Episode 137 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.
- Identify the key stakeholders in a data center decision-making committee
- Develop strategies to compete against major cloud providers like AWS
- Build trust with prospects through educational content and events
- Target the right decision makers in telecommunications and infrastructure
- Research market pricing for data center equipment and decommissioning
- Create effective channel partner programs
- Understand the self-guided buyer's journey in the data center ecosystem
- Craft conference-grade educational content
- Design ideal client profiles for technology and infrastructure companies
- Leverage webinars and events to align multiple stakeholders
- Navigate complex sales cycles in data center and digital infrastructure markets
- Position your company as a thought leader in critical facilities industries
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
Joshua Feinberg discusses the evolving landscape of data center sales and marketing, emphasizing the shift from single decision-makers to decision-making committees. He highlights the importance of understanding ideal client profiles, including geography, company size, and industry, to effectively compete against hyperscalers like AWS.
Feinberg advises on building trust through educational resources and events, and stresses the significance of channel partner programs for long-term success. He also addresses the challenges of decommissioning and equipment recycling, emphasizing the need for market price research and trusted relationships.
Finally, he outlines strategies for targeting the right people in data center telecommunications, focusing on segmentation and educational events. Joshua Feinberg discusses how a precast concrete manufacturer can keep up with the fast-growing data center segment. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the client profile, including geographic location and company size.
Feinberg suggests that site selection, architects, general contractors, and real estate investors are key stakeholders. He advises focusing on building trusted relationships through educational content, such as webinars and seminars, rather than just attending conferences. Feinberg highlights the need for client-centric content that provides significant value, ensuring early engagement and maintaining a competitive edge.
Action Items
- Understand your ideal client profile - geography, company size, industry.
- Build relationships and educate prospects/clients throughout the buyer's journey to establish trust.
- Determine your key buyer personas and what they care about.
- Create high-quality educational content and events to position your company as an expert.
- Leverage your existing client relationships to understand the market and pricing.
Outline
Understanding the Decision-Making Committee in Data Centers
- Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of building consensus among a team before approaching a financial decision-maker.
- He explains that there is no magic tool to consistently identify the decision-making committee.
- Joshua introduces himself and the purpose of the podcast, which focuses on sales and marketing challenges in the data center ecosystem.
- He outlines the agenda for the episode, including topics like competing against AWS, connecting with decision-makers, decommissioning, and more.
Competing Against AWS as a Colocation Provider
- Joshua discusses the challenges of competing against AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud as a colocation provider.
- He emphasizes the importance of understanding the ideal client profile, including geography, company size, and industry.
- Joshua highlights the need to exclude certain industries due to compliance and regulatory issues.
- He advises on building a target account list and identifying key stakeholders within those accounts.
Building Trust and Educating Prospects
- Joshua explains the shift in the buyer's journey, where 83% of the research is done before vendor contact.
- He stresses the importance of showing up as teachers, consultants, and trusted advisors rather than just vendors.
- Joshua advises on educating and building trust throughout the full buyer's journey to stay on the shortlist.
- He emphasizes the need for long-term retention and positive word of mouth to expand accounts.
Connecting with the Right Decision Makers
- Joshua discusses the mindset shift needed to understand the decision-making committee.
- He explains the limitations of tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator in identifying decision-makers.
- Joshua highlights the importance of being client-centric and understanding the stakeholders' goals and challenges.
- He advises on using educational events and resources to build trust and align multiple stakeholders.
Improving Market Price Research in Decommissioning and Equipment Recycling
- Joshua explains the importance of understanding marketplaces and having good relationships with clients.
- He discusses the need for expertise in various categories within the data center ecosystem.
- Joshua advises on using tools like eBay and Amazon for market price research.
- He emphasizes the importance of being data-driven and having trusted relationships with prospects and clients.
Competing Against Big IT Distributors
- Joshua explains the pushback against big IT distributors like TD, Synnex, and Ingram.
- He discusses the emergence of marketplaces and ecosystems owned by hyperscalers.
- Joshua advises on building trusted long-term relationships with VARs, MSPs, and integrators.
- He emphasizes the importance of providing significant value to channel partners to maintain their loyalty.
Targeting the Right People in Data Center Telecommunications
- Joshua explains the importance of understanding the ideal client profile for telecommunications providers.
- He advises on segmenting the market based on company size, geography, and industry.
- Joshua highlights the need for different marketing and sales playbooks for different segments.
- He emphasizes the importance of providing world-class educational resources and events to build trust and align stakeholders.
The Role of Educational Events in Building Trust
- Joshua discusses the impact of educational events on driving alignment and building trust.
- He advises on using educational events to educate multiple stakeholders within the same company.
- Joshua emphasizes the importance of providing value and being seen as experts in the field.
- He explains how educational events can help shape the buyer's journey and influence purchase decisions.
The Importance of Channel Partner Programs
- Joshua explains the role of channel partner programs in building long-term relationships.
- He advises on being realistic about the timeline for building trusted relationships with channel partners.
- Joshua highlights the importance of providing significant value to channel partners.
- He emphasizes the need for a long-term commitment to educating and building trust with channel partners.
The Impact of Marketplaces and Ecosystems
- Joshua discusses the impact of marketplaces and ecosystems on the data center industry.
- He explains how marketplaces are changing the way technology is purchased.
- Joshua advises on rethinking channel partner programs to adapt to the new landscape.
- He emphasizes the importance of being client-centric and understanding the needs of channel partners.
Precast Concrete Manufacturer's Role in Data Center Growth
- Joshua Feinberg introduces the final question for the week's data center Go-to-Market sales and marketing Q&A show.
- The question focuses on how a precast concrete manufacturer can keep up with fast data center segment growth.
- Joshua emphasizes the importance of understanding who the customers are and getting close to them.
- Site selection is identified as a leading indicator of future purchases of precast concrete.
Identifying Ideal Client Profiles
- Joshua discusses the importance of defining ideal client profiles geographically.
- He explains that the cost-effectiveness of shipping precast concrete walls and floors depends on the location of the factory.
- The size of the general contractor or facility is also a factor in defining the ideal client profile.
- Joshua mentions that end-user data center clients who act as their own general contractors also present demand.
Building Trust and Relationships
- Joshua highlights the need for trusted relationships within the data center ecosystem.
- He criticizes the high costs of national and global conferences and suggests focusing on events that match the ideal client profile.
- Joshua advises showing expertise at conferences through educational sessions rather than just sponsoring events.
- Building trust involves providing valuable content and being seen as experts, not just vendors.
Self-Guided Buyer's Journey
- Joshua notes that today's buyers are more self-guided in their research and decision-making process.
- He emphasizes the importance of intercepting buyers early in their journey by providing educational content.
- Joshua suggests creating custom educational experiences like lunch and learn sessions to build deeper relationships.
- He explains that this approach helps in staying on the shortlist and winning over clients emotionally.
Leveraging Educational Content
- Joshua discusses the importance of self-guided educational experiences in the data center construction segment.
- He mentions that larger companies have been investing in thought leadership and content marketing for over a decade.
- Joshua advises creating one's own media and events to reach ideal clients at a fraction of the cost.
- He suggests using existing office spaces for educational sessions to save on costs.
Conference-Grade Content
- Joshua explains the concept of conference-grade content and its importance in building trust and expertise.
- He describes the process of getting selected to speak at conferences and the need to provide valuable content.
- Joshua highlights the importance of engaging and educating attendees during sessions.
- He emphasizes that conference-grade content should be highly rated and well-received by the audience.
Client-Centric Mindset
- Joshua advises adopting a client-centric mindset to provide value to potential clients.
- He explains that this approach helps in building relationships and being seen as experts.
- Joshua suggests focusing on the job functions, companies, and geographic areas relevant to the data center industry.
- He emphasizes the importance of being early and often in providing educational content.
Conclusion and Call to Action
Resources
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