The toughest year for cybersecurity vendors yet?
We all know there are too many security vendors. Too many sell lookalike point solutions. Too many are themselves not secure. If authentication vendors can be hacked by people who bypass authentication, then who can we actually trust to secure us? Too many were set up to make start-up owners and backers rich, not the world more secure. Too many rely on business models that are unsustainable.
So how should vendors respond to these challenges?
The easy targets are all gone. Vendors are now most likely trying to replace incumbents. To do this it’s not enough to explain what you do. Differentiation is now critical. Why is what you do better than some other solution? And relationships are key: you are not shifting software licences. You are working with businesses to manage their cybersecurity risk in a measurable way.
To get these kinds of messages across you need face-to-face interaction with your customers and prospects. And you need to put senior people in front of their senior people – not junior sales and marketing staff.
A key way for vendors to maximise their chances of success in 2024 is by meeting key security leaders 1-on-1. Now they can do that at carefully curated, smaller events. But a critical additional opportunity to build the kinds of relationships necessary to maintain goodwill over long and difficult procurement cycles is to meet key prospects face-to-face in a private setting. Selling cybersecurity software is not a commodity sell. Relationships are key and the key to relationships is repeated, senior face-to-face contact. Not spam. Not white papers. You need to understand their issues and challenges and explain how you can help them. And that takes time.
That’s why we run Executive Roundtables – exclusive, private meetings – on your preferred topics and areas of expertise. These run during the lunch breaks of the events and give you exclusive access to key attendees.
We invite delegates in your target industries at the seniority level you require. We take care of the entire process, from delegate acquisition to the logistics to managing the event on the day. And we help you tailor your message to the market.
These meetings are the ultimate sales tool for vendors who want to differentiate their products from the mass of competitive offerings out there. We have helped some of the largest cyber security vendors grow from start-ups to the companies they are today, by getting them face-to-face with the right people at the right organisations.
We focus hardest on putting you in front of the right people. So, if you are looking for commercial opportunities in the year ahead, we offer the chance to engage senior stakeholders with your stories, one-on-one.
If you’d like to know more, contact me now as slots are extremely limited and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information and to discuss bespoke meetings opportunities please click here or contact:
James Wilson, Commercial Director - james.wilson@akjassociates.com