In cybersecurity, compliance isn't just a buzzword—it's essential for any organization handling sensitive data. Security professionals are often quick to dismiss compliance as being less than, an annoyance, or something that should simply take care of itself if security is in place. The truth is though, compliance drives a tremendous amount of decisions across the cybersecurity space and beyond.
The 2023 SEC ruling on cybersecurity underscores this. The same thing happened when GDPR was released and enforceable.
Working in sales, understanding how your solution can add value to this compliance workload of a CISO can be a tremendous help.
Understanding key cybersecurity compliance frameworks
There's a myriad of cybersecurity compliance frameworks, each with its unique stipulations and industries it applies. Some of the most significant are GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOX, PCI DSS, FISMA, and ISO 27001. These regulations were designed to protect information and ensure that organizations handle data responsibly. An in-depth understanding of these frameworks is critical when discussing potential cybersecurity solutions with potential clients.
To get yourself up to speed, read up on the compliance frameworks relevant to the industry or organization types you're engaging with. Having a good high level overview of different compliance frameworks is also a good idea as a frame of reference.
How compliance impacts cybersecurity purchasing decisions
Compliance isn't just a legal obligation—it can be a big influencing factor when making a decision. Is one vendor going to harm or help our compliance posture? Do one of these choices help us build our compliance narrative more effectively? Speaking about these concerns can set you apart in your sales discussions.
Bringing compliance into the conversation in a helpful way
As a salesperson, demonstrating your compliance knowledge isn't about showcasing your expertise. They are experts too, so that doesn't really help.
The help really comes in how you position yourself and your offering as something that makes their compliance work:
Better
Faster
Cheaper
This is about positioning your offering as a solution to help the customer navigate the complexities and stress that they're dealing with on this front. Getting out of your security swim lane and thinking about the big picture. This is something discussed at detail in our CISO Sales Accelerator course, but it's really about practice and context.
Consider discussing how your development or service aligns with their compliance needs and use your understanding of the impact of non-compliance to discuss potential risks and mitigation strategies.
Concluding thoughts
In the end, understanding compliance isn't just helpful, it's necessary. As the landscape evolves, staying on top of these changes and discussing them intelligently with potential clients is invaluable. It's not just the compliance landscape though, it's all of the tech too. How does the tech relate to compliance? How does your tech relate to compliance?
Remember, it's not just about making a sale. It's about providing a solution that truly meets the customer's needs, and compliance is a part of that need.
Comments