Early in my career as a tech marketer, I was told that securing a top-right position in an analyst report was the way to gain credibility.

It didn’t take long before I started questioning the whole system.

In this episode of Audience 1st, I sat down with Chase Cunningham, VP of Security Market Research at G2 and Co-Founder of Demo-Force, to dig into a hot topic:

The flaws in the legacy analyst model and what a modern, buyer-centric approach to market intelligence looks like.

We explored how the legacy analyst firms operate, the influence of vendor dollars on rankings, and why many CMOs are quietly walking away from the old system.

Chase shared eye-opening insights into how buyers actually evaluate security solutions—hint: they’re relying more on peer reviews and real-world data than on Magic Quadrants.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Why vendors are overpaying for analyst influence instead of listening to buyers.
• How data-driven insights from G2 are reshaping go-to-market strategies.
• The most overlooked buyer signals that vendors should start paying attention to.
• The shift from C-suite-targeted sales to winning over the “lieutenants” who make buying decisions.
• The real truth about security software pricing, discounts, and contract lengths.

If you're in cybersecurity marketing, product, or sales and looking for smarter ways to understand and reach your buyers, this episode is a must-listen.

Get free access to more than 100 million people researching, comparing, and buying software on G2 every year: https://sell.g2.com/