Why Indian tech companies have an aversion to sell to the GOI

Indian services giants have been export-focused and grew their fortunes by ignoring domestic the domestic government market. It made sense 20 years back – but wouldn’t be logical now. In the last decade, the Indian government spent significantly on tech and other than 1 honourable exception – most Indian tech firms either missed the bus or competed over-aggressively – losing out on margins and scope creep.

3 tips to crack Indian government deals:

1. GOI has been modernizing with a vengeance. Dealing with the Government has been easier & friendlier than you think. Government e-marketplace (GeM) has been a game-changer. Plan to work with the new GOI!

2. Approach GOI sales with moderation. Neither ‘touch-me-not’ nor ‘we will make a 1B$ business in 3 years’ approach works. I have seen MNCs with strong risk-management having the ability to say ‘no’ to grind risk-averse tech firms as well as win-at-all-cost firms to the dust.

3. Invest in account intelligence and ground-work. Influencing and educating an account early and coming in the state-approved vendors list gives a powerful competitive advantage.

Here at LeadStrategus, we bring strong experience in setting up government lead generation. Reach out if you need any ideas/help!