Maximizing Executive Relationships: 5 Strategies for Advocacy in Cybersecurity

9:25 am
-
10:10 am
CT

In the cybersecurity industry, your most successful customers are often the ones who need to remain the most anonymous. When your buyers prioritize discretion, standard advocacy programs often fail to gain traction. The key is to stop chasing public case studies and start focusing on building deep, long-term executive relationships.This session provides a practical framework for navigating these constraints. We will share 5 actionable tips for maximizing executive relationships to drive advocacy, regardless of the industry's need for secrecy. You will learn how to earn the time of security leaders, align your program with their specific business goals, and build a sustainable influence loop that thrives behind the scenes. Join us to discover how to turn your executive engagement into a high-impact engine for customer advocacy.

Session Agenda

  • 5 practical tips to get customers (especially executives) involved in customer advocacy - how to get past corporate hurdles to "get to yes"

Speakers

Angela Wells

Senior Director, Customer Advocacy and Executive Customer Experience (ECX)

Cisco

Angela Wells

Senior Director, Customer Advocacy and Executive Customer Experience (ECX)

Cisco

Angela brings over 27 years of experience across technology, media, and consumer goods, navigating environments ranging from agile startups to global enterprises. Currently leading the Splunk Customer Advocacy and Executive Customer Experience (ECX) team at Cisco, she specializes in cultivating high-value relationships with Fortune 500 executives. Angela partners with sales and marketing leadership to turn satisfied customers into influential advocates, driving retention, cross-sell opportunities, and renewals through authentic, trust-based connections.

Angela's recent industry awards include 5x Top 100 CMA Strategist, American Business Award (“The Stevies”), Advocate of the Year, BAMMIE, Top 50 Women in Tech, and more. Outside of work, she is an avid traveler and sports enthusiast, frequently seen cheering on the Atlanta Braves, her sons' baseball teams, and her beloved Northwestern Wildcats and Michigan Wolverines.

Amanda Crocker

Senior Manager, Customer Marketing

Cisco

Amanda Crocker

Senior Manager, Customer Marketing

Cisco

Amanda Crocker is a seasoned customer marketing and communications leader with over 20 years of experience driving global engagement and advocacy for enterprise SaaS and cybersecurity organizations, including Cisco, Splunk, and Oracle. She specializes in building scalable programs that foster long-term customer loyalty, accelerate product adoption, and drive revenue expansion through strategic storytelling and executive engagement. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Spanish from the University of Florida - and resides in Tampa, Florida, with her husband and three children.

About this Session's Track

Community & Customer Marketing

Master the art of building vibrant customer and user communities, driving retention through advocacy programs, peer‑to‑peer engagement, and customer‑led events.