Let’s Get Face2Face!

Srikant Sastri, MD and co-founder of Solutions Integrated Marketing Services,
has helped his company emerge as one of the top players in the field of
integrated marketing services in India, and boasts a staff strength of over 500.
Prior to SIMS, Sastri was CEO and founder of Result Services. As account
director with Tara Sinha-McCann Ericsson, Sastri worked with MNC clients like
Nestle and Gillette.

l What is
Face2Face?

This is an innovative marketing program for Indian IT Services (ITS)
companies trying to look beyond the US. As companies have realized that
over-dependence on the US market can hit them badly, they are looking at other
destinations. However, while it is easier for the big ITS companies to set up
offices in various corners of the globe, Small and Medium ITS businesses (SMB)
will find it difficult to tap these markets. In the first stage, we are looking
at these Indian companies to explore the Asia-Pacific market.

Srikant Sastri, MD and co-founder of Solutions Integrated Marketing Services

l Do you
believe this will work?

We believe that the local software companies in the Asia-Pacific region are
realizing the economic realities and are looking at outsourcing to cheaper
destinations. Our reading is that such companies would also be keen to explore
partnerships with Indian software companies to outsource their requirements.
This helps them in lowering prices and increasing margins. The SMB ITS companies
who have not been able to move beyond Indian shores can now leverage on these
partnerships. So it’s a win-win situation for all.

l Has the
process already been rolled out?

Yes, we are in the process of getting the detailed profiling of ITS
companies in Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia to identify companies interested
in partnering with Indian companies and also to identify verticals of interest
to them. We are doing a similar exercise with the Indian companies and trying to
build up a knowledge bank of Indian SMB ITS companies with information like the
geographies they are interested in, the vertical segment focus and core areas
and their area of specialization. Based on interest levels in various verticals,
we match the ‘right fit’ Indian IT Services company with the foreign
company. We are involved until a working agreement is signed.

l What is the
revenue model that you are following?

Since we believe that there is a huge potential for such relationships, our
model is based on the revenues made by the partnerships. We are not brokers but
are charging a fixed commission on the deal.

Yograj Varma  in New Delhi