Ep. #69 Joshua Feinberg, CEO of DCSMI | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

Episode #69 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features Day Two of Data Center Go-to-Market 2025 Jumpstart with Joshua Feinberg, CEO at DCSMI.

Modernize your lead generation strategy to attract and engage the right prospects
Provide the right incentives and offers to avoid being seen as just another vendor
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create game-changing lead generation campaigns
Measure and iterate your lead generation efforts over time to improve performance
Leverage LinkedIn to grow your network and reach decision-makers at target accounts
Involve your sales team in content creation to position them as trusted advisors
Use hyper-targeted advertising to reach the right prospects at the right time
Prioritize accounts based on economic value and focus on educational events
Build trust and educate buyers throughout the purchasing journey
Improve communication with larger customers by delivering consistent value

Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI

Joshua Feinberg from DCSMI led a training session on data center lead generation, emphasizing the importance of modernizing strategies to attract and engage prospects.

Key points included understanding buyer personas, providing valuable content, and leveraging digital channels like LinkedIn.

Feinberg highlighted the shift towards self-driven buyer journeys, where 83% of the decision-making process occurs before vendor contact. He stressed the need for companies to adapt by offering educational resources and building trust early on.

Pre-recorded special guests Brandon Peccoralo and Cecilia Hjertzell discussed future trends in data center sales and marketing, emphasizing the importance of staying ahead with technology and thought leadership.

Joshua Feinberg discussed the granularity of targeting on LinkedIn, emphasizing the importance of understanding target accounts and using tools like Sales Navigator and Campaign Manager.

He highlighted the value of lead generation, noting that a $50 lead could be worth much more in large sales deals. Feinberg stressed the need for relevant content and early engagement with prospects.

He also advised aligning company size definitions with LinkedIn's brackets and leveraging thought leadership from sales teams.

He emphasized the importance of educational events and local, cost-effective lead generation strategies

Action Items

Audit your LinkedIn profile to ensure it is optimized for decision-makers.
Prioritize your target account list and map out key stakeholders at each company.
Involve your sales team earlier in the content creation process to position them as trusted advisors.
Review your lead generation forms to include a free-form field for prospects to share their biggest challenges.
Pair landing pages with confirmation pages that suggest the next logical steps for prospects.

Outline

Day Two Agenda and Recap of Day One

Joshua Feinberg introduces the three-day training event and outlines the agenda for day two.
Recap of day one: Introduction to Data Center Go-to-Market 101, insights from global sales practitioners, and marketing to CTOs and CIOs.
Emphasis on understanding the foundations of data center sales and marketing.
Introduction to the day's focus on lead generation, including lead generation 101, 201, and 301.

Introduction to Lead Generation 101

Joshua Feinberg explains the importance of modernizing lead generation strategies.
Discussion on providing the right incentives and offers to avoid the vendor box.
Emphasis on collaborating on game-changing lead generation campaigns.
Importance of measuring and iterating lead generation efforts over time.

Current Market Trends and Buyer Preferences

Joshua Feinberg discusses the current market trends, including the hockey stick growth predicted by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Changes in buyer preferences over the past decade, with 83% of the buyer's journey now happening before vendor contact.
Importance of understanding the buyer's journey and being present early in the process.
The need for sales teams to participate earlier in the buyer's journey and marketing teams to stay involved later.

Modernizing Lead Generation Strategies

Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the need for a modernized lead generation strategy that includes early engagement and educational value.
Importance of providing content that addresses the biggest goals and challenges of the buyer personas.
Discussion on the role of marketing and sales in the buyer's journey and the need for collaboration.
The concept of triple dipping: repurposing content across different formats to maximize reach and impact.

Overcoming the Sales Stigma and Elevating Trust

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of overcoming the sales stigma and being seen as a trusted advisor.
The need for sales teams to position themselves as subject matter experts and consultants.
Emphasis on the importance of having a thought leadership team and using existing resources effectively.
The role of content in building trust and educating prospects.

Collaborating on Lead Generation Campaigns

Joshua Feinberg highlights the importance of collaboration between marketing, sales, and other teams.
The need for a thought leadership team to ensure content is relevant and impactful.
Discussion on the role of marketing in the buyer's journey and the need for sales teams to be involved earlier.
The importance of having a lead generation offer for each stage of the buyer's journey.

Accelerating the Sales Cycle

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of accelerating the sales cycle by being present early in the buyer's journey.
The need for sales teams to be involved in the awareness and consideration stages.
Emphasis on the importance of having a lead generation offer for each stage of the buyer's journey.
The role of marketing in supporting the sales team and providing educational value.

Focusing on Impactful Lead Generation

Joshua Feinberg emphasizes the importance of focusing on the most impactful lead generation efforts.
The need for a clear understanding of the buyer personas and their goals and challenges.
Discussion on the importance of having a lead generation offer for each stage of the buyer's journey.
The role of marketing in supporting the sales team and providing educational value.

Measuring and Iterating Lead Generation Efforts

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of measuring and iterating lead generation efforts.
The challenges of measuring lead generation in the era of third-party cookie deprecation.
The need for first-party data and asking prospects how they heard about the company.
The importance of monitoring what is working and what is not to improve lead generation efforts.

Special Guest Insights: Brandon Peccoralo and Cecilia Hjertzell

Brandon Peccoralo discusses the future of data center sales and the importance of being multi-faceted.
Emphasis on the role of AI and machine learning in the data center industry.
Cecilia Hjertzell discusses the future of marketing and the importance of combining communication to drive insight and inspire change.
The need for marketing to be more digital and data-driven in the data center industry.

Data Center Lead Generation 201: Attracting Decision Makers

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of having a clear ideal client profile and target account list.
The need for educational content that addresses the goals and challenges of the buyer personas.
Emphasis on the importance of being present early in the buyer's journey and providing value.
The role of marketing in supporting the sales team and providing educational value.

Improving Lead Generation from Target Accounts

Joshua Feinberg discusses the importance of growing first-degree connections on target accounts.
The need for targeted ads and driving educational lead generation offers to specific accounts.
Emphasis on the importance of having a lead generation offer for each stage of the buyer's journey.
The role of marketing in supporting the sales team and providing educational value.

Granularity of Targeting on LinkedIn

Joshua Feinberg discusses the granularity of targeting on LinkedIn, emphasizing the ability to pick and choose targets from the Campaign Manager interface or load a CSV file.
He highlights the potential value of leads, noting that a $50 lead could be worth much more in the context of large sales deals.
Joshua explains the importance of getting as much surface area as possible with the right people in target accounts to establish expertise in specific niches.
He mentions the current and powerful nature of LinkedIn data, noting that people often announce job changes on the platform.

Using Sales Navigator and Campaign Manager

Joshua emphasizes the importance of using Sales Navigator and Campaign Manager for finding prospects and staying with them throughout the buyer's journey.
He discusses the need to attract prospects early and provide valuable email and event experiences to motivate them to stay engaged.
Joshua outlines the key to generating leads for larger data center sales opportunities, which involves understanding the goals and challenges of target accounts.
He stresses the importance of using Buyer Persona research to mirror exact words in headlines, copywriting, and calls to action.

Clarifying Company Sizing for Lead Generation

Joshua advises getting clear on company sizing, noting that definitions of mid-market and enterprise can vary.
He recommends normalizing brackets to align with LinkedIn company size brackets, which range from 1 to 10,000+ employees.
Joshua suggests using LinkedIn's granularity in company size to target accounts more precisely.
He mentions the importance of having a manually uploaded client list for more precise targeting.

Involving Sales Team in Content Creation

Joshua suggests that having sales team members actively involved in content creation can accelerate lead generation.
He emphasizes the value of thought leadership committees and collaborative efforts between marketing and sales teams.
Joshua highlights the importance of veteran account executives showing up as teachers, consultants, and trusted advisors.
He discusses the potential impact of having account executives moderate panels and webinars with clients and future clients.

Micro Personas and Hyper-Specific Targeting

Joshua advises getting super granular with targeting, especially for larger economic value accounts.
He suggests creating micro or sub personas for specific target accounts and developing content strategies tailored to these personas.
Joshua emphasizes the importance of using LinkedIn's account targeting capabilities for prospecting larger data center sales.
He discusses the value of hyper-specific targeting and landing page copywriting to maximize lead generation.

Prioritizing Economic Drivers in Sales

Joshua talks about the importance of prioritizing accounts based on economic drivers and focusing on educational events.
He mentions the value of inexpensive but highly effective local events held in facilities, which can have a high return on investment.
Joshua emphasizes the need for a good database of people to invite to these events.
He discusses the importance of focusing on what decision-makers care about and using Buyer Persona research to add value to their professional lives.

Building Trust and Educating Buyers

Joshua advises showing up early and often in the buyer's journey as a trusted advisor and consultant.
He emphasizes building trust and educating buyers to get to decision-makers.
Joshua discusses the need for marketing resources to support account management, product functions, and channel partnerships.
He highlights the role of customer education in getting into larger data center customers and improving market penetration.

Improving Communication with Larger Customers

Joshua advises being careful with outbound and inbound communications to always deliver value.
He emphasizes the importance of considering communications from the recipient's perspective and how they can help them do their jobs better.
Joshua discusses the need to iterate and improve Buyer Personas over time.
He mentions the potential for sub-segmenting Buyer Personas to improve conversion rates and cost per lead.

Future of Data Center Sales and Marketing

Jonathan Evans discusses the future of data center sales and marketing, emphasizing the importance of LinkedIn and online podcasts.
He notes that conferences may not be as productive for colocation operators in attracting end users or enterprise customers.
Jonathan advises focusing on LinkedIn to find new contacts and using Google and LinkedIn Ads for effective marketing.
He mentions the importance of having a good website and monitoring its effectiveness.

Role of Product Managers in Digital Infrastructure

Inese Pētersone discusses the future role of product managers in digital infrastructure, emphasizing the need for constant growth and development.
She highlights the importance of predicting future needs and researching to stay ahead of the competition.
Inese mentions the need for open-mindedness and the ability to receive and process information.
She discusses the challenges and importance of thinking further than others in the industry.

Resources

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