Asclepius Consulting is one of the many small software companies in India that have aspirations to become product companies as opposed to being services companies. Asclepius Consulting deals in hospital management information systems and has a product and service offering that is competitive and well received by customers. However, due to lack of capital, the company has been unable to invest in a sales force, and this has created a problem of reach. It is currently selling through a combination of resellers (external parties contracted to sell the software) and an inside sales force. Now, one of its three co-founders, whose expertise is in business process restructuring and business planning and strategy, is looking at revisiting the sales and marketing model in this complex marketplace.

Discussion Questions

What makes a market attractive? How would you segment the healthcare information systems market in India and which segments would you recommend to Asclepius?
How did most hospitals make their IT-related purchases? Describe the decision making unit at a hospital.
What are the factors you would take into account while deciding on a sales strategy? What are the factors that are relevant to Asclepius?
What salesforce structure should Asclepius choose - resellers or inside salespeople - and why?
How critical is the sales strategy for Asclepius?