How to sell to Heads of Operations at Cybersecurity companies
Heads of Operations in cybersecurity prioritize operational efficiency and compliance adherence. They respond well to outreach that demonstrates a clear understanding of the latest regulatory changes affecting SOC 2 compliance, as these directly impact their operational metrics. Highlighting solutions that streamline compliance processes or reduce audit-related downtime will capture their attention.
Written and maintained by the SoloRiff team, who build outbound software and run outbound with it. The figures below are our own: we measured 569 cybersecurity company domains over public DNS on 2026-09-03. Last updated 2026-09-03.
What actually hurts
- lengthy audit preparations
- high compliance costs
- staff burnout during audits
- frequent regulatory updates
The playbook
- 01
Identify recent compliance audits
Filter for cybersecurity companies that have recently undergone SOC 2 audits. Use platforms like LinkedIn or industry news sites to find announcements about audit completions. This indicates a potential need for tools that simplify future compliance efforts.
- 02
Highlight operational inefficiencies
Research common operational challenges faced by cybersecurity firms, such as lengthy audit processes or high compliance costs. Tailor your messaging to address these specific inefficiencies, demonstrating how your solution can streamline operations and reduce overhead.
- 03
Leverage industry-specific events
Look for upcoming cybersecurity conferences or webinars where Heads of Operations might be presenting or attending. Mention these events in your outreach to create a timely connection, showing you are engaged with their industry and aware of their priorities.
- 04
Prepare for objections about budget constraints
Anticipate objections regarding budget limitations by gathering data on typical compliance costs in cybersecurity. Prepare to discuss how your solution can lead to cost savings in the long run, particularly by reducing audit preparation time and minimizing compliance failures.
- 05
Follow up after compliance deadlines
Schedule follow-ups shortly after major compliance deadlines, like SOC 2 report submissions. This timing can prompt discussions about improvements for the next cycle, as Heads of Operations will be reflecting on their recent experiences and looking for solutions to enhance their processes.
Can cybersecurity companies even receive your mail?
We measured the DNS of 569 cybersecurity companies, sampled evenly across company sizes, to see how many authenticate their own email. It matters in both directions: a domain that does not authenticate is a domain whose team is used to mail going missing — and if your own domain is in the gap, yours is the mail going missing.
Publishes a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject — the domain actually asks receivers to act on failures.
The gap is the finding: 30.3% of 1–10-person companies against 91.3% of the largest — 61 points apart. Small companies are where the unauthenticated domains are, and small companies are who most cold outreach is aimed at.
Where does your domain sit?
Same three lookups, run live against your domain. Nothing is stored and nothing is emailed to you.
How this was measured
Company domains were sampled within employee-count bands, then queried over public DNS for SPF (TXT at the apex), DMARC (TXT at _dmarc.) and MX. One domain per company, deduplicated. Anyone can reproduce any single row of this with dig.
DKIM is deliberately absent. A DKIM key lives under a selector that cannot be enumerated from outside the domain, so a company with flawless DKIM under a name we did not guess would be counted as having none. That would measure our guess list, not the industry.
Domains with no MX record are excluded rather than counted as failures — parked and redirect-only domains would otherwise drag every figure down and make the result an artefact of the sample.
Sampled within bands, so this describes the population of companies, not of employees: a 10-person company counts once, as does a 10,000-person one. Each band is at least 60 domains; bands below that are not published. Figures are percentages of the sample, not of the whole industry, and we publish no company names — only counts.
Measured 2026-09-03. Re-measured monthly.
The full census across every industry — sortable, with sample sizes, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Subject lines that fit
- Streamline your SOC 2 process
- Reduce compliance costs
- Improve audit efficiency
Questions
- Why do Heads of Operations in cybersecurity ignore outreach about compliance tools?
- Many Heads of Operations are overwhelmed with the constant influx of compliance-related communications and may perceive them as generic or irrelevant. They often prioritize messages that address specific pain points or offer clear solutions to their unique operational challenges.
- What compliance challenges do Heads of Operations face in cybersecurity?
- They often deal with the complexities of adhering to multiple regulatory standards, managing frequent updates, and ensuring their teams are adequately trained. This can lead to operational inefficiencies and increased costs, making them receptive to solutions that simplify compliance.
- How can I demonstrate value to a Head of Operations in cybersecurity?
- Demonstrating value requires showing a deep understanding of their specific operational challenges, particularly around compliance and auditing. Providing case studies or examples of how your solution has helped similar organizations can effectively capture their interest.
- What timing is best for reaching out to Heads of Operations in cybersecurity?
- The best timing is usually just after major compliance deadlines or audit periods. At this time, they are likely reflecting on the process and considering improvements, making them more open to discussions about solutions that can enhance their operational efficiency.
Or have it run itself
SoloRiff does every step above on its own — finds the companies, finds the people, writes each of them individually, and handles the replies. Drop your URL and watch it work before you sign up for anything.
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