Marci McCarthy
CEO and President of T.E.N.
CEO and Chairman of ISE® Talent
Biography
WEBINAR: The Economic and Trade Mission at the Embassy of Israel with Marci McCarthy >Download the Presentation
Why Relationships Matter: Bridging the Gap Between U.S. CISOs and Israeli Security Vendors In today’s cybersecurity-centric world, it’s no secret that U.S. CISOs are some of the busiest, most in-demand executives of all time, making appeals to the board for support and leading their teams through complex rollouts and management of their security programs. As well-funded cybersecurity programs have become a competitive and regulatory advantage in this era of security breaches and technological advancement, U.S. CISOs need to find the best security solutions that will help solve their enterprise’s unique challenges—and the best solutions may be beyond their borders. However, most have little time to meet with U.S.-based vendors, not to mention Israeli providers. While the Israeli cybersecurity industry is world famous and enjoys an excellent reputation in the U.S., Israeli cyber vendors also face specific challenges to succeed in the U.S. market:
- Israeli cyber startups’ competitive advantage is their ability to address a specific pain point using innovative solutions that other cyber vendors frequently do not possess. How can these Israeli cyber firms identify CISOs who face the specific challenge that the Israeli firm addresses?
- As one U.S. CISO told us, the best place to find cybersecurity teams from major organizations is not in the Exhibit Hall at large cyber events like RSA, but at off-site gatherings. How can Israeli cyber vendors get “in the room” where relationships are built?
- Cyber vendors everywhere—not only in Israel—need to understand that antiquated marketing tactics do not impress U.S. CISOs and rarely lead to follow-up communications or meaningful interactions with vendors, let alone a sale. U.S. CISOs have become increasingly willing to simply end relationships with vendors of any nationality who push their products and overstep boundaries. How can Israeli cyber vendors find the right balance between pushing too hard and not being aggressive enough?
- When working with the cybersecurity team of a Fortune 500 company, what is a sales cycle typically like? How can Israeli vendors work with the client’s team to ensure a more effective and productive sales process?