Making the best case to your CISO for new sales technology

Posted January 29, 2021

By Cari Murray

Senior Editor at Outreach

If 2020 showed the sales world anything, it’s that we had to get creative on how to reach buyers. The tactics reps used to use to build relationships all a sudden became gaps to fill — and quickly. For many, that meant relying more heavily on tools and technology for efficiency and engagement.

Simply put, there’s now a pressing need, and technology can help. And getting from A to Z may look something like this:

Sales managers start the search for the right sales tools for your team. There’s initial excitement as you engage vendors and consider the possibilities new, innovative technology can provide. The excitement grows as you narrow down your list. Then, you get feedback from your team and make your final tech selection. Voila, you’re ready to help your team hit the ground running.

Not so fast. There’s a part of the tech selection process that we often overlook until we’re in the thick of it. That’s the daunting task of facing the internal security review. Getting approvals from your CIO and/or CISO is a crucial step when acquiring new sales technology. It’s also a step that can present unexpected disruptions in the procurement process — potentially hindering your ability to get your team effectively selling in this new digital age.

What Can Sales Managers Do to Get Ahead of Security Assessments?

Security teams take assessments of new technology seriously, and rightly so. We’re all familiar with the infamous consumer security breaches because of a third-party vendor. It's your security leader's role to vet the vendors that become part of your organization’s modern tech stack.

But who better to navigate this part of the process than sales managers who know how to focus on the task at hand with tenacity? You know how to sell to buyers.

Now, you just need to sell internally.

It’s a matter of being prepared — knowing what a CISO looks for during tech selection, the tough questions to expect they'll ask, and how to prove your business case in a way that's beneficial to your entire org.

Learn How to Best Sell New Sales Tech to Your CISO

Join Outreach CSO Martin Rues and other top security and technology experts in this on-demand webinar to learn best practices and recommendations to make the best case possible for new sales technology.

In this expert round table, you will learn:

  • What CISOs look for when assessing new software and tools
  • How you can make the procurement process more efficient for your security team
  • Unexpected disruptions you might face during a security review
  • How to improve your chances of selling your CISO on new sales technology

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