Episode #105 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.
- Market and sell modular data center solutions effectively.
- Generate leads for colocation, hybrid cloud, and managed IT services.
- Change customer mindsets to accept colocation over traditional or public cloud solutions.
- Create market awareness and improve branding for data center and cloud services providers.
- Explore approaches to entering new markets for sustainable data centers using advanced cooling and renewable energy.
- Address marketing and sales challenges faced by global IT sourcing advisory firms working with intermediaries.
- Build trust and educate prospects during the buyer's journey.
- Host impactful educational events and webinars to engage potential clients
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
Joshua Feinberg discusses the challenges of marketing and selling modular data center solutions, emphasizing the importance of being present during the first 83% of the buyer's journey. He highlights the need for a hyper-local and global playbook, focusing on educational events and content to build trust. For colocation operators, he suggests understanding client needs and using social proof. He stresses the need to reposition as experts and invest in professional development for data center and cloud services providers. For global IT sourcing advisory firms, he advises treating intermediaries as long-term partners to ensure consistent branding and effectiveness.
Action Items
- Market and sell modular data center solutions by defining the ideal client profile, understanding the buyer personas, and positioning the company as an expert and trusted advisor.
- Generate leads for a colocation, hybrid cloud, and managed IT services company by adopting a hyper-local or global playbook, depending on the target market, and hosting educational events to build trust and expertise.
- Change customers' mindset to accept colocation by understanding the buyer personas, addressing their goals and challenges, and providing social proof through client success stories.
- Create market awareness and improve branding for a data center and cloud services provider by positioning the company as an expert and trusted advisor, and ensuring the client-facing team is well-trained and enabled to add value throughout the buyer's journey.
- Discover new markets for sustainable data centers with advanced cooling and renewable energy by defining the ideal client profile, understanding the buyer personas, and creating educational content and events to establish the company as an expert.
- Address marketing and sales challenges with intermediaries for a global IT sourcing advisory firm by treating the fractional sales and marketing experts as channel partners, investing in their training and support, and adopting a long-term mindset rather than a transactional approach.
Outline
Marketing and Selling Modular Data Center Solutions
- Joshua Feinberg discusses the challenge of only being able to influence 17% of the buyer's journey for data center services and cloud services.
- The importance of being present during the first 83% of the buyer's journey to avoid competitors influencing potential clients.
- Joshua emphasizes the need for sales and marketing professionals to elevate their role in the data center industry.
- The week's Q&A live show agenda includes marketing and selling modular data center solutions, generating leads for colocation, hybrid cloud, and managed IT services companies, and creating market awareness for data center and cloud services providers.
Challenges in Marketing Modular Data Centers
- Joshua shares his limited experience with modular data centers, mentioning Dell's early adoption and the challenges of supply chain and geographical focus.
- The importance of understanding where modular data centers thrive best, whether globally or regionally.
- Ideal client profiles need to be identified, including geographic location, company size, and industry verticals.
- Case studies and CRM data are significant in documenting ideal client profiles and buyer personas.
Generating Leads for Colocation, Hybrid Cloud, and Managed IT Services
- Joshua explains the importance of understanding whether colocation, hybrid cloud, and managed IT services are sold to the same or distinctly different client base.
- A single ideal client profile and buyer personas are needed for a unified marketing and sales playbook.
- The concept of a hyper-local playbook for colocation, hybrid cloud, and managed IT services, emphasizing the importance of proximity and in-person events.
- The global playbook for colocation, hybrid cloud, and managed IT services, focusing on virtual events and webinars.
Changing Customer Mindset to Accept Colocation
- Joshua discusses the challenge of changing customer mindsets to accept colocation, often competing against public cloud services.
- It is important to understand the ideal client profile, including geographic location, company size, and industry verticals.
- The need for customer insight research to document buyer personas and prioritize stakeholders.
- The role of educational resources and events in building trust and changing customer mindsets.
Creating Market Awareness and Improving Branding for Data Center and Cloud Services Providers
- Joshua highlights the shift in buyer preferences, with 83% of the buyer's journey now happening before sales contact.
- The importance of being seen as experts and consultants rather than just vendors.
- The need for executive-level decisions to transform the company's positioning and branding.
- The significance of content and educational events in creating market awareness and improving branding.
Discovering New Markets for Sustainable Data Centers
- Joshua emphasizes the importance of entering new markets in a globally connected world.
- A multi-touchpoint approach is needed to reach prospects and clients at various stages of the buyer's journey.
- The significance of being where prospects are, whether online or offline, to stay top of mind.
- It is important to understand buyer personas and their goals and challenges in sustainable data centers.
Addressing Marketing and Sales Challenges with Intermediaries
- Joshua discusses the challenges of using intermediaries, especially for global IT sourcing advisory firms.
- The importance of treating intermediaries as long-term partners rather than transactional relationships.
- Professional development and upskilling are needed to ensure intermediaries add value.
- The significance of aligning intermediaries with the company's ideal client profile and buyer personas.
Resources
- Connect with Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI, on LinkedIn
- Follow DCSMI on LinkedIn
- Follow the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast on LinkedIn
- Learn About DCSMI
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