How a Global Data Center Safety Provider Can Find Clients

Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for finding clients for a global data center safety provider.

He emphasizes the importance of understanding the types of data centers the company has been successful with, the resources required for global sales, and the size and industry preferences of potential clients.

He highlights the need for a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, including localization, targeting specific stakeholders, and adapting to buyers' increasingly self-guided preferences.

Feinberg stresses the importance of early and frequent engagement, client education, and trust-building through content and events.

He concludes that showing up where clients are and providing valuable educational content can position the company as a trusted expert, influencing the buyer's journey and competitive evaluation.

This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #63 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.

Action Items

Analyze the company's past successful clients to determine the geographic, size, and industry focus.
Identify the key stakeholder roles and buyer personas that are most important to engage with.
Develop a content and events calendar to position the company as trusted advisors and thought leaders in data center safety.
Secure an executive sponsor to drive the company-wide cultural shift towards this go-to-market approach.

Outline

Understanding Global Market Strategy

Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of understanding the types of data centers the company has been most successful with, as this will influence the go-to-market strategy.
The complexity of the go-to-market strategy will depend on the need for localization, which will impact marketing, messaging, customer insights, hiring, and the buyer's journey.
Large enterprise companies must have the resources to execute marketing, sales, account management, product management, channel partnerships, service delivery, finance, and operations globally.
The company needs to determine the size of the data centers it is most successful with, as this will influence the minimum level of engagement required.

Geographic and Industry Considerations

The company must consider the geographic component, as smaller data centers in certain regions may not have the resources to engage with the company.
The company's approach may be better suited to specific industries, especially those related to safety, compliance, and certifications.
The company must understand its geographic footprint and whether it has the resources to market, sell, and service globally in multiple languages.
The size component and business model, including vertical industry components, will also play a role in developing the go-to-market strategy.

Identifying Key Stakeholders

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of identifying key stakeholders within client organizations, such as safety executives, facilities executives, COOs, CFOs, ESGs, and compliance personnel.
These stakeholders will vary based on where the company has been most successful and the insights from the CRM system and case studies.
In an enterprise setting, the primary Buyer Persona is the most important stakeholder, followed by the secondary Buyer Persona and possibly a third category of stakeholders.
Building relationships with these stakeholders requires understanding their buyer's journey and being seen as trusted advisors rather than transaction-focused salespeople.

Adapting to Buyer Preferences

Gartner found that most buyers are 83% through their buyer's journey before they are open to vendor contact, emphasizing the need for early engagement.
The company must reposition its client-facing team as teachers, trusted advisors, subject matter experts, consultants, and thought leaders.
Educating and building trust at scale requires researching and refining buyer personas to understand their goals, challenges, and priorities.
A content and events calendar should be developed to ensure active engagement with potential buyers throughout their buyer's journey.

Executive Leadership and Cultural Initiative

The initiative must start with executive leadership overseeing the entire go-to-market team, including sales, marketing, account management, product management, and channel partnerships.
The company should aim to be perceived as the go-to expert in data center safety, requiring a top-down cultural initiative.
Buyers prefer to ask questions on search, social media, YouTube videos, podcasts, webinars, and educational events, which are impactful at various stages of the buyer's journey.
Companies that have not updated their sales and marketing playbooks in years must overhaul them to stay relevant and competitive.

Showing Up Where Buyers Are

The company must show up where buyers are, not where they want them to be, to educate and build trust throughout the buyer's journey.
Early and frequent engagement is crucial to establish the company as a trusted advisor and thought leader in data center safety.
Educational content can help knock out competitive alternatives by providing valuable information that competitors are not offering.
The key to success is showing up early and often, being seen as a teacher, trusted advisor, subject matter expert, consultant, and thought leader.

Resources

Watch the full podcast Ep. #63 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

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