Sales Recruiting
Case Study:

Type: exclusive contingency search
Title: Enterprise Account Executive
Role: cybersecurity solutions sales
Location: Minneapolis MN
Client: Cybersecurity Solutions Company
Collaboration: SVP
Completed by: Deare, Minneapolis sales recruiters

Company Profile
National cybersecurity solutions company with a powerful suite of enterprise security solutions capabilities including programmatic security management, MDR, cloud security, network security, device management, and much more. As a comprehensive security solution provider, the company offers hardware, software, managed solutions, technology professional services and fully customized enterprise-level solutions.

Working with world-class expertise, our client handles the most complex of cybersecurity challenges. The company has grown to become a formidable protective force of IT security technologists, SME, DevSecOps, implementers, innovators and automators with the capacity to design and deliver solutions in the largest of enterprise environments.

Key Selection Criteria
– 5+ years of success selling enterprise cybersecurity solutions
– 10+ years of combined complex and large-scale networking hardware, software, technology consulting and managed services sales experience
– Solutions-level understanding of IT/ business security challenges. Ability to clearly understand, formulate, and articulate general solutions options
– Proven C-Suite and C/-1 selling skills
– Strong strategic sales approach planning and sales process management skills
– Bachelor’s Degree

Challenge
The competitive cybersecurity space has made it necessary to introduce new and more complex solutions capable of addressing the most dangerous of enterprise security threats. As the solution set has become more complex, the sales process has become more intricate. An increasingly collaborative lineup of technologists, solutions architects, leaders, and engagement support assets are involved in a strategic, orchestrated sales process. A highly collaborative, C-Suite-level sales professional with broad technology expertise and sales process management skills is needed. This represents a change to the traditional sales candidate profile and a challenge to our client’s hiring process

Solution
Deare was contacted by a corporate SVP to discuss and assess the complexities of the role, the specific requirements, preferred capabilities and culture fit attributes. After presenting recent similar cases and a generic matching profile of the ideal candidate, Deare presented a high-value search approach. Deare was offered and accepted the search on an exclusive contingency basis and confidently pledged an exciting result.

Result
Four main talent channels were exhaustively researched in the candidate identification phase. Knowing that the combination of requirements and preferences would eliminate traditional industry candidates, we maintained focus on a specific profile.

We sometimes share that we usually have the finalist/hire candidate identified within 9 days of a search launch. In this case, it was day 16 when we had the phone conversation with the remarkably successful technology sales professional who would become the Enterprise Account Executive with our world-class cybersecurity solutions client.
The role was offered and accepted on day 44 of the contingent search, within a couple of days of the SVP’s best initial hope for timing. We have been retained by our client on 2 searches since.