Mixed signals

If you have read my articles, you’ll notice that I have a pretty simple structure. It’s laid out as lessons learned from past experiences and dovetailing those experiences to the present, then including what I believe are the obstacles to success.

Miscommunication is a deal-breaker in ICT selling. Believe me. ICT sales and marketing involve many aspects beyond the usual "People, Process and Technology" evaluations. These things we are abundant in and I am certain of that. But why are we not getting the BIG DEALS? Why are we not on top of the list of foreign countries looking to outsource in Asia? Sure, we’re somewhere up there in the list but we’re not Number 1 when we should be Number 1! I’ll tell you why. I was on a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to San Francisco recently and while on board I was shocked to see a commercial showcasing Malaysia’s strength in ICT. Yes, this ad on board the Philippine flag carrier! Now, there’s something very wrong in that picture. This is what I mean by miscommunication. We are failing miserably to communicate all the fantastic things we have to offer in the area of ICT! What’s worse is that we’re even selling our competitors.

Something like this would worry "strike teams" (dedicated, specialized sales teams) during a prospective sales opportunity. One non-briefed person receiving a wrong or incomplete message can stray the mind of the prospective clients and sway their decision in favor of the competitor.

So what does this tell me? Our effort to sell the Philippines as an ICT hub is not synchronized with our messaging effort. That, folks, is the truth and exactly what the Philippines needs to improve on. Imagine all the selling and marketing that took place on Philippine soil only to be interrupted by a competitor’s ad on the way out of the country.

Current scenario

Forward thinkers in this economy know that ICT is one of the avenues in which the Philippines can gain strong presence. We are poised to take the challenge, but we need to maintain a certain level of operations as well as get the correct messaging out. Don’t get me wrong, we excel in many aspects, but we are failing terribly in getting our successes recognized locally and abroad. What we have in the area of ICT and what we’ve accomplished thus far just don’t add up. Most other countries bearing a similar economic profile with more or less the same political, social and economic problems are more recognized in the area of ICT. The difference is that these other countries are able to position and sell themselves well. So, we need to blow our horn a little louder this time. In doing so maybe other countries will stop and look at what we have to offer and, who knows, we might just become THE Asian ICT hub.

Clear ICT messaging

Let’s take stock of the assets we have: People, Process and Technology. We have an abundance of these key elements, but we have messaging gaps. We fail to communicate that we have an abundance of these assets. And I believe that messaging is the key element to close a deal or keep the deals from coming in. Our "CALL TO ACTION" must be to develop clear and consistent messages that aim to call attention and project an image of the Philippines as a fertile ground to do outsourcing. One thing to remember is this: CIOs of foreign companies know that business can be done at lower costs in Asian countries, but they also know that they are compromising their job and reputation by going Asian. That CIO has to be able to defend his or her decision to go to Asia – to go to the Philippines, for that matter. Let’s give him/her some ammunition, something to take back home to justify why the Philippines is THE place to outsource.

Semper Fi!