Episode 155 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.
- Discover how to analyze your data center company's strengths to pinpoint ideal client profiles
- Identify high-value stakeholders and decision-making committees in operations and infrastructure management
- Develop targeted lead-generation strategies for both local and distributed markets
- Engage decision makers by positioning your team as educators, consultants, and trusted advisors
- Create events and educational experiences that attract, nurture, and convert leads
- Segment and attract the right channel partners with tailored value propositions and resources
- Clarify definitions of leads within your teams to align marketing and sales strategy
- Position your company as an industry thought leader to build trust and credibility
- Implement digital tools and platforms for more effective outreach and account targeting
- Build deeper relationships with clients, partners, and tenants through educational marketing
- Evaluate hiring strategies and resources for data center investment and operational growth
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
Joshua Feinberg from DCSMI discusses strategies for sales and marketing in the data center industry. He emphasizes the importance of shifting mindsets from traditional job titles to roles like teachers, consultants, and thought leaders.
Key topics include lead generation for colocation providers, identifying data center operations decision-makers, attracting channel partners, improving lead generation for cabling solutions companies, and attracting tenants for data center investment firms. Feinberg highlights the need for clear ideal client profiles, targeted marketing, and educational events to build trust and drive growth. Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for colocation operators and data center investors to attract tenants.
He emphasizes the importance of providing comprehensive IT services to secure a larger share of budgets. Feinberg highlights the need for a tailored go-to-market strategy, considering factors like location, competitive advantages, and ideal client profiles. He advises understanding stakeholders' needs and frustrations to build deep relationships. Feinberg also warns against over-indexing on hiring from big brands without experience in small, resourceful environments.
Finally, he suggests that data center investors often delegate sales and marketing strategies to operators or channel partners.
Action Items
- Analyze the company's website, CRM data, and client feedback to determine the ideal client profile for the colocation business.
- Identify the key stakeholders involved in data center operations and infrastructure management decisions, and create content and events to educate and build trust with them.
- Develop a targeted lead generation strategy, including both local and long-distance approaches, for the edge data center business.
- Treat the channel partners as a distinct buyer persona, and create dedicated educational resources and events to attract and enable the right channel partners.
- Ensure the high-performance data center cabling solutions company is positioned as an educator and trusted advisor, rather than just a vendor, to improve lead generation.
- Get specific about the ideal tenant profile and consider hiring people with experience in both large and small data center operations.
Outline
Introduction and Overview of the Podcast
- Joshua Feinberg introduces himself and the podcast, focusing on sales and marketing challenges in the data center ecosystem.
- The podcast aims to tackle various sales and marketing challenges faced by different roles within the data center industry.
- Joshua encourages listeners to Subscribe to the Data Center Sales and Marketing Newsletter for updates and resources.
- The agenda for the week includes discussions on colocation lead generation, identifying data center operations decision-makers, gaining edge data center clients, and more.
Colocation Lead Generation Strategies
- Joshua discusses the importance of understanding where colocation businesses have been most successful to identify ideal clients.
- He emphasizes the need to review the website, CRM systems, and accounting data to identify profitable clients.
- The conversation covers the importance of geographic targeting, whether for local or global clients, and the need for different lead generation strategies.
- Joshua highlights the significance of company size and industry fit in defining ideal client profiles.
Identifying Data Center Operations and Infrastructure Management Decision Makers
- Joshua explains the shift from single decision-makers to decision-making committees in data center operations.
- He stresses the importance of staying engaged with clients throughout the full buyer's journey.
- The conversation covers the need for client-facing team members to act as educators, consultants, and trusted advisors.
- Joshua suggests using events marketing, both offline and online, to build relationships and trust with key stakeholders.
Gaining Edge Data Center Clients in Distributed Markets
- Joshua discusses the challenges of attracting edge data center clients in distributed markets.
- He emphasizes the need for a clear ideal client profile and target account list.
- The conversation covers the importance of educational events and targeted marketing to build trust and drive alignment.
- Joshua suggests using LinkedIn campaign manager and other digital tools to reach potential clients effectively.
Attracting the Right Channel Partners
- Joshua explains the importance of aligning expectations with reality when attracting channel partners.
- He highlights the need to treat channel partners as a separate segment with unique needs and goals.
- The conversation covers the importance of providing value through educational content and events.
- Joshua suggests using one-to-many resources like webinars and email newsletters to engage channel partners efficiently.
Improving Lead Generation for High-Performance Datacenter Cabling Solutions Companies
- Joshua discusses the different definitions of leads and the importance of clarity within the team.
- He emphasizes the need for a strong understanding of ideal client profiles and target accounts.
- The conversation covers the importance of educational events and targeted marketing to build trust and drive leads.
- Joshua suggests using LinkedIn and other digital tools to reach potential clients effectively.
Attracting Tenants for Data Center Investment and Financial Advisory Firms
- Joshua explains the challenges of attracting tenants for data center investment and financial advisory firms.
- He highlights the importance of understanding where the company has been most successful historically.
- The conversation covers the need for a clear ideal client profile and target account list.
- Joshua suggests using educational events and targeted marketing to build trust and drive tenant acquisition.
Strategies for Colocation Operators and Data Center Investors
- Joshua Feinberg discusses how smaller colocation operators can succeed by providing comprehensive IT services, attracting clients with relationship-oriented approaches.
- The importance of understanding the board's objectives, capital, and competitive advantages in positioning a data center facility is emphasized.
- Feinberg explains the need for a tailored go-to-market strategy, considering factors like location, cost-effective power, and the competitive landscape.
- The significance of identifying ideal client profiles, including industry fit, compliance, and employee headcount, is highlighted.
Building Deep Relationships with Stakeholders
- Feinberg stresses the importance of understanding the needs and goals of IT stakeholders, whether in small to mid-size businesses or large enterprises.
- The need for granular segmentation of stakeholders based on company size and IT department structure is discussed.
- Feinberg explains the importance of knowing who is responsible for infrastructure and decision-making in different company sizes.
- The conversation touches on the need to understand the biggest professional goals and frustrations of potential clients to provide value and make informed purchase decisions.
Revenue and Client Satisfaction in Data Centers
- Feinberg emphasizes the goal of achieving stable, profitable revenue through matching client needs with available resources like power, cooling, and telecommunications.
- The importance of client satisfaction in driving expansion and maintaining a fully leased, profitable data center facility is discussed.
- Feinberg notes that data center investors and financial advisors typically do not get deeply involved in go-to-market strategies but may delegate to operators or channel partners.
- The pros and cons of different approaches to hiring and resource allocation for data center operators are considered.
Challenges in Hiring for Data Center Investors
- Feinberg discusses the tendency of data center investors to prioritize hiring from well-known brands, which can be a double-edged sword.
- The need for candidates with experience in both large brands and small startups is highlighted.
- The conversation covers the resourcefulness and entrepreneurial mindset required in small companies compared to large ones.
- Feinberg advises caution when hiring based on brand names alone, ensuring candidates have experience in scrappy, resourceful environments.
Final Recommendations and Closing Remarks
- Feinberg summarizes his recommendations for data center investment and financial advisory firms looking to attract tenants.
- The importance of understanding the nitty-gritty of go-to-market and sales strategies is reiterated.
- Feinberg mentions that these strategies are often handled by operators or delegated to channel partners or agencies.
- The episode concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the data center sales and marketing community, Subscribe to the Data Center Sales and Marketing Newsletter, and connect on LinkedIn.
Resources
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