.

Complicating matters, cyber threats abound but IT

professionals say it is difficult to determine which

vendors and solutions offer the right protection, so

they are increasingly prioritizing the importance

of a vendor’s brand reputation when making cyber

purchasing decisions. A vendor’s cybersecurity

technology will no longer sell itself.

In this three-part paper, we lay out the

challenges that cybersecurity brands are facing,

the perceptions and needs of B2B buyers of cyber

solutions, and insights that will help sales and

marketing teams open more doors and close

more leads.

INTRO

YOU’RE NOT IMAGINING IT - SELLING CYBER PRODUCTS IS HARDER THAN IT USED TO BE, EVEN THOUGH THE NEED FOR CYBERSECURITY SOLUTIONS IS RISING.


THE SALES CHALLENGE

PART ONE

DO YOUR BUYERS KNOW WHO YOU ARE?CYBER SALES TEAMS ARE FEELING THE SQUEEZE OF A CROWDED MARKETPLACE IN WHICH THEY MUST BUILD QUICKLY BRAND AWARENESS AND TRUST AMONG BUYERS.

The challenge (and opportunity) is to create a

name for your company that stands out.

Sadly, your buyers may not know who you are.

In our survey of more than 250 cyber security

professionals conducted in March 2021, we found

almost 30% of buyers don’t know the name of their

current cybersecurity provider. In addition, 68% are

overwhelmed by the sheer number of cybersecurity

vendors.

Low awareness from buyers leads to brand

confusion, loss of market share, lack of traction

in the market and overall, missing sales goals for

your sales team. Given that 92% said they purchase

directly from vendors at least some of the time and

30% of buyers said that lack of brand awareness

is one of the biggest barriers when purchasing

from cyber vendors, not knowing the name of your

company and being overwhelmed by choices leads

to a murky environment for your sales teams.

OF BUYERS DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF THEIR CURRENT CYBERSECURITY PROVIDER

30%

ARE OVERWHELMED BY THE SHEER NUMBER OF CYBERSECURITY VENDORS.

SAID THEY PURCHASE DIRECTLY FROM VENDORS

68%

92%


THE BUYER’S CHALLENGE

PART TWO

BUYERS ARE CONCERNED...AND ON GUARDONE MAJOR CHALLENGE SHARED BY BOTH SELLERS AND BUYERS IS THEY ARE OVERWHELMED AND UNDERFUNDED.

This leads to apprehension and

skepticism from buyers in the

purchasing process.

However, the fear of future

attacks is real - 95% of

buyers said they are at

least somewhat concerned

about future cyber breaches.

BBut only 16% purchase

cybersecurity products in the

immediate aftermath of an

attack -- in part because the

path to purchase is cluttered

by a lack of differentiation

and trust in vendors and their

solutions.

In fact, buyers noted in their

feedback that they are wary

of “fast-talking salesmen

selling snake oil” and “a

lack of product effectiveness

and lack of documentation.”

Buyers know 100% security

doesn’t exist and will shut

out salespeople that make

unrealistic claims. To put it

mildly, buyers are on guard.

In addition, buyers identified

the top three factors when

deciding to work with a cyber

company as the company’s

reputation, proven track

record of success in the

market, and customer service

and satisfaction, beating out

product specialization, cost,

and innovation. Likewise,

buyers noted the biggest

barrier to purchase is lack of

a proven track record.

Reputation and brand

awareness work hand-in-hand

when it comes to purchasing.

One third of buyers said that

articles published in cyber,

tech and business publications

were the #1 resource used

when making a purchase.

Third-party validation through

media ranked higher than

word-of-mouth referrals

(25%) and advertising (21%)

when it came to making

purchases.


ONE THIRD OF BUYERS SAID THAT ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN CYBER, TECH AND BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS WERE THE #1 RESOURCE USED WHEN MAKING A PURCHASE.


WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

PART THREE

THERE IS A SOLUTION

THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE ARE SEVERAL PATHS FORWARD TO CREDIBLY POSITION YOUR CYBER SOLUTION TO BUYERS.

KNOW BUYERS’ PAIN POINTS

REACH BUYERS WHERE THEY ARE

DELIVER WHAT BUYERS WANT

1 2 3

SOLU TION


1WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

PART THREE

KNOW BUYERS’ PAIN POINTS

BUYERS’ TOP THREE CONCERNS STEMMING FROM CYBER ATTACKS ARE LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF REVENUE AND LOSS OF REPUTATION.

attacks - particularly

around data loss,

revenue loss and how

it impacts reputation

- stand to gain more

visibility, recognition

and credibility among

buyers.

Use these pain points

to position your

company and product

as a solution. What

it means for sellers:

data loss and the

implications from a

reputational perspective

carry huge opportunities

for cyber security

firms. Firms that

highlight the evolution

+ sophistication of cyber



PART THREE

REACH BUYERS WHERE THEY ARE

BUYERS IN OUR SURVEY REPORTED WHERE THEY GO TO STAY ABREAST OF CYBERSECURITY TECHNOLOGY. THE TOP THREE PLACES BUYERS LOOK FOR INFO INCLUDE:

ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN TRUSTED CYBER, TECH, AND BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS

INDUSTRY EVENTS / CONFERENCES

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP FROM PRODUCT VENDORS, SUCH AS CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SELLERS:

Until more in-person events come back in the latter

half of 2021 and into 2022, it’s more important

than ever to use the media to tell your company’s

story and to create thoughtful and well-designed

materials from your company.



PART THREE

DELIVER WHAT BUYERS WANT

EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE AFRAID OF CYBER ATTACKS, BUYERS SAID FEAR-BASED MARKETING ISN’T AS POWERFUL AS BUSINESS-ENABLED MARKETING.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SELLERS: Your company’s

branding and messaging

matter, and how you

positively communicate

your previous successes

and display your

Specifically they noted that they have As

business-enabled marketing and specifically

they noted that they have purchased cyber

products as a result of case studies, conference

presentations, webinars, and news articles.

expertise through case

studies, presentations

and in the media can

make or break your

next sale.


WANT TO HEAR MORE?

OUR RESEARCH SHOWS THAT MORE THAN HALF (52%) OF CYBER SALES TAKE FOUR TO 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

The evidence is indisputable: Cybersecurity

companies operate in a crowded market where

customers place a heavy emphasis on brand

trust and reputation. Creating a differentiated

brand backed by case studies, timely

thought leadership and powerful third-party

endorsements are essential to grow and scale

in today’s business environment.

TED BIRKHAHN [email protected]


mailto:TedB%40hotpaperlantern.com?subject=

LET’S TALK

470 Park Ave. S. 4th Floor NorthNew York, NY 10016

212.931.6100

www.HPLCYBER.com [email protected]

http://www.HPLCYBER.com

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your cybersecurity technology won't sell itself

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