Episode #5 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast comes from the webinar How to Market and Sell to CTOs and CIOs (for Data Center Go-to-Market Professionals). You’ll learn how to:
- Integrate your sales process into the daily routines of chief technology officers and chief information officers
- Quantify the total addressable market for different roles
- Size up how your data center-related technology and services fit in with chief technology officers’ and chief information officers’ biggest challenges, growth trends, industry opportunities, and technology gaps
- Adapt your sales process to support chief technology officers’ and chief information officers’ buying process
- Jumpstart your go-to-market to achieve more sustainable product-market fit and go-to-market fit
Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI
Special Guest:
N/A
Joshua Feinberg discusses the evolving purchasing behavior of CTOs and CIOs, emphasizing the need for marketers and sales professionals to adapt their strategies to reach and engage these decision-makers.
He stresses the importance of providing value and education rather than solely promoting products or services and highlights the significance of understanding the needs and challenges of CTOs and CIOs.
Feinberg also emphasizes the importance of targeting the right audience in B2B marketing, personalizing content to address their fears and concerns, and involving clients in content and thought leadership to establish credibility and social proof.
Outline
Adapting to changing data center purchasing behavior.
- Joshua Feinberg discusses changes in CTO/CIO purchasing behavior
- Webinar provides strategies for marketing and selling to CTOs/CIOs
Marketing and selling to CTOs and CIOs in the data center industry.
- Shares insights on marketing and selling to CTOs and CIOs.
- Discusses CTO/CIO roles, motivations, and earnings power.
- Feinberg introduces Buyer Persona CTO-CIO Oscar and his daily routine.
CTO and CIO roles, priorities, and salaries.
- Explains the differences between CTOs and CIOs, highlighting internal vs. external focus.
- CTOs tend to report to the CEO, while CIOs may report to the CFO in some cases.
- CIOs prioritize resiliency, alignments, and digital transformation.
- CIOs focus on cybersecurity, data analytics, and AI, with 70% anticipating increased involvement in cybersecurity.
Targeting CTOs and CIOs on LinkedIn.
- Joshua Feinberg highlights grassroots movements promoting data center careers in schools and colleges.
- LinkedIn data suggests 300,000 CTOs worldwide, with 82,000 in the US and 86,000 in Europe.
- Joshua Feinberg discusses targeting specific job titles on LinkedIn Ads, such as Chief Technologist and Assistant Chief Information Officer, to reach decision-makers with a limited budget.
- The minimum audience size for a LinkedIn Ad campaign is 300, according to Feinberg
- Targeting smaller groups with more specific job titles can lead to better results.
Adapting to changing buyer behavior in the data center industry.
- Preparing teams for today's buyers requires adapting to changed research and purchase behaviors.
- Highlights the importance of reinventing oneself as a subject matter expert, teacher, consultant, or trusted advisor in the data center sales and marketing space.
- Suggests that sales professionals should position themselves more like Big Four consultants, providing valuable insights and consulting before and after the purchase.
Marketing and selling to CTOs and CIOs.
- Joshua Feinberg discusses the challenges of reaching CTO-CIO Oscar, a mid-market company with 426 employees, and the importance of creating an effective GTM to reach this target audience.
- The Buyer Persona for CTO-CIO Oscar is semi-fictional, based on actual research and some educated speculation, and includes a primary and secondary Buyer Persona, as well as a negative Buyer Persona for lead qualification.
- Focus on what's in it for Oscar, not what's in it for you.
- Prove yourself as a helpful resource person to Oscar.
Marketing and selling to CTOs and CIOs, focusing on education, content, and trust-building.
- Focus on education and building trust to generate leads for selling to CTOs and CIOs.
- Use content creation, such as podcasting and webinars, to establish yourself as an expert and trusted adviser.
- Understand business model, sales cycle, and ideal client profile to identify new opportunities.
- Use content and events to surround potential clients and add value, increasing the likelihood of endorsement.
Marketing and selling to CTOs/CIOs, personalization, and overcoming technical fears.
- Focus on personalizing content for specific Buyer Personas to stand out and accelerate sales processes.
- Overcome customers' fears of technical issues by delivering high-quality, seamless experiences.
- Involve nervous clients in content and thought leadership collaborations to build trust and credibility.
- Use social proof from client participation in content to demonstrate approachability and build confidence.
Guest Resources
- Subscribe to the Data Center Sales and Marketing Newsletter (DCSMI)
- Learn About Joshua Feinberg
- Connect with Joshua Feinberg of DCSMI on LinkedIn
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