How being transparent about your security posture can pay off

Security gets a bad rap. It’s so easy to think of it as a boring topic that no one really wants to talk about — but if you’re in SaaS sales, it’d be a mistake think that. 

More and more, in a landscape of strict security regulations and customers that want to be able to trust brands before they give them their data, enterprises want their SaaS vendors to take security seriously. Gone are the days when security was an afterthought of the procurement process. Now, sales reps should be able to talk about the security posture of their product from the very first call. Here’s a closer look at why. 

Why it’s worth making security a talking point for sales

Today, when enterprise companies and large organizations go to market for a new piece of software, they need to make sure it’s secure. As such, having good security controls in place can be a massive differentiator during the procurement process — especially if you can prove you’re compliant with global standards like SOC 2. This means that sales reps need to be well-equipped to speak to these controls, or at the very least have easy access to documentation they can share. 

Another benefit of addressing security early on in the sales process is that it allows your security team to start sharing relevant information with the customer early (e.g. SOC 2 compliance reports and other control documentation). This sets the stage for the implementation process, and can even shorten the amount of time required to get things up and running — something your customer will appreciate. Getting a head start can also save time in the long run by identifying any issues early on, so that you and your customer can manage them proactively. 

Lastly, talking about your security posture — be it in sales conversations or public-facing marketing materials — can also do a lot to enhance your reputation as a vendor. Even if a deal doesn’t pan out, the fact that you’ve shared your security controls and compliance information will give the people you talked to confidence to come back down the line or recommend you to another potential customer. Again, having a reputation for strong security is a differentiator in most industries, so having people talk and know about it can better secure your position as a leader in your space.

3 tips for empowering sales reps to talk about security

Now that you have a clearer understanding of how your security posture is (and should be) a leading value prop for your product, here’s how to make sure your sales team leverages it correctly.

1. Make security part of onboarding for sales

Traditionally, the relationship between sales and security has looked like this: sales gets a question from a prospective customer and they take it to someone they know in the security team to get an answer. With this approach, sales reps only ever get visibility into small pieces of information, rather than the whole picture. 

You can change this by adding a module on security to the sales onboarding process. This way, as they learn as much as they can about the product, they also learn about what you’ve accounted for from a security perspective. 

2. Set up a repository of information for your sales team

While learning as much as they can during onboarding is key, the sales team is going to need a way to supplement that learning once they’re having conversations with prospects. A secure site that hosts your security posture information and relevant documentation can help here. That way, sales reps can get their answers without having to leverage a live security resource. 

3. Partner with marketing to publish your security posture

Sharing the work you’ve done to make your product more secure, as well as any security standards you’re compliant with, can make it easier for buyers to understand that you take security seriously. Work with your marketing team to share these stories in a variety of formats and be sure to have blurbs you can leverage in your own sales decks. 

Knowledge is power, and when it comes to sales reps having conversations around your security posture, this is more true than ever. By having knowledgeable conversations, and access to all the right documentation, your sales reps can set the table for fruitful, trusted relationships with prospects — and what’s better than that? 

‍Need a way to share your sensitive documentation with potential customers safely? Pima.app makes it easier than ever. Learn how.