Vendors….we all need them, most of us hate them.  In the world of information technology, and specifically, cybersecurity, there is there is no shortage of vendors.  Big ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones….well – maybe not those last two.  But there are plenty of vendors the cybersecurity sector with each one claiming to do ‘all the things’, but rarely able to deliver.

I was recently researching a vendor for a particular use case – a service my team currently provides could be enhanced by taking advantage of information that we obtain from our customers.  On their website, the vendor claimed that one of their solutions could take the information we have and identify patterns and other hidden connections within our collected data sets.  This sounds like exactly the solution we are looking for and I was quite optimistic about what this tool could do for us.  Unfortunately, I would quickly learn that this is where my patience for the sales and marketing styles of today has really worn thin.

Issue #1 –  the information about the product was minimal on the website – which required me to fill out a form and wait for some generic Tier 1 ‘relationship manager’ to contact me.  In my shallow world, I need to see it – does it look sleek and sophisticated?  I need to touch it – can I quickly get it up and running to see if it’s something that is right for me?  Sort of like a shoe, I know as soon as i put it on if it will be a good fit.  If a company is confident in their product, they don’t have to give it away for free, but if done right, try before you by can really hook a customer.

Issue #2 – the ‘relationship manager’.  If you as a vendor receive a web form filled out by a Director at a Fortune 500 company, you may want to consider having someone from your varsity team send a well crafted targeted email to that Director – not some junior varsity college intern who violates social boundaries by calling four times in one day along with two follow up emails about the phone calls that they made to you.  Learn boundaries, display professionalism and patience.  If your product is that good, we will come to you.

Issue #3 – time management.  I don’t have a lot of time.  I am a family man and a working man.  I don’t have time for much foolishness or getting to know you.  If I’ve taken the time to reach out to you, odds are, I know what I want.  My requests are generally short and to the point, not the TLDR variety.  That being said, be prepared to talk business – what can you do for me?  There is no need to setup another call to talk about it – if you are calling me now and I have provided you with all of the requested information, then you have one shot.

The moral of this story, a cybersecurity vendor just lost an opportunity today.  It won’t be the first and won’t be the last.  I encourage all of you in the technology sector to challenge your vendors to a higher standard.  With the rise in start-ups and one-stop shop service providers, I emphasis the importance of customer service.  You give the effort – you will get the result.