So...some things happened last week. George K and George A weigh in on the whirlwind with their usual delicacy and diplomacy. Mentioned in the show: Dark Reading article on measuring employee input of sensitive data into ChatGPT George K experimented with a new app using OpenAI's API (say that three times fast), ChatPDF , which allows users to use regular text commands to query the contents of PDFs. A Loom video demonstrating how one user employed ChatPDF to search an MSA. Industry shifts from a...
Mar 22, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Long time listener Maria Graham steps into the ring! George K and George A talk to Maria about how her prospecting is built on research and looking for human commonalities, and why she thinks email doesn’t work anymore. 🤯 🔥 🐉 ⚔️ We also unveil a new segment: THE SALES GAUNTLET! Also in this episode: Brass Tacks on outreach strategies George A ambushes George K! George K and Maria convince George A to get into cyber sales?! This episode is filled with all the usual snark, plus very healthy dos...
Mar 15, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This week, George K and George A: Dig into the specious AI-powered outreach messaging tactics looming on the horizon Establish the new "Radio Silence Rate" metric using simple Jedi mind tricks Look at cybersecurity news from the US And George K dishes advice on how CISOs can prep for budget-tightening cycles Again, for those in the back: 🔊 👂 Vendors, turn it up and take notes! If you pay attention, George A is effectively outlining how to approach CISOs when budgets are tight...! ✈️ Are you he...
Mar 08, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Do you even vCISO? Industry veteran (30+ years and counting!), Terry Chapman, steps into the ring to talk out the ways to build trust with vCISOs, to form lasting partnerships. 👊 ⚡️ Brass Tacks: Solving needs rather than selling features Selling security as a business enabler Speaking the language of risk management Also in this episode, George K almost gets George A to tear his hair out with a crazy story about securing MS Teams! 👀 Plus, Bare Knuckles & Brass Tacks will be at RSA this yea...
Mar 01, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 15
This one gets spicy fast! George K and George A dig into the past week's experiences with sexism in AI martech, unacceptable levels of stalking and social engineering in sales, and the hallucinations of LLMs! Why is anti-social behavior acceptable in B2B sales? WTF is up with gendered AI products?! Watch out for LLM delusions of grandeur! 👊 ⚡️Brass Tacks How not to be a stalker How not to be a sexist a**hole (apparently it needs to be said) Episodes now dropping weekly! Subscribe today! www.bar...
Feb 22, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 14
What are the red lines when it comes to sales outreach? Well, Martin Oresnik would argue it's when a vendor calls your family members asking for you! When he posted about this a few months ago, Martin's post went viral, and seemed to touch a nerve in the infosec community. Which means the aggressive outreach tactics have officially started going way too far. George K and George A wanted to fully humanize this experience because empathy is the only way to get back to trust in cybersecurity sales....
Feb 15, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 13
George K calls in from the road, and he and George A reflect on powerful experiences with community in cyber from the past week. Also in this episode: What genuine leadership looks like How not to lose the room Up-leveling your conference game Why sexist conference practices need to called out Calling all VCs! Mentioned in this episode: A Theory of Zoom Fatigue Subscribe today! www.bareknucklespod.com...
Feb 08, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 12
George K and George A jump into the ring to try something new: confronting weekly events! This week, the Bare Knuckles crew brawls over: Waves of tech layoffs Laughable LinkedIn outreach tactics Disintegrating trust as an apparent sales strategy ChatGPT and brain viruses! Subscribe today!
Jan 31, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 11
"I don't objection handle." 🤯 Neeko Chessnoe steps into the ring and drops bombs on the cybersecurity sales process! What's the balance between patience and persistence? How do you build a brand around being genuine? How has this empathetic approach fueled Neeko's success? There's so much wisdom in this interview, you might just need to play it twice. We get down to Brass Tacks on discovery questions, event follow up and more! Subscribe today! www.bareknucklespod.com...
Jan 24, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Part 2 of our interview with Mahdi Raza and David Mahdi! What role does training play in sales success? Are we setting BDRs up for failure? How do CISOs research products? All this and audience questions! Brass Tacks: Get back to your childhood roots for persuasion How to add value when CISOs aren't ready to buy Nurturing security relationships Subscribe today! www.bareknucklespod.com...
Jan 12, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Mahdi Raza and David Mahdi join the podcast to talk about their new book, The Art of Selling Cybersecurity . Is selling to infosec art, science, or a bit of both? Ahead of the SiberX CISO forum at the end of the month, George K and George A dig in, and got so carried away that this interview will be split into two parts! Part 1: The bare knuckle brawl over sales tactics that suck, methods that work, and how to build trust. Subscribe today! www.bareknucklepod.com...
Jan 11, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 8
What a wild ride it's been, from a side conversation at Black Hat to launch a month later! George K and George A reflect on the year so far, and tease out some ideas for 2023 including: Live recordings at conferences Merch?! Contests and more Stay tuned for great things next year! Subscribe today www.bareknucklespod.com
Dec 21, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 7
How much technical knowledge should cyber sales reps have? How do you build trust that drives long-term revenue? And just what level of awful do women in cyber have to put up with? This episode comes out of the gates hard. Warning: contains very real and very NSFW descriptions of sexual harassment. Down to Brass Tacks: What SDRs and BDRs can do to succeed on their first day How to conduct deals with integrity How men in cyber can be real allies If you like what you hear, subscribe today! www.bar...
Dec 06, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 6
How much technical knowledge should cyber sales reps have? How do you build trust that drives long-term revenue? And just what level of awful do women in cyber have to put up with? This episode comes out of the gates hard. Warning: contains very real and very NSFW descriptions of sexual harassment. Down to Brass Tacks: What SDRs and BDRs can do to succeed on their first day How to conduct deals with integrity How men in cyber can be real allies If you like what you hear, subscribe today! www.bar...
Dec 06, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Cagematch episode! From gimmicks that creep us out to straight up relationship abuse, George K and George A hit the mics ready to unload, flamethrowers drawn and ready! It's loud, it's fun, but like always, they get down to brass tacks on the sales approaches that work and build trust. If you like what you hear, subscribe today! www.bareknucklespod.com
Nov 08, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Is your sales process showing through?! Chris Castaldo, CISO at Crossbeam, jumps into the ring to talk about the worst and best he’s experienced on the buying side. Having started on the vendor side, Chris has a deep understanding of sales qualification. In this episode, we get into: How he views his role as a CISO when it comes to learning about new tech The value of partnerships over transactions His preferred method for reaching him Why “cold everything” is dead We take on audience questions,...
Oct 20, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Neil Saltman joins us! Neil is a long time cybersecurity sales leader and the co-author of Cyber Security Sales: A Buyer’s and Seller’s Perspective. He’s also a brave soul, because he volunteered to step into the ring! Bare Knuckles: Neil shares his thoughts on: Building trust through authenticity The need for relentless curiosity in security sales Meticulous notetaking with an always learning attitude Brass Tacks: We get into specific recommendations for those starting out in sales, and how to ...
Oct 12, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3
We're kicking off the show with a hard look at the cybersecurity vendor/customer relationship on LinkedIn. It's only fitting, given it where we first met. At its best, LinkedIn is a place to connect with thought leaders and make new professional connections that help you thrive. At its worst, the platform can feel like a speed-dating hellscape. What's the best way for sellers to approach prospects on LinkedIn? How do you add value? How do CISOs like to use it? We go after bad practices with bare...
Sep 28, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 2
