Why the Best Salespeople Are Engineers

The New CISO

In this episode of The New CISO, host Steve is joined by Larry Pfeifer, CEO and President of Metrics That Matter. Although Larry is not a CISO, he has worked in many adjacent fields, including the US military, university IT research, sales engineering, and more. As a result of his vast experience, Larry has a unique lens on cybersecurity. Listen to the episode to learn more about Larry’s fascinating career journey, what salespeople and IT professionals have in common, and why he decided to start his own business.

Listen to Steve and Larry discuss what makes working in IT at a university invaluable and when to talk about the vendor selection process:

Meet Larry (1:39)

As a CEO and entrepreneur, Larry does many different things in his daily life. His professional origins started in his high school Apple IIe classes, and later, he worked with new computer technology in the military.

Overall, Larry compares his career journey to Forest Gump, acknowledging the exciting and extensive path he’s taken.

After Service (6:39)

Larry details his next moves after completing his military service. He helped run an educational network at a university, which led to him being interviewed on Leonard Nimoy’s technology show.

Although there was no position like “CISO” at the time, Larry also led a checkpoint on Salaraboxes, among other cyber-related projects.

Sound Advice (11:30)

Steve presses Larry on whether it is worthwhile for students to work in education networks at a university. Larry believes that if you have the opportunity, you should take advantage of it. After all, it’s high-paying, flexible, and allows you to do real, hands-on work.

Becoming an Entrepreneur (15:04)

Larry shares how he broke into sales engineering and started working for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, among other places. He went from a career in IT research to sales engineering to becoming a salesman, adding another layer to his professional skills.

He also stresses the importance of discussing vendors and helping his peers determine what they like about their services, what they don’t like, and their costs. This interest led him to become the CEO of his own information-sharing business.

Building a Brand (26:27)

Reflecting on the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, Larry shares how he worked with potential clients and narrowed in on his focus.

Now, Larry is the CEO of a business that serves as a cyber-security platform. To do this job well, he understands the industry thoroughly.

The Right Metrics (33:32)

Through Metrics That Matters, Larry aims to simplify the cyber-security process by providing information that reports on a business’s weak points and what they could do better.

Larry’s company fills in the technology gaps of CISOs, though he also knows there is no silver bullet to perfect cyber security. You must understand your environment and what your environment needs to secure your business properly.

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