Fixing the Cyber Security Sales Ecosystem: Time to Rethink Relationships

I've been observing a troubling trend in our industry: the growing misalignment between how security solutions are sold and what organisations actually need.

It's not just about the pressure to buy more tools or the complexity of modern solutions – it's about a fundamental breakdown in how we approach cyber security partnerships and relationships.

I believe the cyber security sales system is seriously under stress. We're operating in an environment where threats are escalating, geopolitical tensions are rising, resources are scarce, and complexity is through the roof. But there's another layer to this challenge that we need to address: the way our sales ecosystem often works against our security objectives rather than supporting them.

In a recent conversation with Chris Squatritto , Cyber Security Leader and Startup Board Member, he shared a perspective from his experience: "When I was on the practitioner side, I had three trusted salespeople that I would really just listen to and work with. The rest kind of got put on the back burner."

Why? Because with most vendors, he never felt like he was getting the truth. He felt like he was getting sold a story.

The complexity of today's security solutions isn't helping either.?

As Chris pointed out;

"Back in the day, it was just a very easy value proposition. If I sell you this piece of hardware, it will get you on the internet. Today, it's an agent you install on your Windows 11 machine that plugs into Active Directory that needs single sign-on and multi-factor, and it's got AI and ML, and it does all these things."

The pressure on sales teams is immense. Some companies have moved to monthly quotas, tracking metrics on a 52-week basis.

This creates a dynamic where sales professionals are constantly on the move. As Chris notes, he can "barely refresh LinkedIn quick enough" to keep up with all the job changes in security sales. He raises a key question: "How do we build trust if you are constantly moving?"

It's a vicious cycle that leads to what Chris describes as "coin-operated" behaviour rather than longitudinal thinking. This captures the heart of the problem.

I've found that the most successful relationships come from organic opportunities – situations where there's a natural fit between needs and solutions, where we can take the time to let relationships mature without the pressure of quarterly targets.?

It's about taking greed out of the equation and putting longevity back in.

Chris's experience with trusted salespeople is that;

"they were longitudinal thinkers. They all planned to be my partner. They weren't there for the quick sale."?

The current economic climate is forcing everyone to act differently, and maybe that's not entirely a bad thing. Perhaps it's time to rethink how we approach these relationships entirely, focusing on what Chris calls "longitudinal relationship building" – true partnerships rather than transactional sales. It’s how we view and build client relationships at Chaleit, too.

I encourage you to watch my full conversation with Chris, where we explore these challenges and potential solutions in detail.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. How can we create an environment that fosters long-term relationship-building in cyber security while still meeting business objectives?

Let’s have a conversation about how we can fix this ecosystem together.