Episode #23 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast comes from the live stream Data Center Go-to-Market, Sales, and Marketing Q&A 6.
- Learn how sales and marketing strategies adapt to changing buyer behaviors in the data center industry
- Deal with decision-maker turnover when pursuing mission-critical sales
- Discover strategies for improving data center lead qualification processes
- Effectively prospect for data center clients in today's buyer-driven market
- Market and sell cutting-edge IT solutions to small and medium businesses
- Make customers aware of your data center throughout the entire buying journey
- Get the attention of CTOs and CIOs as a colocation provider
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
Special Guest:
N/A
Joshua Feinberg discussed the challenges of dealing with decision-maker turnover in data center sales, emphasizing the importance of having a robust sales process in place to handle turnover, building a team of advocates, and defining what a lead means in this context. He also shared insights on the shifting dynamics of the buyer's journey in the digital age, the importance of creating impactful content and experiences, and lead qualification strategies. Feinberg stressed the need for sales teams to be proactive in addressing turnover, building trust with buyers, and personalizing their approach for key decision-makers.
Action Items
- Develop an ideal client profile and target account list based on past successes.
- Create unique thought leadership content focused on the biggest goals and challenges of the primary buyer persona
- Send follow-up emails to webinar/content registrants within minutes asking who else on their team could benefit and should be notified.
- Monitor lead notifications to see if the content is spreading within accounts and relationships are developing.
Outline
Sales and marketing strategies for the data center industry.
- Joshua Feinberg discusses sales and marketing collaboration in the data center industry.
- Strategies for dealing with decision maker turnover in mission-critical sales.
Improving data center lead qualification and marketing strategies.
- Decision-maker turnover is a challenge in selling mission-critical data center solutions.
- Highlights the shift in buyer behavior, where 83% of research is done before sales teams are involved.
- To adapt, sales teams must become teachers, consultants, and trusted advisors, providing impactful content and experiences.
Lead qualification and advocacy in data center sales.
- Explains how email nurturing can help overcome decision-making challenges by providing valuable content to multiple contacts within a company.
- Highlights the importance of having a multidisciplinary team, including professionals from operations, technology, compliance, and more, to address a company's biggest goals or challenges.
- Emphasizes the importance of building a team of advocates to support the sales process.
- Stresses the need to define what a lead means in the context of data center lead qualification.
Lead qualification in the data center industry.
- Explains the evolution of lead generation and qualification.
- Sales and marketing collaboration is key in today's buyer-driven market.
- Buyers are in the driver's seat, adjust the qualification
- Define ideal client profile, build relationships
- Prioritize leads, align on company, role, speed
Marketing and selling cutting-edge IT services to small and medium-sized businesses.
- Identify ideal client profile by analyzing past successes and value delivered.
- Prioritize building educational content for target accounts to establish trust and accelerate sales.
Prospecting tips for data center providers in a changing sales landscape.
- Discusses prospecting tips for data center providers.
- Discusses how the buyer is now in control, with 83% of the journey being self-directed research.
- Highlights how the way we book travel and make major purchases is becoming more self-directed, even in residential real estate.
Prospecting tips and data center awareness.
- Highlights the changing nature of prospecting in today's data center marketplace, where buyers are in control and need helpful information to address their challenges.
- Emphasizes the importance of collaborating across teams to provide educational content and live virtual experiences that help buyers advance in their journey.
- Shares prospecting tips for data center buyers: build relationships, and provide value early on.
- Advises making customers aware of the data centers by being present in the formative stages of their journey.
How to effectively prospect for data center clients by understanding buyer personas and being present throughout the decision-making process.
- Emphasizes the importance of understanding buyer personas and prioritizing them to create targeted content that addresses their biggest challenges and goals.
- Suggests that instead of focusing on the final 17% of the journey, marketers should start with where potential customers are currently in their research and decision-making process.
- Emphasizes the importance of being present throughout the entire decision-making process, from awareness to consideration to evaluation and purchase.
- Suggests that colocation providers can get the attention of CTOs/CIOs by showcasing their thought leadership and expertise in a unique and personalized way.
Targeting CTOs/CIOs in the colocation industry.
- Colocation providers must identify niche segments and scale to remain competitive.
- Identify the ideal client profile and biggest goals/challenges for the CTO/CIO Buyer Persona.
- Emphasizes the importance of early engagement with CTOs/CIOs for colocation services.
- Suggests providing valuable insights and consulting throughout the buyer's journey.
Strategies for colocation providers to reach CTO/CIOs in small to midsize companies.
- Suggests targeting multiple people within an organization for colocation resources, including interns and VPs of IT.
- Recommends forwarding the resource to other team members in the organization, as they may be interested in the content.
- Share strategies for colocation providers to get the attention of the CTO/CIO in the data center marketplace.
Guest Resources
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