Hack your career in cybersecurity sales & marketing

Welcome to the first episode of Hack & Hustle- the Cybersecurity GTM Podcast. We are pumped to have you here.

If you are building your career in cybersecurity sales or marketing, this is the place for you.

Here's what you can expect:

• New episodes will drop every other week (on a Wednesday)
• Each episode will be short and focused on a particular topic of relevance to careers in this field
• We will recap the key takeaways from the show in this newsletter so you have the tl;dr (or is it tl;dl?)
• You can listen or watch on your favorite platform (we are covering them all!), and you'll always have the compilation of newsletters available on the Crux website

In time, we are planning on launching a slack channel and much, much more.

Here's the intro to our show

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But let's start with the good stuff. On our first episode, we were thrilled to be joined by the incredible Neil Saltman, a veteran sales leader who co-wrote the book on cybersecurity selling with Anthony.

🎥 Watch the full episode with Neil Saltman on YouTube

The highlights

• Relationship-based selling is becoming more critical as the cybersecurity market matures - but relationships alone don't close deals, they open doors
• The industry is shifting from volume-based outreach to precision targeting, with increased emphasis on deep industry knowledge
• The industry is shifting away from pure platform plays toward a balanced approach of best-of-breed solutions with platform benefits

The Trust Paradox in Cybersecurity Sales

In an industry built on zero trust, the ability to build genuine trust with prospects has never been more valuable.

Anthony spent the last decade watching the cybersecurity sales landscape evolve, first as a CISO managing a $180M security budget at JP Morgan, and now advising security companies on their go-to-market strategy. One truth has remained constant: relationships matter, but not in the way most people think.

Here's what you hear in our space: The days of spray-and-pray outreach and fear-based selling are ending. Your success depends on your ability to adapt to a new reality where there is no easy button. (And that's completely right, BTW)

Here's what you see: People doing lots of the same old things.

So while it is true that the old tactics are losing efficacy, we are all finding our way in this new reality. One thing is true, however- relationships have always mattered, and they probably matter more today than ever.

Building relationships isn't about collecting LinkedIn connections or memorizing personal details. It's about genuine interest and authentic engagement.

As Neil shared from his experience, "I try to learn something new about each person. If somebody tells me they go skiing in Denver every year, if I see something, I remind them." This isn't manipulation - it's genuine human connection.

The key difference? When Neil texts someone about a shared interest, he gets an instant response. When he tries to sell something, it sits for three days. That's the power of authentic relationship building.

Shifting power

Gone are the days when CISOs were the primary decision-makers for every security purchase. The power has shifted:

• Technical teams have more influence on purchasing decisions
• CISOs are becoming more executive-focused and spread across the enterprise
• Middle managers are taking on increased buying responsibility

This means your sales approach needs to evolve. You need deeper technical knowledge and the ability to sell at multiple levels within an organization. As Neil puts it, "You're finding the conversations taking place at a lower level. You're finding CISOs becoming more executives and managers taking on more responsibility."

The Platform Paradox

Here's a reality check: Every vendor claims to be a platform now. But recent events (like the CrowdStrike outage) have organizations rethinking their consolidation strategies. Smart security leaders are asking:

• How much vendor concentration risk is acceptable?
• What's the right balance between integration and independence?
• How do we maintain operational resilience?

The winning approach? Be honest about where you fit. Don't claim to be everything to everyone.