From Bottleneck to Business Driver: How High-Performing Sales Teams Handle Security Reviews

For many B2B sales teams, the words “security questionnaire” bring a sense of dread. Deals that should be closing suddenly stall. Weeks are lost chasing subject matter experts (SMEs), combing through outdated spreadsheets, and waiting on InfoSec approvals. In fact, research shows that nearly 80% of B2B sales cycles are delayed due to security reviews, causing frustration for buyers and sellers alike (Gartner).

But high-performing sales teams have figured out how to flip the script. Instead of letting security reviews become a bottleneck, they use them as an opportunity to build trust, showcase readiness, and accelerate deal velocity. This article breaks down what elite sales teams do differently—so you can transform security reviews into a business driver, not a roadblock.

What Slows Most Companies Down

Most organizations stumble during security reviews because of three common challenges:

• Delays in response gathering – SMEs are busy, and without a streamlined process, questionnaires get deprioritized.
• Inaccuracies and inconsistencies – Copy-paste answers from old questionnaires often introduce errors or out-of-date information.
• Fragmented communication – Sales, InfoSec, and Legal often work in silos, leading to misalignment and repeated back-and-forth.

These bottlenecks add up quickly. According to IDC, delays in security reviews can extend the sales cycle by up to 20–30%. Worse, buyers may lose confidence if responses feel rushed, inconsistent, or incomplete.

Case Study Snapshots of High-Performing Teams

Let’s look at three anonymized but representative examples from the field:

• Company A (Mid-Market SaaS Provider): Struggled with 2–3 week delays on every enterprise deal due to manual coordination. By centralizing responses into a secure knowledge base, they cut turnaround time to 3 days, accelerating their average time-to-close by 25%.

• Company B (Fintech Scale-Up): Faced constant version control issues when multiple stakeholders worked from spreadsheets. After implementing a collaborative workflow, they reduced rework by 60% and restored buyer confidence with consistent, audit-ready responses.

• Company C (Enterprise Software Vendor): Security reviews were creating tension between Sales and InfoSec, stalling multimillion-dollar deals. By aligning on shared KPIs and adopting an automated response platform, they turned security reviews into a sales strength—closing deals 40% faster while boosting internal morale.

Metrics That Matter

Elite teams don’t just move faster—they track the right metrics to continuously improve:

• Time-to-close: Reduction in the average days lost to questionnaires.
• First-response accuracy: Percentage of questionnaires completed without major rework.
• Escalation reduction: Fewer last-minute “all hands on deck” fire drills.
• Buyer confidence: Measured through post-sales feedback on security responsiveness.

Tracking these metrics not only proves efficiency gains but also helps build the business case for continued investment in automation and streamlined workflows.

Processes and Tools That Set Leaders Apart

High-performing sales teams use a combination of process discipline and modern tools:

• Centralized response libraries – Instead of chasing SMEs every time, teams maintain a pre-approved knowledge base of common answers. Tools like Raven Reply help keep these libraries current and easily accessible.
• Automated workflows – Assigning the right SMEs, setting deadlines, and flagging approvals without endless email chains.
• CRM and security integration – Bringing questionnaire status into Salesforce or HubSpot ensures sales leadership has visibility without constant check-ins.
• Cross-functional playbooks – Sales and InfoSec agree on a standardized review process, escalation path, and communication cadence.

This combination minimizes disruption and ensures consistency across every deal.

Conclusion

Security reviews aren’t going away. But they don’t have to be the deal-killing bottleneck they’ve historically been. High-performing sales teams prove that with the right processes, metrics, and tools, security reviews can actually strengthen buyer trust and accelerate revenue.

For sales leaders, the takeaway is clear: don’t let security reviews control your deals. Treat them as an opportunity to differentiate, align with InfoSec, and showcase operational maturity. By doing so, you can turn one of the most frustrating parts of the sales cycle into a competitive advantage.

Next Steps: If you’re ready to transform your questionnaire process, start by auditing your current bottlenecks, tracking the key metrics above, and exploring tools like Raven Reply to centralize and automate responses. The sooner you start, the sooner security reviews can shift from deal-breaker to deal-driver.