Bharat Times

Companies flocking to outsource their IT needs to India, are seeing that local Australian companies provide a more holistic service even though the costs may be greater.

“Understanding a market is key to any business and although a few years back we saw a flurry of companies sending their IT needs offshore, this trend is losing ground,” said Roger Pais, Marketing Consultant, Marketing Eye talking to Bharat Times.

“Better marketing is key to achieving a sustainable business in a new market. Analysts have tipped that it could take as much as two years for firms such as Wipro, Satyam Computer Services, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys to modify their sales pitches to suit Australian needs.”

In the meantime, their price advantage is being eroded as high staff turnover and infrastructure costs force rate hikes.

Roger elaborated “India-based Gartner research vice-president Partha Iyengar said the subcontinent's biggest technology services players had stumbled in Australia because they had tried to apply strategies developed for the US market.”

In cases like this consulting firm’s can act as a bridge between Indian companies and the Australian market, giving them a strategic advantage over their competitors , and helping them fight ever growing attrition rate.

Marketing Eye, Australia’s leading marketing consultancy for SME’s, is providing an alternative for companies by offering them the services of a senior marketing director to cast a marketing eye over all facets of their business, over a twelve month period for only $24,000.

Roger told BT that “Companies like Wipro Satyam TCS and Infosys have myriad of business process in India which include telecommunication, consulting, infrastructure management services, software solutions but they haven’t been able to bring all their services offshore and capture the Australian market . They have been successful to an extent with their consulting and software solution services towards the Australian banking sector but have not been able to tap into other markets.

“Companies headquartered in India and set up in Australia, often are reluctant to hire a full-time Marketing Director to ensure that their brand is communicated to the market correctly,” said Mr Roger Pais.

“The cost is just too high, so Marketing Eye helps by ensuring that they do have Marketing Managers capable of helping their business grow in a new market.

It was recently reported that TCS, Wipro, Satyam and Cognizant are not only training their employees about the culture and etiquette of their clients, they are also teaching their clients about Indian work culture and behavioural traits.

Commenting on this reverse trend, Roger told BT, “It is a good way of blending the cultures and reducing culture shock and culture nuances which could affect Indian business either offshore or on shore. With Indian companies globalising it becomes critical for clients to understand Indian culture so they can work better with Indian project managers and top executives. It enables them to work collectively by harmonising the cultures.

“Marketing Eye provides strategic advice and implementation assistance to reduce entry risk and compress gestation time for break even and profitability. It also provides brand advisory services for mergers and acquisitions to established companies. Its multicultural team allows for Indian companies to work with people that understand both the market and dynamics of Indian culture and business”.

As Roger signed off, “Chak de India!. Marketing eye can make it big for Indians in Australia”.
*The Australian Ben Wood head MARCH 20, 2007