How to Find Cybersecurity Sales Leads

With the rapid evolution of new technologies, it's estimated that almost half of all businesses have suffered cyber threats at some point. What's more, an incredible 68% of business leaders feel that cybersecurity risks are on the up. So what does this mean for cybersecurity sales?

Well, on the one hand, it shows there's never been a better time to sell technical solutions to cybersecurity leads. On the other, we can assume that cybersecurity companies face unparalleled competition when it comes to lead generation - after all, the cybersecurity market size is over $185 billion in 2024.

So it's essential that your lead generation efforts hit the nail on the head every time. You want an efficient sales process run by a slick sales team filling your pipeline with a steady stream of qualified leads.

The good news is: you're in the right place. We've put together a go-to guide for all things cybersecurity lead generation; by taking our expert advice and following the steps below, your cybersecurity solutions are more likely to reach decision makers and transform your sales funnel.

Let's get stuck in.

What is cybersecurity lead generation?

The truth is, there's a growing need for cybersecurity solutions. Data protection is becoming more sophisticated, but so too are cyber threats and challenges.

That's where cybersecurity firms come in: cybersecurity providers offer defence systems to protect digital assets, prevent lost data, and deliver peace of mind. But they need potential customers to sell to.

Cybersecurity sales professionals work round the clock to develop a killer lead generation strategy that identifies exactly the right people to sell their cybersecurity products to. But cybersecurity sales isn't all just about sending a cool sales pitch to the right CEO; industry-leading lead generation encompasses a range of tools and techniques sales professionals use to achieve truly stratospheric conversion rates.

So if you want to say goodbye to your 2.5% conversion rate, stick around!

Research your market base

Before a sales rep even sets pen to paper (or keys to keyboard), they need to do an extensive amount of market research. This is crucial for a few reasons: firstly, it helps them to get to grips with industry trends, secondly, it clarifies their target audience, and thirdly, it means that they can target their potential prospects more accurately.

• Market research‍
  
  • Generic bulk email campaigns no longer cut it - you need to know as much about who you're talking to as possible in order to build relationships that actually convert. This means ploughing through as many industry reports, market analyses, and trend studies as possible.
    
  • Luckily, there are several great cybersecurity industry tools you can use to easily access such research: Gartner, Forrester, and IDC are some cybersecurity leaders' favorites.‍
• ICP development‍
  
  • Only when you've conducted thorough market research and analyzed your existing customers will you be able to develop a functional ICP ('Ideal Customer Profile').
  • An ICP is basically a detailed description of your 'ideal customer'; that said, it's important to distinguish between an ICP and a 'target audience'. Whereas a target audience tends to be a broader description of the kinds of prospects you'd like to attract, an ICP uses data to give a detailed image of your perfect customer (against which leads can be judged).
  • Don't underestimate the importance of a well-defined ICP: you can boost your win rate by 68% by knowing exactly who to target.

Outbound lead generation

Sometimes seen as 'traditional' lead generation, outbound efforts should make up at least part of your cybersecurity lead generation strategy. With high inbound competition among cybersecurity companies, reaching out directly and starting those all-important sales conversations can be seen as proactive and confident.

• Email marketing‍
  
  • Despite the leaps and bounds being made in digital technologies, email remains a favorite touchpoint for sales professionals. No prizes for guessing why: it's relatively cheap, quick, and reliable.
  • Of course, when emailing busy cybersecurity top executives, it may take a while to hear back; the average click-through rate for software companies, for instance, is just 1.7% (less than the overall average of 2.4%).
  • But top sales reps can boost that number. Through the power of a well-crafted campaign, emails can be the perfect way to quickly and easily deliver personalized messages, demo reels, white papers, and more (all without being as 'pushy' as calling) to key decision makers.‍
• Cold calling‍
  
  • Though methods like cold calling have gone out of favor in high-tech industries like cybersecurity sales (cold calling conversion rates in cybersecurity are now less than 1%), that doesn't mean there's no place for top-quality cold calling.
  • Done right, phone calls can be a great way to establish rapport and build a more personal connection than via email.‍
• Social selling‍
  
  • One platform that certainly isn't going out of popularity is LinkedIn. With over 830 million members (a decent chunk of whom work in cybersecurity), the social media hangout is the place to be to connect with high-quality cybersecurity leads.
  • We've gone into the ins and outs of social selling on LinkedIn elsewhere on our blog, so we won't go into too much detail here. Generally speaking, however, if cybersecurity companies want to connect with high-intent leads, they should a) polish their profile, b) utilize Sales Navigator, and c) publish great content.

Inbound lead generation efforts

While email still reigns supreme, inbound marketing is quickly taking over. A huge 80% of business leaders (especially when dealing with complex issues like cybersecurity solutions) prefer to learn about a cybersecurity company through articles than through ads. Here's how you can improve your inbound efforts to catch more of those leaders.

• Content marketing‍
  
  • Cybersecurity can be an intimidating industry, especially for those outside of it. If you were a business leader looking for cybersecurity solutions to one of your pain points, you'd want to research the issue as much as possible beforehand, right?
  • This is where content marketing comes in: cybersecurity companies may choose to start consistently producing high-quality content relevant to consumer needs (think: educational content, general cybersecurity space news, industry knowledge, case studies etc). This way, they attract businesses to them.
  • It works, too: 74% of businesses say that content marketing increases lead generation.‍
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)‍
  
  • SEO is of critical importance to content marketing and inbound lead generation. It's the process of optimizing your targeted content (including your website, social media pages, and blog posts) to rank more highly in Google's SERPs.
  • For example, if someone searches 'protect my network', cybersecurity sales teams want their website (or a piece of their content) to be among the top results.
  • Okay, that's a tall order. But careful and consistent SEO marketing can make it possible.

Generate leads by outsourcing

Due to the complex nature of cybersecurity sales and the massive costs involved, many cybersecurity companies choose to outsource lead generation to external agencies.

Such agencies custom-produce multi-channel engagement programs and personalized sales development strategies to boost cybersecurity lead generation and get things moving.

There are several obvious advantages to this approach:

• You save money (instead of paying for your own team, you pay for a single service)
• It's quicker (the teams are ready-made)
• You gain access to industry-leading expertise and technologies
• You can spend time on other critical tasks

B2B lead generation and sales development agencies like Leadium specialize in boutique, founder-led lead gen strategies perfectly tailored to cybersecurity firms like yours. For more information on how Leadium can help your cybersecurity company reach more cybersecurity clients, why not reach out for a consultation?

Get your cybersecurity solutions noticed

It's a tough time to be a cybersecurity sales professional; with greater scrutiny, more competition, and more knowledgeable customers than ever before, you really have to shine to stand out.

Luckily, with the right tools and resources, you can. That's because despite the challenges, there's also never been a better time to sell into the cybersecurity industry: with myriad online options like LinkedIn, email, content marketing, and SEO, and plenty of traditional avenues such as cold calling, direct mail, and even networking events, too, generating high-quality cybersecurity sales leads is perfectly achievable.

We know that because we've done it. Professional B2B lead generation services like ours work round the clock to reach all the right people in all the right places, finding unique sales opportunities for cybersecurity companies every day. Head over to our homepage to see what we're about. We can't wait to hear from you.