Ep. 168 Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

Episode 168 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.

Clarify the differences in client acquisition playbooks for small, mid-size, and global colocation operators.
Audit your current event and conference spend against a precise Ideal Client Profile and buyer personas.
Refocus budget from low-yield conferences to high-intent, self-hosted in‑person and virtual events.
Design an educational event calendar mapped to your personas’ top goals and challenges.
Adapt your go‑to‑market to the modern, self-guided buyer’s journey where 80%+ of research happens before sales.
Reposition sales and account teams as teachers, consultants, and trusted advisors instead of commodity vendors.
Segment your sales organization by verticals and deal sizes to better mirror how buyers actually purchase.
Build ideal client profiles and target account lists for colocation, blockchain consulting, and cloud/infrastructure offers.
Qualify data center real estate and tenant-rep opportunities with smarter digital and human due diligence.
Orchestrate multi-stakeholder alignment early in the decision process using recurring educational events.
Differentiate wholesale data center and hyperscale go‑to‑market motions from traditional retail colocation.
Navigate recruiting and talent challenges for senior GTM roles in data center and digital infrastructure.
Future-proof your SEO strategy for data center and cloud marketplaces in a world dominated by Gen AI search.
Transform your marketplace or platform into a true destination for ongoing professional development and community.

Host:

Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI

In this episode of the Data Center Go‑to‑Market Podcast , you’ll see why the old playbooks for filling pipelines in data centers, digital infrastructure, and cloud are breaking; and what leading GTM teams are doing instead.

We walk through how colocation and wholesale operators, technology and consulting firms, and data center real estate advisors can rebuild their growth engines around today’s self-guided buyer’s journey.

You’ll hear how to shift budget from low-yield conferences into high-impact, self-hosted educational events, and how to reposition your sales team as true teachers and trusted advisors , not commodity vendors.

We also dig into vertical segmentation, target account lists, and persona research for markets like blockchain, networking, data management, and cloud infrastructure. Plus, what actually works to qualify seven- and eight-figure data center real estate opportunities.

Finally, we look ahead at how SEO and marketplace visibility are being reshaped by generative AI, and what you can do now to turn your platform into a must-visit destination for ongoing professional development and community in the data center ecosystem.

Outline

Improving Colocation Data Center Client Acquisition

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of building a client list that aligns with ideal clients for colocation operators.
Emphasizes the challenge of educating and building trust with prospects at large events unless speaking or earning an editorial speaking slot.
Highlights the advantage of hosting own events to focus on inviting ideal clients and aligning with target account lists.
Introduces the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast and its focus on sales and marketing challenges in the data center industry.

Agenda for the Week's Show

Joshua Feinberg outlines the agenda for the week's show, including topics on colocation client acquisition, blockchain sales, and data center real estate.
Mentions the importance of Subscribing to the Data Center Sales and Marketing Newsletter for updates on educational events and resources.
Encourages viewers to leave ideas for future topics in the comments.
Introduces the first topic: improving colocation data center client acquisition.

Strategies for Colocation Client Acquisition

Joshua Feinberg suggests understanding the context of the colocation operator, whether it's a large global operator or a small to mid-size operator.
Recommends focusing on events that align with the ideal client profile and prioritized buyer personas.
Advises conducting audits of large national and global conferences to assess their alignment with ideal client profiles.
Emphasizes the importance of hosting own events to educate and build trust with ideal clients.

The Self-Guided Buyer's Journey

Joshua Feinberg discusses the shift to a self-guided buyer's journey, where prospects are sales-allergic and research most of the buying process without direct sales involvement.
Highlights the need for colocation operators to educate and build trust early in the buyer's journey.
Suggests hosting in-person and virtual events to engage with ideal clients and build relationships.
Emphasizes the importance of positioning client-facing team members as teachers, consultants, and subject matter experts.

Qualifying Opportunities for Data Center Real Estate

Joshua Feinberg explains the process of qualifying opportunities for data center real estate tenant representatives and strategic advisors.
Discusses the importance of understanding the ideal client profile, including geographic location, company size, and industry fit.
Recommends using digital marketing and sales enablement to qualify leads at the point of form filler.
Emphasizes the need for due diligence on tenants and their companies to ensure a good fit before investing time in discussions.

Attracting Data Center Clients for Networking Solutions

Joshua Feinberg outlines strategies for attracting data center clients for networking solutions, data management, and infrastructure.
Recommends understanding the ideal client profile, including geographic location, company size, and industry fit.
Suggests focusing on industries where the company has had the most success in the past.
Emphasizes the importance of hosting educational events to engage with ideal clients and build relationships.

Improving Sales to the Blockchain Industry

Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for improving sales to the blockchain industry for data center technology and consulting firms.
Recommends understanding the ideal client profile, including geographic location, company size, and industry fit.
Suggests building a target account list and focusing on the most important stakeholders within those accounts.
Emphasizes the importance of hosting educational events to engage with ideal clients and build trust.

The Role of Educational Events in Client Acquisition

Joshua Feinberg highlights the importance of educational events in building trust and educating prospects.
Recommends hosting in-person and virtual events to engage with ideal clients and build relationships.
Suggests using educational events to address the biggest goals and challenges of ideal clients.
Emphasizes the need for consistent engagement to influence the criteria prospects use to evaluate options.

Segmenting Sales Teams by Industry Verticals

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of segmenting sales teams by industry verticals to provide more leverage.
Recommends focusing on specific industries where the company has had the most success in the past.
Suggests using digital marketing and sales enablement to qualify leads and engage with ideal clients.
Emphasizes the need for deep expertise in specific industries to stand out as an expert.

The Impact of Compliance and Certification on Client Acquisition

Joshua Feinberg discusses the impact of compliance and certification on client acquisition for data center real estate.
Recommends understanding the specific compliance requirements for different industries and regions.
Suggests focusing on industries where the company has the necessary certifications and accreditations.
Emphasizes the importance of due diligence to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Wholesale Data Centers vs. Colocation Operators

Joshua Feinberg explains the difference between wholesale data centers and colocation operators, highlighting the self-service and self-onboarding requirements in the managed service provider space.
Wholesale data centers offer flexibility to clients, allowing them to build and customize their facilities, unlike colocation operators who provide pre-built infrastructure.
The deal size for wholesale data centers is significantly larger, often in the millions or tens of millions, compared to colocation deals.
Wholesale data center developers often use a hybrid approach, hiring their own team members and working with datacenter real estate brokers.

Massive Deals and Market Dynamics

Joshua Feinberg mentions Oracle's recent $30 billion annual client deal, emphasizing the scale of deals in the cloud infrastructure market.
Wholesale data center transactions are typically in the millions or tens of millions, requiring a different skill set and approach compared to colocation deals.
The go-to-market strategy for wholesale data centers involves significant investments in marketing and sales, similar to hyperscale data center providers.
The HR recruiting process for wholesale data centers is more sophisticated, targeting a smaller pool of experienced professionals.

Targeting Ideal Clients and Account-Based Marketing

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of identifying and targeting ideal clients for wholesale data centers, often involving account-based marketing (ABM) strategies.
The number of potential clients is limited, often only a few dozen or a hundred, depending on the size of the space.
The sales process for large hyperscale clients like Meta, Microsoft, Google, and AWS requires a unique set of skills and experience.
Investments in events, demand generation, and sales compensation are significantly higher for wholesale data centers compared to colocation deals.

Recruiting Challenges and Marketplace Businesses

Joshua Feinberg notes the increasing difficulty in finding experienced marketers and sales professionals for data center roles.
Many data center operators are poaching talent from other companies due to the scarcity of qualified candidates.
Data center conferences are often used for career development and recruiting, with attendees looking for their next opportunity or talent.
The focus is on attracting and winning new clients through awareness and targeted outreach, often involving account-based marketing and outbound sales efforts.

SEO and Search Engine Optimization for Data Center Marketplaces

Joshua Feinberg explains the impact of generative AI on traditional search engine optimization (SEO), with AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI essentials providing direct answers without requiring users to click through to other websites.
The goal for data center marketplaces is to ensure their company is recommended by these AI tools, emphasizing the importance of trust signals and digital brand perception.
Traditional SEO strategies are becoming less effective, with a shift towards improving visibility in generative AI results.
Data center marketplaces need to focus on providing unique value and a fantastic user experience to attract and retain users, complementing their advertising and monetization strategies.

Improving SEO for Data Center Marketplaces

Joshua Feinberg advises data center marketplaces to understand their ideal clients, both on the B2B and B2C sides, and to provide unique content and value to these personas.
The focus should be on creating a destination site that users want to visit regularly for community, education, and professional development.
Video-based content, particularly on YouTube, is becoming increasingly important for attracting and engaging users.
LinkedIn should be a key platform for data center marketplaces, with a strong presence across various LinkedIn features like profiles, company pages, events, newsletters, and groups.

Competing with Hyperscalers and Other Marketplaces

Data center marketplaces need to compete with well-established marketplaces from hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
The goal is to provide a unique user experience and exceptional value to attract and retain users, differentiating from other marketplaces.
Understanding the goals and challenges of the target personas is crucial for creating content and events that resonate with them.
The focus should be on providing a fantastic user experience and significant value to protect against SEO obsolescence and cannibalization.

Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of going back to the basics of understanding ideal clients and providing unique value to attract and retain users.
The focus should be on creating a destination site that users want to visit regularly for community, education, and professional development.
Video-based content and a strong LinkedIn presence are essential for improving SEO and attracting users.
Data center marketplaces need to focus on providing a fantastic user experience and significant value to protect against SEO obsolescence and cannibalization.

Resources

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