Length: 525 Words

Reading time: Less than 3 minutes

A recent survey revealed there are as many as 21 people in the decision making process for the typical high-tech sale at an organization of 1,000 employees or more. But it is not just the number of decision makers, it is also estimated that the sales process is growing longer – about 30% longer than it was just four years. If you’ve had a hard time explaining to your CEO or Board why deals are taking so long to close, you might want to share this article.

So, why the long sales process? High-tech product trials are complex, long and grueling. Pitching the value to management is more competitive than ever.  And, most significant of all when it comes to recommending a new technology or selling a new security strategy inside a big company, reputations are put on the line. Even if your idea is better, you are going against an even tougher competitor: the status quo.  Using caution (and not always innovation) is now king. Buying off on new ideas is done by committee and companies are looking for long-term, relationships with high-tech vendors they can trust. No one wants to put their neck on the line for an unknown, unfamiliar company.

Which leads us to an important question for those of you selling security products in this new economy.  How is your trust relationship with your customers? When was the last time you checked? When was the last time we made their job easier in the selling process instead of more complicated? Hint: Buying dinner, drinks and a movie doesn’t count… that is unless you are just dating them. When was the last time you showed you were committed to a long-term relationship by giving your customer something they really needed. Like, something that made them better at their job, a thought leadership piece they could share with their management or a service they could really use to justify the cost of migrating off an older system? Something that not only made them better at their job, it made them look smarter to their management and made their job of selling security to those 20 other decision makers easier? Gimmicks that worked in years past aren’t going to fly in the new economy. You need a trust catalyst. And, trust misappropriated can be your worst single point of failure (I don’t care how great your product is!). That’s why trusted advisors are 70% more likely to sell their ideas in a committee-driven environment.

This blog is about the process of selling security. We will offer discussions on how to become the trusted advisor in this process and from time to time, we will post polling questions on the issues about the impact of trust in this process (you can email me if you have anything specific to ask at kim@trustcatalyst.com ). I will ask guest authors to discuss what’s working and pitfalls to avoid. I hope you enjoy and look forward to hearing your thoughts!