We did a zero coding tool to develop business applications (like CRM, ERP, accounting software). The tool takes product specification as input and generates the final product application as output.
In order to self sustain first, we are looking to take up service projects involving custom business application development of CRM, ERP and other such applications (that can be developed using our tool).
I didn't come across any good resources to find premium outsourcing projects. And I would like to understand how things work in outsourcing world involving premium projects. (Can they be acquired only though contacts and referrals or can we find them online etc)
Your advice regarding the following really helps.
1. How we can get the premium service projects
2. And resources to understand the outsourcing ecosystem in the first place.
Thanks in advance for your time and effort.
You are facing a classic chicken and egg problem. You want premium projects but cannot get them because you haven't done any yet. To solve this, you need to think from your target customers standpoint. Why would a customer buy from you? What do you offer that others don't have? Once you define that, the second thing you need to understand is how companies acquire their services. The buying process in a company is different from consumer buying cycle. So you need to figure out how you will play this dance.
Lastly, to acquire customers, you will need to do some marketing and network. LinkedIn would be a good starting point.
Another option would be to start out small and bid for projects on oDesk, Guru or other similar sites
All the best.... Happy to talk if you have more questions.
In the noisy, chaotic outsourcing market you won't be able to simply 'find premium projects' as you hope to do. There is really no definition for 'premium' in this context, and most of your competitors are looking for projects that are best-fit, leverage their core competencies, and are leads that they can best close and execute to completion.
In today's market, you have to work very hard if you want to rise up the ranks and become a successful outsourcing company. It's like running a marathon - if you ask people 'how do i run a marathon?' you'll get a series of similar steps and priorities from most advisors, but the hard work is left to you.
To win, you need to figure out your core differentiators both from sales and delivery. Then figure out what your target market will be and how you can penetrate that market.
In the global market today, your ability to compete and win work will be heavily influenced by your home country. Launching a shop from India is going to be extremely different than launching a shop from E. Europe, i.e. you need to understand perceptions in your target market and how to navigate them.
Finally there is the simple fact that most outsourcing shops just don't deliver well. I evaluate over 100 shops a year, and most of them suffer from similar things: they may have good developers, but they are lacking in mature management and client/engagement handling. No matter how good your developers are, if you don't have solid management in place you'll never be able to grow. In my experience, about 70% of offshore shops suffer from a simple lack of management and it eventually kills them.
To succeed, look within and understand you company - who are you and what is special about your shop? Once you have a real answer for that, you can understand the next steps.
Good luck!
That's a good option! Offer a service on top of your product and convince the users to use BOTH your product and service. That's a good way to sustain growth.
Have a detailed and clear process for executing outreach to find qualified leads that will be interested in your service, then have a good strategy in place to get the users to use the product as well :)
