Ep. 141 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

Episode 141 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.

Distinguish between "leads" and "opportunities" for more strategic sales alignment.
Analyze the modern self-driven buyer’s journey to engage prospects earlier.
Develop detailed ideal client profiles and key buyer personas.
Craft educational resources and video content to build trust with prospects.
Integrate CRM and marketing technologies for seamless prospect nurturing.
Host impactful educational events to position your team as industry experts.
Tailor lead generation strategies for energy efficiency, cooling, and colocation services.
Identify and segment key conference and event investments for maximum ROI.
Design a hyperscale datacenter sales pipeline focused on high-value accounts.
Specialize team expertise and invest in certifications to meet client needs.
Create customized consulting solutions for clients seeking colocation providers.
Build a scalable content and events strategy to drive thought leadership and client engagement.

Host:

Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of understanding the self-driven buyer's journey in the datacenter industry, emphasizing that 83% of the decision-making process is complete before sales contact. He highlights strategies for generating leads, such as creating educational video content and hosting targeted events.

Feinberg also covers how to find new opportunities in colocation services, the importance of aligning conference investments with ideal client profiles, and the need for datacenter design consulting firms to specialize in specific industries.

Additionally, he outlines steps for data storage optimization firms to become experts in scalability, security, and compliance, and for helping clients find the best colocation providers by understanding their unique needs.

Action Items

Develop an ideal client profile to understand the geographic location, company size, and industries of the best prospects.
Create educational content and events that address the top goals and challenges of the primary and secondary buyer personas.
Identify the 10-20 most relevant conferences to attend and sponsor, ensuring a tight match between the conference demographics and the ideal client profile.
Host the company's own educational events, webinars, and podcast to position the client-facing team members as trusted advisors and subject matter experts.
Invest in training and certifications for the sales and solutions engineering team to mirror the expertise of the target buyer personas.
Specialize the advisory team to focus on specific industries and verticals to provide more efficient and effective consulting services.

Outline

Understanding the Self-Driven Buyer's Journey

Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of not using "lead" and "opportunity" interchangeably, highlighting the self-driven buyer's journey in the datacenter infrastructure and colocation space.
He explains that 83% of the research and decision-making process is over before sales contact, making it crucial to get in early and often.
The key to success is understanding ideal clients, their goals, challenges, and creating educational resources to build empathy and trust.
Joshua introduces himself and the purpose of the podcast, focusing on sales, marketing, and go-to-market challenges in the datacenter ecosystem.

Agenda for the Week's Episode

Joshua outlines the agenda for the week's episode, starting with how a datacenter energy efficiency and cooling provider can generate more leads with video content.
He then discusses how a colocation service and data center infrastructure business can find new opportunities.
The episode will also cover how a datacenter liquid cooling provider can get customers to consider their cooling solutions.
Additional topics include developing a hyperscale datacenter sales pipeline and how a data storage optimization firm can become experts on datacenter scalability, security, and compliance.

Generating Leads with Video Content

Joshua explains the importance of video content in the self-driven buyer's journey, noting that 83% of the journey is over before sales contact.
He emphasizes the need for educational content to build know, like, and trust before meeting prospects.
The goal is to show up as a consultant, teacher, or subject matter expert, not just a salesperson.
Joshua highlights the importance of understanding ideal client profiles, buyer personas, and creating content that addresses their goals and challenges.

Finding New Opportunities in Colocation Services

Joshua discusses the importance of aligning tools and terminology, particularly the distinction between leads and opportunities.
He explains the need for a strong CRM system and integrated marketing technology to avoid internal friction and provide a seamless buyer's journey.
The focus should be on getting in early and often, creating educational resources and events to shape the criteria prospects use to evaluate options.
Joshua emphasizes the importance of professional development and learning events to build trust and educate prospects.

Liquid Cooling Provider's Sales Strategy

Joshua explains the importance of understanding the ideal client profile for liquid cooling solutions, including geographic proximity and company size.
He highlights the need for local presence and the ability to support large-scale installations.
The strategy involves creating educational content and events tailored to the specific needs of ideal clients.
Joshua emphasizes the importance of being self-aware about the company's capabilities and targeting the right segments of the market.

Developing a Hyperscale Datacenter Sales Pipeline

Joshua discusses the differences between developing a sales pipeline for colocation providers and hyperscale datacenter operators.
He emphasizes the importance of aligning conference investments with the ideal client profile and using zero-based budgeting.
The focus should be on hosting own events to build trust and educate prospects, rather than relying solely on paid events.
Joshua highlights the need for a media and events company approach, creating customized content and events for high-value enterprise sales teams.

Becoming Experts in Datacenter Scalability, Security, and Compliance

Joshua explains the importance of defining the ideal client profile and understanding the specific needs of ideal clients.
He emphasizes the need for technical expertise and certifications that align with the needs of ideal clients.
The strategy involves creating educational resources and events that address the goals and challenges of ideal clients.
Joshua highlights the importance of professional development and upskilling to build credibility and expertise.

Helping Clients Find the Best Colocation Provider

Joshua discusses the importance of understanding the ideal client profile and the specific needs of clients.
He explains the differences between single-location colocation providers and national or global clients.
The strategy involves creating customized recommendations based on the client's specific needs and preferences.
Joshua emphasizes the importance of building deep expertise in specific industries and verticals to provide better results and referrals.

Resources

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