The sales team could sell ice to a penguin — but they had no idea what “phishing” meant. The sales team could sell ice to a penguin — but they had no idea what “phishing” meant. At least one person assumed “pentest” was a typo — more than once. They weren’t clueless, just not technical. And that moment made something clear: we had a communication gap to fix. In IT, you often see two types of tech people: The ones who think, "Screw the muggles, they'll never get it."And the ones who take the time to guide them. (very few of us) The ones who think, "Screw the muggles, they'll never get it." And the ones who take the time to guide them. (very few of us) At first, I leaned toward the first mindset. But then it hit me: we have to work together. My team needed projects. Projects meant sales. And sales meant… well, the sales team. The problem was simple: you can't sell what you don't understand. Imagine being asked to sell roofing materials when the only thing you know is "clay tiles." You don't know the alternatives, the installation process, or even what questions customers might ask. How could you sell with confidence? That's when I decided to take action. I grabbed the problem by the reins and approached it differently. The Sales Weapons Meeting I called it the Sales Weapons Meeting. The goal was simple: give the sales team the "weapons" they needed to confidently sell our services. In reality, it was more of a training session than a meeting - but the real challenge was keeping it within a one-hour slot. Spoiler: I ended up running 13 sessions across 5 countries. Sometimes we went 30 minutes over, but only because people were genuinely engaged. The Q&A sparked even more curiosity, and I didn't want to kill that energy. How did I organized it? List the core services. Decide what you actually want the sales team to sell. Keep it simple and clear.List the participants. Know exactly who's in the room so you can tailor examples to them.Create a focused agenda. Set the tone early - this isn't a lecture, it's a hands-on, practical session.Practice your timing. A one-hour slot goes fast. Rehearse so you know where to cut or expand. List the core services. Decide what you actually want the sales team to sell. Keep it simple and clear. List the core services. List the participants. Know exactly who's in the room so you can tailor examples to them. List the participants. Create a focused agenda. Set the tone early - this isn't a lecture, it's a hands-on, practical session. Create a focused agenda. Practice your timing. A one-hour slot goes fast. Rehearse so you know where to cut or expand. Practice your timing. Now, here's the real challenge: once you've identified your core services, you need to translate those technical details into something your audience can actually understand. At the slide level, that means simplifying complex jargon into clear, relatable language. If you've got a favorite GPT assistant, it can help you with that. And if not, I'd be more than happy to support you in tackling this challenge. 👇 https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrionfrn/ - we can grab a coffee, just send me a message "let's have a coffee ☕️" I will know why you are there 👌 https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrionfrn/ When it came to the live session, I always started by setting the mood with a clear message 📢: "During this session, I will never judge you for what you know - or don't know. And I won't allow anyone else to judge you either. My goal is simple: by the time you leave this room, you'll feel confident talking about security topics. Even if you told me you don't know what a computer is (little jokey-joke), that's fine. I won't be mad. If I need to rephrase a concept three times, no problem - but you have to tell me. I'll be happy to explain it until it clicks." Bringing in the Technical Part When it came to technical topics, I kept the slides simple. For example, if I wanted to talk about web application pentesting, I would show a slide with nothing more than the title: "Web App Pentest." Then I'd start with a question: "Can someone explain, in your own words, what a web app pentest is? Imagine a client asks you what it means and why they should do it, how would you answer today?" Pay close attention to the words your audience uses. When they make mistakes (and they will) don't shut them down. Instead, build on their answers. Use their phrasing as a starting point, then gently correct and expand it. This way, you're mapping their understanding to the right terminology, rather than starting from scratch. In my experience, this method sticks better. People remember the correction longer because it's connected to something they said. (That's just my personal take - I'll let the scientists debate the cognitive mechanics behind it.) 🧠 Once the discussion wraps up, move to your theory slide. Here, you can map what's been said to the official terminology. For each core service, I liked to include a slide structured like this: Definition of the service and the scope → I broke it down in plain English. No jargon. Just a clear explanation of what the service is and what it includes.The Client-Focused Value Proposition → not just technically, but in real business terms → What pain it solves, What risks it mitigates, What outcomes they can expect.Common Objections → These are the classic “No’s” you hear on repeat: “We don’t have budget for this”; “This will disrupt our daily operations”; “We’re already doing security internally”; “Now’s not the right time”.Counterarguments → For each objection, I provided strong responses - like highlighting the risk of being hacked, or the potential financial and reputational damage of doing nothing. 🔥 Tip: You’re not arguing, you’re reframing risk, urgency, and ROI.Proof: A list of success story → Included a list of happy clients and use cases. These act as trust multipliers and eliminate skepticism Definition of the service and the scope → I broke it down in plain English. No jargon. Just a clear explanation of what the service is and what it includes. Definition of the service and the scope The Client-Focused Value Proposition → not just technically, but in real business terms → What pain it solves, What risks it mitigates, What outcomes they can expect. The Client-Focused Value Proposition pain risks outcomes Common Objections → These are the classic “No’s” you hear on repeat: “We don’t have budget for this”; “This will disrupt our daily operations”; “We’re already doing security internally”; “Now’s not the right time”. Common Objections Counterarguments → For each objection, I provided strong responses - like highlighting the risk of being hacked, or the potential financial and reputational damage of doing nothing. 🔥 Tip: You’re not arguing, you’re reframing risk, urgency, and ROI. Counterarguments Tip Proof: A list of success story → Included a list of happy clients and use cases. These act as trust multipliers and eliminate skepticism Proof: A list of success story By this stage, you’ve built a solid foundation to support your sales team. They’ll know how to present your service, communicate its value clearly, anticipate objections, and respond with strong counterarguments. Now, you might be thinking: “But Florian, I’m not in sales — how would I even know what objections a client has?” “But Florian, I’m not in sales — how would I even know what objections a client has?” The truth is, you’ve already uncovered some of them. And more importantly, your role doesn’t stop here — and neither does the sales team’s. You’re both in this together. It’s an ongoing process of learning, refining, and adapting. both The Sales HUB This is the moment to introduce the concept of your Sales HUB — a centralized vault of resources your team can rely on. I’ll dedicate a full article to building it, but here’s what matters now: This is the moment to introduce the concept of your Sales HUB The “sales weapons” don’t stop with training. Your team should continue collecting intel after every client meeting — questions, objections, technical blockers, everything. This isn’t a one-and-done event. after Reinforce your availability. Say explicitly that your support doesn’t end when the training session does. Let them know: Reinforce your availability. “I’m here if you need help, during, after, or in between deals.” “I’m here if you need help, during, after, or in between deals.” ⭐️ Pro tip: Even if you’ve created a safe space for open discussion, remember some reps may prefer 1:1 chats or email. Shyness and fear of judgment are real — so give them options. Pro tip Your Sales HUB becomes the go-to destination — the “North Star” — when they need anything cybersecurity-related: Sales HUB go-to destination ToolkitsPresentation templatesYour company’s certificationsA library of counterargumentsTechnical breakdowns from the Sec team Toolkits Presentation templates Your company’s certifications A library of counterarguments Technical breakdowns from the Sec team It’s not just content — it’s confidence, at their fingertips. Conclusion: Build Bridges, Not Barriers You don’t need your sales team to be security experts — just confident messengers. That only happens when you give them the right tools, language, and support. The Sales Weapons sessions were a great start. The Sales HUB is what keeps it going. Sales HUB Because when sales and tech align, deals close faster, clients trust more, and your solutions finally get the attention they deserve. Let’s stop working in silos. Let’s build the bridge.

How to Teach Sales Reps to Pitch Cybersecurity in 1 Hour—Even Without Tech Skills

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