Huge Congrats! You have an amazing idea for a Cyber Solution.
You know:
The Problem it Solves
The Elegance of the Approach
The Market you are Targeting and How to go to Market
And You have:
An executable business plan
The start-up team/talent needed
The ability to produce a prototype
And the finely honed Pitch to Investors for your Seed $ or A-Round
What could stop you now?
The Why – Why Should a Client Buy Your Solution?
Do you save them time or level of effort and can you quantify in a meaningful way?
Do you replace several tools/processes – resulting in a savings?
Do you out-perform your key competitors – can you demonstrate this?
Do you reduce complexity?
Are you so innovative that your approach is game changing? And if yes – how?
Do you scale and automate dreaded required tasks?
Fact is selling is the hardest part of any business.
Clients need to feel compelled to purchase your solution and it has to be readily apparent to them. What you will never have with prospective clients is time – the hook has to set easily. The more complicated the sell – the fewer you will make. And after all, you could have the best solution in the world, but if you can’t sell it – it won’t matter. Believe me I have had this problem and as a result I had to establish Sales Channels and Partners.
A Sales Channel can be an integrated solution that targets a known imperative.
Your clients are propelled to buy Cyber Solutions because:
It is required by law or regulation.
It is important to their Board, Team or Customers.
It is easy, impactful and cost effective.
Honestly you would be amazed how many Cyber Start-Ups are so enamored by their “cool toy” and its potential impact that they don’t think through completely.
The Why Should a Client Buy Your Solution? If you know the answer, have tested and repeated it – you have a real chance at success – steady sales, recurring revenue, EBITDA and either getting big or getting bought. Go Get’em!
Terry Roberts is a global risk, cyber intelligence and national security professional with over 20 years of Executive level experience across government, industry, and academia. Currently as the Founder and CEO of WhiteHawk, Inc. she has established the first online Cybersecurity Exchange, a risk focused, cloud-based ecosystem enabling companies/organizations of all sizes. Previously Terry was the TASC VP for Cyber Engineering and Analytics, running all Cyber/IT, Financial and Business Analytics cross cutting, innovative technical services. Prior to TASC, Terry was an Executive Director of the Carnegie Mellon, Software Engineering Institute, leading the technical body of work for the US Interagency, with a special focus on leveraging and transitioning commercial innovation and acquisition excellence to government programs and capabilities and establishing the Emerging Technologies Center and Cyber Intelligence Consortium. Before transitioning to industry in 2009, Terry Roberts was the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence (DDNI) and the Director of Requirements and Resources for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI).