Hi Sorabh,

First, Vertical Response is a fine company but like any e-mail ASP all they provide you is a broadcast engine. TheyÂ?re not going to help you define strategy, develop creative, etc. so the blame is not with them.

Frankly, I question whether e-mail should be your primary lead generation vehicle. It seems to me that success in the outsourcing business is not about convincing a potential prospect to outsource when he/she wouldnÂ?t be thinking about it otherwise. ItÂ?s about being in the right place at the right time Â? i.e. finding those organizations that are thinking about outsourcing and getting your company to be part of that evaluation process.

You need an offer. Asking prospects to respond on the basis of having an immediate project and wanting to engage with you is a tall order. Based on your message, I envision a white paper (or podcast, or Webinar) entitled: Â?5 Key Criteria for a Successful Software Outsourcing Project.Â? That way, youÂ?ll be offering tangible information of value to people who are considering outsourcing, without requiring them to express explicit interest in your company.

You can offer that white paper via e-mail, but youÂ?ll have much better success, and achieve broader reach IMHO, adopting more of a Â?pull strategyÂ? through such vehicles as content syndication and paid search (PPC).

Good luck!

You are selling services, not software, so technique/methods to promote a product will not necessarily work in promoting a service.

People buy services from an organization they feel comfortable with and trust - someone they have, or would like to build a relationship with. Services don't travel well either ... no one I know from America travels to India for a haircut even though its obviously cheaper there.

While that may seem so, so obvious, it is amazing how so few outsourcing companies use this knowledge to build a business. Many companies from India especially are so naive and ignorant thinking that American companies are just sitting around waiting for some outsourcing company to arrive at their doorstep. Think about it and reflect on what you're doing and how futile an email blast to people who don't know you from the hole in the ground is: Hey here we are, you can outsource to us!! Blah, blah, blah. People just close their minds and thoughts to such "noise" much of the time. Or "a successful project has the following ingredients: Loyalty,
Communication, Mutual Understanding, FINITE and SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT, adequate Due Diligence and most importantly, a dedicated staff to overseeing the communication and outsourcing progress." So what? Really. Everyone says the same ... it does not really mean anything to most people. I'm not trying to be cruel, but providing a dose of reality here to help you get your head stratight.

Here's another obvious statement, it takes 5 - 7 points of contact before someone/organization that is oblivious of you, to even notice you.

So, use things such as email campaigns, white papers and the like as simply another way to get noticed. Don't expect immediate results, it takes time to build a relationship, such that you have a dialogue with someone. Frequency and repetition are key.

You probably will have faster success through networking and word-of-mouth than expecting a relationship with an organization starting from stone-cold (espescially ones thousands miles away). Work your contacts and their contacts. Take someone of influence locally to lunch rather than buying another list of useless contact names for an email blast.

Lastly, and most important, sell the solution and not your service. Organizations generally have a business problem or issue they are trying to solve, and outsourcing is only be the means to the end. Of the 1000s of Indian outsourcing companies, what can you provide as a solution to someone, that others can't? That needs to be your approach in positioning your company.

Good luck.

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Robert Dubicki

It was nice of Joanna to investigate your products versus your outsourcing and that speaks of what we are asking you above. Your question indicates that you haven't pinpointed your message or your market.

Our goal is to have you differentiate the products from the outsourcing. Joanna gave you a lot of good information, but you have to map out your various messages before you do any marketing.

When you posted here you talked about outsourcing and products in one paragraph, thus my question, above, hoping to guide you in the first question your market is going to ask if you have a mixed message.

Lisa

As I think dubicki pointed out in his response... you need to give it time. Your sites are not going to generate credibility overnight, even if they are the best possible sites with the best possible content and offers. People are reluctant to do business with a new site or company that they've never heard of before... understandably. So you need to have patience, and think of some ways to get that momentum started.

I really don't know the business you're looking at (jewelery industry) but I suggest you do some brainstorming, and perhaps talk to others in that industry for ideas & guidance. Perhaps you could start with some informational interviewing with jewelers in India? I know the pricing model is different there of course... but perhaps there's some nuggets you could glean as a starting point.

Joanna

Start with what do you know about the jewelry industry?

How can you educate your potential clients?

What problems are you solving and how have you solved them for an existing client?

Write a case study about why one of your current clients chose your solution? Start with the client that you designed the first version for as they have been working with you the longest.

Show that you understand their business issues and struggles.

Educate, educate, educate. Instead of coming across as wanting to sell a product, start working within the various jewelry associations to become a member and work to educate the members.

To do this, you have to have something new and innovative to educate them on and you need to be knowledgeable about their business.

Lisa

Do you have a list of company names and the main contacts within these organizations of the Top 100 in North America that you can sell to?

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Robert Dubicki

Nope Sorabh, that's not who I am asking.

For the software you plan to sell, can you identify who are the 100 largest organizations in the US (or Europe) who you can target? Meaning ... they are perect candidates ... they would likely need a software solution similar to what you have developed, and because they are larger, you can get bigger deals.

It seems you have something VERY specialized (for the jewelry industry). In my mind, you should be able to identify who are potential customers; e.g. Names of companies and the person within that company who makes software purchasing decisions.

I am suggesting that you compile that list and market directly to this targeted list. Go find your customers rather than expecting they will find you! That's what marketing is to a great degree ... learning who your customers are and where to find them. Once you find them, you can then engage in a sales process.

Going back to earlier suggestions ... there must also be industry trade shows where the jewelry industry congregates, or associations that you can become an active member. Assuming that Google is the best vehicle to market your solution is too simplistic. It assumes someone is searching for something that you are selling ... for all you know, there may be no market at all for what you have developed. Have you considered that?

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Robert Dubicki