How a Data Center Infrastructure Service Provider Can Increase Sales

Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for a data center infrastructure service provider to increase sales.

He emphasizes that not all sales are equal and highlights the importance of identifying valuable clients based on profitability, sales cycle, and alignment with company goals.

He advises focusing on mid-market and enterprise clients for higher margins and suggests building an ideal client profile, target account list, and buyer personas.

Feinberg also differentiates between net new sales and expanding existing accounts, recommending tailored strategies for each, including educational content and events.

He stresses the need for a clear go-to-market strategy and channel partner approach to ensure effective revenue growth.

This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #73 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.

Action Items

Clearly define the ideal client profile, including company size, location, industry, and buyer personas.
Determine whether the focus should be on net new sales or expanding existing accounts and whether the go-to-market approach should be direct sales, channel partners, or a mix of both.
Create educational content and events to guide the buyer personas through the buyer's journey and position the company as the preferred choice.
Develop a customer marketing strategy, including onboarding materials, customer-specific events, and virtual events, to support the expansion of existing accounts.
Evaluate the channel partner program and decide whether the focus should be on onboarding new partners or helping existing partners sell more.

Outline

Understanding the Need for Increased Sales

Joshua Feinberg questions how a data center infrastructure service provider can increase sales.
He emphasizes the importance of understanding why sales need to be increased.
Joshua points out that not all sales are equal; some clients are more valuable due to factors like profitability, shorter sales cycles, and alignment with company priorities.
He highlights the commoditization of the digital infrastructure ecosystem, particularly for single and two-location colocation operators.

Identifying Ideal Clients

Joshua discusses the need to identify ideal clients for the business.
He suggests examining case studies, testimonials, and reviews to understand who the ideal clients are.
Building an ideal client profile involves defining the location, company size, business model, industry, and other relevant details.
Joshua emphasizes the importance of creating educational content and events to build trust with these ideal clients.

Evaluating Current Client Base

Joshua advises evaluating the current client base to identify those that are profitable and those that are not.
He mentions that some clients may cause stress and burnout among team members and should be phased out.
Clarity on the ideal client profile and buyer personas is crucial for effective sales strategies.
Joshua stresses the need to decide on the appropriate mix between direct and indirect sales or channel partners.

Expanding Existing Accounts

Joshua explains the difference between increasing net new sales and expanding existing accounts.
Expanding existing accounts often involves client success managers (CSMs) and account managers (AMs).
Customer marketing initiatives can help educate and build trust at scale.
Joshua suggests strategies like customer-only events and onboarding materials to enhance customer relationships.

Channel Partner Programs

Joshua discusses the role of channel partner programs in increasing sales.
He highlights the need for a separate partner enablement approach for channel partners.
The focus can be on getting net new channel partners or helping existing ones be more successful.
Each approach requires a different strategy for growing channel partner-sourced revenue.

Final Considerations for Increasing Sales

Joshua reiterates the importance of recognizing that all revenue is not created equal.
He emphasizes the need for a tight ideal client profile and target account list.
Educational events and content should be tailored to the buyer's journey to keep competitors at bay.
Effective sales strategies require clarity about the decision committee and the nature of the revenue (net new or expanding existing accounts).

Resources

Watch the full podcast Ep. #73 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

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