Episode #47 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features an interview with Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI, based on a bonus Q&A session from Data Center Go-to-Market 101.
- Develop an ideal client profile and target account list for the new managed service offering.
- Experiment with outbound and LinkedIn ad campaigns to engage a wider audience in the awareness and consideration stages.
- Gather feedback from early customers and prospects to fill in gaps in the product roadmap and get to proof of concept or trial stage.
- Continuously update the ideal client profile and buyer personas as the market and customer needs evolve.
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
In Episode #47 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast, Joshua Feinberg discusses strategies for success in the data center industry, emphasizing the importance of understanding buyer personas and ideal client profiles. He highlights the need for 80% of buyer persona research to come directly from the target audience, rather than relying solely on internal input. Feinberg also stresses the significance of being a teacher, consultant, or thought leader early in the buyer's journey to earn trust. He outlines a lead generation strategy involving multiple touchpoints and content to engage prospects throughout their journey. Additionally, he addresses startup and expansion challenges, advocating for content and events to accelerate feedback loops and improve product-market fit.
Outline
Identifying and Connecting with Decision Makers
- Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of understanding where the company has been most successful in the past by analyzing reviews, testimonials, and case studies.
- He explains the concept of an ideal client profile, which includes geographic location, company size, industry, and business model.
- Joshua discusses the significance of regulatory issues, especially in the EU and healthcare, and how they impact the ideal client profile.
- He outlines the process of generating a target account list and identifying key decision makers within these companies.
- Joshua highlights the importance of buyer personas and ranking them based on their relevance to the company's goals.
Building Buyer Personas and Lead Generation
- Joshua explains the need to gather 80% of buyer persona research directly from the target audience through interviews or analyzing their online presence.
- He discusses the misconception that leads are ready to talk to the sales team and emphasizes the importance of being a teacher, consultant, or thought leader early in the buyer's journey.
- Joshua introduces the concept of a lead as a known contact person showing interest, rather than someone ready to buy immediately.
- He stresses the importance of being present throughout the buyer's journey with multiple touchpoints to educate and build trust.
- Joshua advises focusing on the most important buyer personas and aligning lead generation efforts with their interests and needs.
Addressing Startup and Expansion Challenges
- Joshua explains the importance of achieving product market fit, which involves understanding ideal clients, product features, and pricing.
- He discusses the next step, go-to-market fit, which involves scaling sales and marketing efforts to reach a wider audience.
- Joshua emphasizes the role of content and events in accelerating the feedback loop and gathering valuable insights from potential customers.
- He highlights the importance of showing up as a trusted advisor to gather feedback and improve the product or service offering.
- Joshua advises using a mix of content types, including blogs, videos, podcasts, and webinars, to add value to the right audience at the right time.
Entering New Markets and Targeting Specific Audiences
- Joshua discusses the challenges of entering new markets and the importance of starting with a hypothesis for the ideal client profile.
- He advises using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to build a target account list and identifying key decision makers within these companies.
- Joshua emphasizes the importance of running experiments and using outbound efforts to reach a wider audience and gather feedback.
- He highlights the long-term nature of market entry and the need for frequent feedback to refine the ideal client profile and buyer personas.
- Joshua advises focusing on the awareness and consideration stages to build a broader base of potential customers.
Understanding and Targeting Specific Markets
- Joshua explains the need to understand the different markets and their unique needs and challenges.
- He emphasizes the importance of content and events in educating and building trust with the right audience.
- Joshua discusses the continuous learning process and the need to adapt the ideal client profile and buyer personas as market conditions change.
- He advises showing up as a trusted advisor to gain a foot in the door with individual decision-makers and their colleagues.
- Joshua highlights the importance of feedback loops in understanding and targeting specific markets effectively.
Resources
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