Episode 117 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.
- Discover strategies for engaging decision-making committees in the data center industry
- Create educational content that motivates prospects to share with their team
- Develop targeted approaches to sharing video content across professional platforms
- Transform sales teams into domain experts and trusted advisors
- Improve pipeline generation through educational resources
- Intercept prospects early in their buyer's journey
- Make your sales process more attractive to self-driven buyers
- Uncover approaches to building trust with potential clients through professional development content
- Create webinar and event strategies that capture multiple stakeholders' interest
- Implement account-based marketing tactics for reaching ideal client profiles
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for effective webinar programs, emphasizing the importance of multiple steps to guide prospects through the buyer's journey. He highlights the shift from individual decision-makers to decision-making committees, stressing the need for educational content to engage these committees. Feinberg advises using LinkedIn Sales Navigator and sponsored content to target specific audiences. He also underscores the significance of early engagement with potential customers, leveraging educational resources to build trust and influence decision-making. Finally, he suggests refining pipeline generation by aligning marketing and sales efforts, focusing on professional development, and ensuring a seamless handoff from marketing to sales.
Action Items
- Leverage educational content, webinars, and events to reach and engage with the full decision-making committee.
- Utilize targeted advertising on platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube to ensure video content reaches the right audience.
- Specialize sales teams by stage of the buyer's journey, company size, and industry verticals to become domain experts and trusted advisors.
- Ensure clear definitions and alignment between marketing and sales teams on lead qualification and pipeline management.
- Encourage client-facing team members to spend more time in a learning and development context with ideal prospects and clients.
Outline
Webinar Programs and Sales Process
- Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of webinar programs in the sales process, emphasizing that they should cover the full buyer's journey.
- Group demos are highlighted as impactful, as they cater to people who want to learn more but are not ready for a one-on-one sales process.
- Feinberg mentions the challenge of getting in front of decision makers and the importance of group demos in overcoming this challenge.
- The concept of a decision-making committee is introduced, explaining that decision makers are often replaced by committees due to risk aversion.
Engaging Decision Makers
- Feinberg advises using educational content to engage decision makers and their teams, making the content so valuable that it motivates sharing.
- He explains the importance of the "Who else should attend?" email in webinars, encouraging participants to invite colleagues and decision makers.
- The strategy of intercepting people early in the process to reduce risk is discussed, with an emphasis on delivering value to multiple stakeholders.
- Feinberg highlights the benefits of having multiple people from the same company attend events, as it increases the chances of influencing the decision-making process.
Sharing Video Content Effectively
- Feinberg addresses the challenge of sharing video content organically, noting that reach is limited by existing connections and subscribers.
- He suggests using LinkedIn's sponsored content to target specific audiences based on job roles, skills, and company affiliations.
- The importance of leveraging email lists and targeted outreach to ensure content reaches the right audience is emphasized.
- Feinberg mentions the use of LinkedIn Sales Navigator and other tools to enhance the reach of video content.
Finding Data Center Customers
- Feinberg explains the importance of having a well-established company with a clear ideal client profile.
- He discusses the need for a specialized sales team, specialized by stage in the buyer's journey and by target company size and verticals.
- The role of client-facing team members as domain experts and trusted advisors is highlighted.
- Feinberg emphasizes the importance of educational resources and professional development in building trust and value with prospects and clients.
Improving Pipeline Generation
- Feinberg discusses the disconnect between marketing and sales regarding lead definitions and the importance of using a common CRM system.
- He emphasizes the need for client-facing team members to spend time with prospects in a learning and development context.
- The goal is to align prospects' understanding of the category with the company's viewpoint, making it easier to spread the message across the decision-making committee.
- Feinberg highlights the benefits of having well-educated prospects who are more likely to onboard smoothly, cross-sell, and become promoters.
Resources
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