Audience 1st

In this episode of Audience 1st, Dani Woolf cuts straight through the noise to confront the silent killer of growth in B2B organizations: misdiagnosing the real growth problem. Most GTM teams think they’re aligned. They’re not. Most believe they’re solving the right thing. They aren’t. In this raw, unfiltered solo episode, Dani unpacks why internal alignment is often a lie, how companies waste entire quarters solving surface-level symptoms, and what it takes to actually identify the bleeding neck - the one problem that’s quietly draining your growth, budget, and team morale. If you’ve ever felt like your team is moving fast but going nowhere, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed. What You’ll Learn: Why most organizations aren’t solving their biggest growth problem and how to tell if you’re one of them The high cost of chasing lagging indicators instead of root causes The real reason marketing, sales, and product don’t align and why buyer truth is the only fix How to recognize “growth triggers” that signal it’s time to do qualitative buyer research Dani’s four-step clarity framework: Diagnose → Validate → Align → Act How to stop guessing, and finally build from buyer reality—not internal theory Don’t just walk away from this episode inspired. Take action. Ask yourself: What’s the one growth problem we think we’re solving right now? Who told us that? When was the last time we heard it from a buyer’s mouth verbatim? What would it feel like to know we’re solving the right thing? If you’re ready to stop guessing and start listening, reach out to Dani and her team. Let’s uncover the bleeding neck together.

In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, Dani Woolf sits down with Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer at Freshworks, to uncover the raw truth behind how CISOs evaluate security vendors, what actually moves a deal forward, and why most POVs fall flat before they even start. Jason gets brutally honest about the emotional dynamics of enterprise buying, the real reason vendors lose trust, and what it actually takes to turn a POV into a purchase. If you’re in product marketing, sales, or demand generation at a cybersecurity company, this episode will change how you think about the buyer journey and give you a blueprint to win trust, increase conversions, and build long-term influence with technical buyers. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why emotional certainty - not ROI - is the key to winning a CISO’s trust The most common POV mistakes vendors make (and how to avoid them) How Jason evaluates vendors - and what gets them instantly disqualified The danger of relying on generic “What problems are you solving?” questions Why transparency beats feature-stuffing in every sales motion How to make your booth presence less awkward and more effective The impact of new SEC regulations on security budgeting and priorities Why buyers referring your product - even after saying no - is the ultimate win If you’re serious about understanding what really drives buyer decisions in cybersecurity subscribe to Audience 1st Podcast. New episodes every week. Raw, unfiltered, and straight from the source - your buyers. 🎧 Listen now, take notes, and share with your GTM team.

Dani Woolf, co-founder of CyberSynapse and CEO of Audience 1st, champions the transition from conventional cybersecurity analyst models to direct buyer engagement. She discusses the pitfalls of traditional reports, highlighting their slow production and inability to provide timely insights. Dani explains how engaging with decision-makers like CISOs can yield real-time, unfiltered feedback. As vendors cut budgets for analyst firms, the conversation emphasizes the importance of hybrid research models to foster deeper connections and improve relevance in the cybersecurity landscape.

Cloud security didn’t make life easier—it made it exponentially harder. Security teams are stuck in legacy network security models while trying to secure cloud-native applications, security groups, IAM policies, and ephemeral workloads. The result? Confusion, misalignment, and a security posture that can’t keep up with cloud speed. In this episode of Audience 1st Podcast, I chatted with Kyle Wickert from AlgoSec about: Why network security teams struggle with cloud security models The hidden complexity of securing applications across multi-cloud environments Why firewalls and network segmentation don’t translate well to the cloud How security teams can gain visibility and control over cloud security policies The role of automation in bridging the gap between network security and cloud security If you want to secure application connectivity across your hybrid environment, visit algosec.com.

What happens when you meet a cybersecurity founder over dinner and 12 hours later, they’re on your podcast? You get one of the most brutally honest conversations about mobile security. In this episode, Rocky Cole, co-founder of iVerify, lays out why mobile security is dangerously behind—and why businesses are in denial about the scale of the threat. We dive into: The biggest myth in mobile security—why MDM (Mobile Device Management) is not a security tool and never was. Why enterprise security leaders are still ignoring mobile security (even when businesses are now prime targets). How attackers have outpaced traditional mobile security measures—and what needs to change. The operational bottlenecks holding CISOs back from fixing the problem—and how to work around them. Rocky shares raw insights from the frontlines of mobile security, including how his team uncovered new Pegasus infections, why BYOD security is broken, and what companies should be doing NOW. If you're still treating mobile devices differently than desktops, this episode will change your perspective—fast.

Welcome to the first episode of The Confident Cyber Marketer, a monthly series hosted by CyberSynapse.io! In this special in-person episode from New York City, I'm joined by Ben Siegel to break down how cybersecurity marketers and sales teams can accelerate speed to buyer insights to gain a competitive edge. In this tactical, no-BS conversation, we reveal why traditional analyst models fail, why most cybersecurity vendors get it wrong, and how real-time insights from buyers—not just customers—can drive better messaging, faster sales cycles, and higher conversion rates. Key Takeaways and Topics Covered: Why cybersecurity marketing is broken—and how to fix it The myth of proprietary data in cybersecurity marketing Why most data doesn’t tell you the full buyer story The Rapid Buyer Insight Loop (RBIL) framework for gathering and applying insights in less than two weeks The difference between customer research vs. buyer research—and why both matter How traditional analyst models hold cybersecurity vendors back Real-world stories from Dani & Ben on how shifting to direct buyer insights changed everything How to operationalize fast, actionable insights across marketing, sales, and product Metrics that matter: Time to Insight, Time to Decision, Time to Value The high cost of getting your target audience wrong—and how to avoid it. Resources & Links: 🔗 CyberSynapse – Ready to ditch the traditional analyst model and get real insights from real key decision-makers? Visit CyberSynapse.io to schedule a quick call. 🔗 Connect with Dani & Ben – Let’s keep the conversation going! Find us on LinkedIn: Dani Woolf Ben Siegel Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review if you found this episode valuable. More deep dives into cybersecurity marketing that actually works coming soon!

In this episode of Audience 1st, I'm joined by Rob Shavell, co-founder of DeleteMe, to explore the data privacy space and the growing importance of human-centric security. Rob will share his journey from Silicon Valley venture capitalist to privacy entrepreneur and how being a contrarian led him to build one of the leading services in the data removal space. We'll dive into: Why privacy is no longer just a noun but an active set of actions. How AI and automation have transformed cybercrime into a “creative industry” and what it means for security teams. Why it’s difficult to quantify the impact of continuous data removal and how security leaders can build a better ROI story. How to overcome employee skepticism and drive adoption of security tools through simplicity and clear communication. We will also discusses the future of privacy, emerging threats like AI-generated deepfakes, and what security practitioners need to do to protect their people in an increasingly hostile digital world.

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/

The way cybersecurity and IT software is sold today is fundamentally broken. In this episode of Audience 1st, Chase Cunningham pulls no punches as we dive into why the traditional software demo and sales model is riddled with friction, killing deals, and frustrating buyers. We unpack the biggest flaws in go-to-market strategies, including: Why buyers expect seamless, self-service access to software—and how vendors are failing them. How manual, high-friction demos slow down sales cycles and lose deals. Why vendor fear of transparency is outdated—and actually hurting revenue. How behavioral data and automation can transform demo-to-close rates. Chase shares eye-opening stats on demo conversion rates, real-world examples of deals lost due to friction, and practical strategies for automating and optimizing the buyer experience. If you're in marketing, sales, or product and tired of watching your pipeline stall due to outdated sales motions, this episode is a must-listen. Learn how to ditch the friction, close more deals, and give buyers what they actually want here: https://www.demo-force.com/

The challenge is clear: BISOs must bridge the widening gap between security priorities and business demands, often dealing with a space that is fraught with competing interests and high stakes. But how do BISOs balance the demands of risk mitigation with the realities of operational goals? How can they make meaningful connections with vendors who often fail to understand the nuances of their role? These are the questions that Rob Dalzell, a Business Information Security Officer (BISO) at a major financial institution, grapples with regularly. In this episode of Audience 1st, I had a candid conversation with Rob, where we unearthed invaluable insights into what drives buying decisions and operational realities for BISOs.