How a Data Center and Critical Infrastructure Maintenance Company Can Grow Its Client Pool

Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for a data center and critical infrastructure maintenance company to grow its client base.

He emphasizes analyzing past successes to identify commonalities and define a target client profile.

Geographic and company size targeting is crucial, with organic search and social media for global markets and targeted ads for narrower markets.

He highlights the importance of understanding buyer personas and engaging early in the buyer's journey through educational content and events.

Feinberg stresses the need for a consultative sales approach, positioning the company as a trusted expert, and leveraging content to build relationships and map decision committees.

This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #57 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.

Action Items

Review past successful engagements to identify common characteristics of the ideal client profile.
Define the geographic reach, company size, and key stakeholders that the company is best suited to serve.
Build a target account list of companies that fit the ideal client profile.
Research the goals and challenges of the key buyer personas through interviews or content analysis.
Develop a content and events calendar to position the sales team as trusted advisors and subject matter experts.
Implement a strategy to get the company's experts in front of potential clients early and often during the buyer's journey.

Outline

Defining Success and Identifying Commonalities

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of identifying where the company has been most successful in providing data center and critical infrastructure maintenance.
He emphasizes reviewing past successes, including testimonials, case studies, and website pages, to find commonalities.
The goal is to clone or copy successful strategies to grow the client base.
Understanding commonalities will help define the client profile and target account list.

Geographic Targeting and Market Segmentation

Joshua Feinberg explains the importance of determining the geographic scope of the company's services.
He discusses the differences between selling globally and in narrower geographic markets.
Organic search and social media may be effective for global sales, while outbound and account-based marketing may be more beneficial for narrow markets.
He highlights the need to consider the company size that best suits the business's needs, suggesting a Goldilocks scenario for the ideal client size.

Building a Target Account List

Joshua Feinberg outlines the process of defining the ideal company size for the business, considering factors like budget and willingness to afford services.
He suggests building a target account list of companies that fit the ideal profile.
The importance of understanding the buyer personas and their goals and struggles is emphasized.
He advises building a content and events calendar to educate and build trust with potential clients.

Early Engagement and Content Strategy

Joshua Feinberg stresses the importance of early engagement in the buyer's journey to avoid being a non-factor.
He discusses the need for the company to be considered subject matter experts and trusted advisors.
The goal is to have as many touchpoints as possible between the company and the prospect before the purchase decision.
He suggests repositioning salespeople to focus on being consultative and educational rather than transactional.

Implementing a Consultative Sales Approach

Joshua Feinberg explains the need for salespeople to shift from a transaction-focused approach to a consultative one.
He describes the ideal relationship as one where prospects and clients want to spend time with the sales team.
The sales team should be seen as elite consultants, similar to Big Four consultants.
He emphasizes the importance of content being so helpful that prospects share it with others within their organization.

Mapping the Decision Committee

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of understanding the decision committee and mapping it out.
He explains how sharing content and resources can help win over the committee.
He highlights the value of registering multiple people from the same company for events and webinars as an indicator of interest.
Understanding the biggest challenges of potential clients helps in tailoring content and events.

Adapting to Changing Buyer Behavior

Joshua Feinberg notes the shift in buyer behavior over the past decade. More of the buyer's journey occurs before sales contact.
He emphasizes the need for companies to adapt to this change by getting in early and often.
The importance of being seen as go-to experts in the space is reiterated.
He advises companies to ensure they are educating and building trust with potential clients throughout the buyer's journey.

The Role of Content and Events

Joshua Feinberg discusses the role of content and events in educating and building trust with potential clients.
He emphasizes the need for the company to be active and visible in the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer's journey.
The goal is to be seen as trusted advisors and subject matter experts.
He highlights the importance of content being so helpful that prospects share it with others within their organization.

Repositioning Sales and Marketing

Joshua Feinberg explains the need to reposition sales and marketing to focus on education and building trust.
He advises against waiting for prospects to be in the market, as most of the journey is already completed by then.
The goal is to have as many touchpoints as possible between the company and the prospect.
He emphasizes the importance of content being so helpful that prospects share it with others within their organization.

The Future of Data Center Maintenance

Joshua Feinberg discusses the future of data center maintenance and the need for companies to adapt to changing buyer behavior.
He emphasizes the importance of being seen as go-to experts in the space.
The need for early and frequent engagement with potential clients is reiterated.
He advises companies to ensure they are educating and building trust with potential clients throughout the buyer's journey.

Resources

Watch the full podcast Ep. #57 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

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