How to Grow a Colocation Business in Latin America LATAM

Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for growing a colocation business in Latin America, emphasizing the need for a targeted approach due to market fragmentation.

He advises starting with a beachhead in one country to navigate cultural, financial, and regulatory differences.

Feinberg stresses the importance of understanding and building an ideal client profile, creating localized content in Spanish and Portuguese, and consistently showing up in the buyer's journey.

He highlights the need to educate and build trust early, leverage digital channels, and reposition sales and account managers as experts and consultants to influence buyers effectively.

This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #45 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.

Action Items

Get super specific about the target markets, including the ideal clients' location, company size, industries, and business models.
Build out the ideal client profile and buyer personas, understanding their biggest goals and challenges.
Develop a strategy for consistently presenting yourself as an expert, teacher, trusted advisor, and thought leader throughout the buyer's journey.
Reposition the sales and account management teams to act as consultants and subject matter experts rather than just vendors.

Outline

Growing a Colocation Business in Latin America

Joshua Feinberg discusses the fragmented nature of markets in Latin America, particularly highlighting the differences between Brazil and the rest of the continent.
Emphasizes the importance of establishing a beachhead in one country before expanding to others due to cultural, financial, and regulatory differences.
Stresses the need to understand the ideal client profile, including their goals, challenges, and what makes them stay with a service provider.
Highlights the importance of building buyer personas and showing up consistently to educate and build trust with potential clients.

Understanding Ideal Clients and Market Dynamics

Joshua Feinberg questions the validity of claims that Latin American markets are fundamentally different, emphasizing that people in these regions also use digital platforms like smartphones, YouTube, and review websites.
Discusses the necessity of localizing content in Spanish and Portuguese depending on the market.
Emphasizes the need to understand where the most success has been achieved and to build a target account list based on this.
It stresses the importance of showing up early and often in the buyer's journey to build a significant surface area footprint and build relationships.

Building Trust and Influence in the Buyer's Journey

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of educating and building trust at scale throughout the buyer's journey.
Highlights that modern colocation buyers have figured out search, social media, and other digital tools, so it's crucial to be present in as many touchpoints as possible.
It emphasizes the need to participate early in the awareness and consideration stages rather than just at the decision stage.
Discusses the importance of repositioning sales and account managers to act as teachers, consultants, subject matter experts, and thought leaders.

Repositioning Sales and Account Management

Joshua Feinberg stresses the importance of sales and account managers being experts and trusted advisors early in the buyer's journey.
Highlights the importance of influencing how colocation buyers navigate their journey.
Emphasizes the need to be specific about the target market, including company size, industry, business model, and location.
Discusses the importance of being the go-to experts and consultants in the colocation space.

Resources

Watch the full podcast Ep. #45 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

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