Joshua Feinberg and Viggy Hegde discuss the evolving landscape of client-facing roles in the data center industry, particularly for those not interested in technical fields like engineering or software development.
Hegde highlights the unique aspects of marketing and sales in the data center sector, emphasizing the importance of understanding the buying process, which resembles home buying.
He notes hyperscale providers like Digital Realty and NTT use relationship-based tactics and focus on high-density deployments and growth plans.
Hegde also mentions the growing importance of technical skills, citing Northern Virginia Community College's data center technician course as an example of educational institutions adapting to industry needs.
Joshua Feinberg agrees, noting the increasing technical demands on sales roles and the value of foundational technical knowledge for career advancement.
This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #44 Viggy Hegde, Vice President of Marketing at Compu Dynamics | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.
Action Items
- Explore the possibility of setting up satellite data center technician training programs in other major data center markets.
- Consider pursuing a fractional CTO role for small and medium-sized businesses. This would allow you to leverage the technical skills you have gained from working in the data center industry.
Outline
Career Advice for Entry-Level Client-Facing Roles in Data Centers
- Joshua Feinberg introduces the topic, focusing on young people exploring career paths in the data center industry, particularly in client-facing roles like marketing, sales, customer success, and product management.
- Viggy Hegde shares his experience, emphasizing that marketing in the data center industry differs from traditional marketing due to the unique buying process, which resembles a home buying experience.
- Viggy Hegde explains that data centers are like commercial real estate for computing infrastructure, where technology is tangible and accessible, unlike in SaaS applications.
- He highlights that hyperscale providers like Digital Realty and NTT use relationship-based tactics. They focus on making capacity available when end users are ready to buy and emphasize the importance of high-density deployments, liquid cooling, and growth plans.
Unique Aspects of Data Center Marketing and Sales
- Viggy Hegde discusses the complexities of selling data center services, noting that it involves more than just selling a piece of property or renting a portion of it.
- He mentions the importance of understanding end-user requirements and communicating effectively with them.
- Viggy Hegde points out that educational institutions are embracing new opportunities in the data center industry, with Northern Virginia Community College offering a dedicated data center technician course.
- He notes that this course is helping to fill the shortage of skilled technical labor in the industry.
The Role of Educational Institutions in Data Center Training
- Viggy Hegde provides an example of Northern Virginia Community College's data center technician course, which has over a hundred students and is helping the industry by training skilled technicians.
- Joshua Feinberg agrees, noting that the novelty of such programs makes them valuable and suggests that public universities might set up satellites in major data center markets.
- He highlights the demand for these skills and the importance of awareness about these career opportunities.
The Increasing Importance of Technical Skills in Sales and Marketing
- Joshua Feinberg discusses how sales professionals, especially account executives, need to be more technical than they used to be to have valuable conversations with prospects and clients.
- He shares an example of an interview with someone who set up a home lab and could work as a fractional CTO for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Joshua Feinberg emphasizes that understanding the role of a data center technician is crucial for anyone looking to enter account executive, marketing, or account management training.
- Viggy Hegde agrees, noting the importance of foundational skills for career success in the data center industry.
Resources
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