01
Client context
The vendor generated strong pipeline from security teams, but many opportunities stalled after a successful proof of concept.
02
Business challenge
Sales assumed price was the blocker. Leadership suspected the problem lay with stakeholders the sales team rarely met.
03
Research objective & questions
Map the buying committee and decision journey to identify where and why deals stall, and what would move them forward.
- Who is involved after the proof of concept, and what does each role need?
- What objections arise from finance, procurement, legal and IT?
- What evidence tips the decision to one vendor?
- How do buyers compare the vendor with platform alternatives?
04
Methodology & approach
- Recent-buyer interviews
- CISOs, security architects, IT, procurement and finance stakeholders from won, lost and no-decision deals.
- Win/loss analysis
- Independent interviews structured around specific recent opportunities.
- Sales team interviews
- Internal view of where deals stall, compared with buyer accounts.
- Journey mapping
- Stage-by-stage map of triggers, roles, evidence needs and objections.
05
Sample & geography
- ~30 buyer interviews across roles
- ~8 internal sales interviews
- Geography — United States
06
Key findings
- Deals stalled most often at a risk and compliance review that sales was not preparing for.
- Finance stakeholders questioned overlap with existing platform licences more than price.
- Buyers wanted peer references from similar-sized companies, which were hard to obtain.
- No-decision outcomes were more common than losses to competitors.
07
Business implications
- Create a compliance and risk pack for the post-PoC stage.
- Build a consolidation business case addressing platform overlap.
- Develop a structured reference programme by segment.
08
Outcome
The client received a buying-committee map, role-specific objection handling and enablement priorities aligned with how customers actually decide.
Example engagement — Shows how Hoog approaches this type of question. Not a specific client project. Findings are directional.