When your customers can't directly and immediately perceive the value of your product, you need to prove it
I was in Vegas to see U2. As I walked through the shops near the Venetian, a woman from a store called out to me with a great compliment on my complexion and my shoes. She offered a free sample. And then expertly drew me into the store to try on an under-eye cream with "miracle results." (This 40-something-year-old knows that there are no miracle results for under-eye wrinkles, but it doesn't stop me from being interested.) Within seconds of application under one eye my wrinkles disappeared and I could directly compare with the other eye. The evidence was clear, this product reduced the appearance of wrinkles. Then the off-putting sales tactics began. I knew it was some kind of scam, but I was amused enough to bring it home and do some research. The cream is just a light glue it firms up the skin. It does not treat anything or create any lasting positive effects. It may create lasting negative effects. For all I know it will create more wrinkles.
In this sale, the marketer drew in the buyer quickly using emotional sway, created evidence quickly, and then pushed to make the sale before doing more research. In healthcare, we know it's usually not that easy. Manufacturers have to run clinical trials and/or demonstrate substantial equivalence to an existing product to gain market access. Consumers give manufacturers a level of trust when something has been approved or cleared by the FDA.
Vendors to medtech, pharma, and healthcare delivery orgs need trust and evidence to sell their products. Like the long-lasting face creams, the results of risk management solutions (like vulnerability analyzers, and authentication designs) are hard to measure, and therefore need a commensurate level of evidence and trust to be successful. Healthcare buyers are tired of vendors promising cyber risk reduction. They need something better to go on. Evidence.
Generate evidence of the results your solution creates. (Ideally without the smarmy tactics of the Vegas skincare seller.) If you can't yet prove your results, then find a customer who will co-create that evidence with you. A bonus: when you seek to generate evidence of the results your solution produces, you also get crystal clear on your value proposition (or where your product lacks), and can increase the effectiveness of your product.
~Shannon, the Optimistic Optimizer