How to Find the Right CTO or CIO Decision-Maker

Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for finding and engaging decision-makers in sales.

He emphasizes the importance of aligning go-to-market, content, sales enablement, and event strategies to position a company as a specialist. This will attract the right prospects and nurture those who are not progressing.

He highlights the value of having multiple touchpoints with potential clients to influence their decision-making process and secure a place on their shortlist.

Feinberg also stresses the significance of salespeople being knowledgeable enough to have insightful conversations with C-level executives.

He concludes that effective content and events can lead prospects to use the company's materials as educational resources, paving the way for successful sales interactions and influencing the entire decision-making committee.

This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #53 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.

Action Items

Develop a content and events strategy to position the company and its team as experts in their area of specialization.
Ensure the sales team is educated and skilled enough to have insightful conversations with CIOs, CTOs, and their direct reports.
Follow up with prospects who have consumed the company's content and educational resources and ask them to share it with others who should be involved in the decision-making process.

Outline

Engaging Decision Makers Effectively

Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of aligning go-to-market, content strategy, sales enablement, and events strategy to position the team and company as experts in their field.
He explains that this alignment leads to more relevant leads finding the company and better nurturing of leads currently clogging the sales pipeline.
Feinberg highlights the significance of having multiple touchpoints with potential clients, allowing the company to influence their decision-making process.
He mentions that when done well, this strategy can ensure the company is on the shortlist for potential clients and can even lead to the client choosing the company without considering other options.

The Role of Content and Events in Sales

Joshua Feinberg discusses how valuable content and events can make the sales team appear as highly paid consultants rather than traditional salespeople.
He shares insights from conversations with executives at PhoenixNAP and DataBank, stressing the importance of sales teams being knowledgeable enough to have insightful discussions with CTOs and their teams.
Feinberg emphasizes the need to understand clients' biggest goals and challenges and deliver high-value content to engage them effectively.
He explains that a simple email asking for referrals can effectively reach the rest of the decision-making committee.

Impact of Pre-Sales Content on Decision Making

Joshua Feinberg describes how effective pre-sales content can lead to the client using the company's ebook as a textbook and webinars as courses.
He explains that this high level of value during the pre-sales context allows the content to spread throughout the decision committee.
Feinberg warns against dismissing entry-level contacts, as they can play a significant role in building relationships and introducing the company to higher-level decision-makers.
He advises against being arrogant or dismissive, as any contact showing interest in the company's content can profoundly impact reaching the rest of the decision committee.

Adapting to Different Company Sizes

Joshua Feinberg acknowledges that the impact of entry-level contacts varies depending on the company's size.
Feinberg emphasizes the importance of building relationships with entry-level contacts in large companies, as they can still introduce the company to higher-level decision-makers.
He advises being careful not to underestimate the potential of any contact showing interest in the company's content, as they can help reach the rest of the decision committee.

Resources

Watch the full podcast Ep. #53 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

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