I think you may have heard the news by now, but if you haven’t, then you should know that the telecom advisory firm that I founded, TAG, has been acquired by Alsbridge, Inc. I’m excited about the change, and I know that you will be too. TAG will operate as a service line of Alsbridge, and will offer the same world-class staff and processes that we always have. We’ve even added more staff to our team during this exciting period of acquisitive growth. The combined offerings of TAG and Alsbridge bring a unique value proposition to our clients. We now provide global advisory services dedicated to helping clients reduce costs and improve service levels in information technology and business processes in addition to telecommunications network services. No other advisory firm provides the combined services that we offer.

You can learn more about us, what we do and how we can save you 15 to 50 percent on your telecom network services by checking out our website. And coming soon, you’ll also find resources, such as articles and white papers, that will help you make decisions on managing your telecom expenses.

Have a prosperous 2010!



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Unlike others perhaps, I didn’t learn the adage “you never have a second chance to make a good first impression” until I had graduated from college and was in my early working years.  I know for sure there have been times I did not put my best foot forward.  It may have been that I was just too nervous to know how best to make that good first impression.

Over the last year or so I’ve dealt with dozens of service providers both onshore and offshore who have had the opportunity to make a really good first impression.  For some reason, several have made it more difficult for themselves in the next scheduled interaction with the client because they came off as looking not as good as they really are to the client.  I am not sure if they didn’t take the time to plan for the meeting or couldn’t muster the right resources to engage with the client.

I know this is going to sound a bit too trite… but it’s the simple things that make the difference to clients.  Let me cite three that stand out: 

1) Take notes - Sounds a bit ridiculous but I have had clients who after an interaction came away with the impression that the people they met with were not really interested in their business.  I believe this was quite to the contrary, however, there sat five executives who just listened, nodded, but didn’t take a single note.  Taking notes demonstrates you are interested in what the client is saying.

2) Engage - More often than not I’ll see three or four people attending a meeting and one or two of them do all the talking.  After they leave, the client is not sure why the others were brought along.  Everyone should have a defined role to play and needs to contribute to the topic.  Otherwise leave them behind.

3) Push back - I think sometimes service providers go too far in agreeing with the client.  We had one client recently who told a provider, “Tell us what we need to hear, not what you think we want to hear.”  The clients I have worked with want to hear the truth.  If you don’t agree with what they say, tell them.  But do it in such a way that you can factually back up your position, not just provide an opinion.

I realize these sound very trivial, but whether you are a service provider seeking new business or interacting with your own senior executives, all three apply.  I have to remind myself every time I meet a new client or service provider that I too am held to the same standard of making a good first impression.  Make yours count.



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What a way to kick off the New Year?  Alsbridge continues to grow organically and has just added a new service line to our suite of offerings to clients.  I’m excited!

We’ve just introduced what I believe is a step-change in the sourcing advisory space by acquiring TAG, the leading experts in procurement, contract negotiation and expense management of telecommunications services including voice, data, wireless, internet, local, and international services. 

In my opinion, Alsbridge already had the best methodology and database of information to assist clients to reduce costs and improve services levels in information technology and business processes.  Now, we have data-driven capabilities in the telecommunications network space as well. 

I’ve watched the outsourcing industry grow up and seen its sibling – the telecommunications network services industry – growing side by side.  And since moving to the sourcing advisory space in 2003, we’ve worked side by side with consulting firms in the telecom network spaces.  Combining the expertise in both spaces has long made sense to me, but I hadn’t found a firm with the right focus on service delivery excellence until we began talks with TAG.  The acquisition of TAG is a continuation of a strategic plan to acquire data-rich consulting capabilities to be able to provide a wider set of services to our clients and meet today’s as well as tomorrow’s need to reduce cost across the enterprise.

Simply put, no other sourcing advisory firm can provide clients with the depth of expertise in sourcing information technology, business processes and telecommunications network services.  Our current and future clients will benefit greatly from the synergies!



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Let me start by saying you better have a really good reason for leaving a perfectly fine company and launching a new one in an economic downturn. I don’t have one.

I have 24.

From “power broker” to “biz pimp” to a “Craigslist for businesses,” just about everyone has had their unique take on how to describe Core24’s business model and mission.

So, I thought I’d make my first blog entry all about what I’ve been up to since leaving D Magazine Partners (D CEO Magazine) where I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know so many of you, Dallas’ movers and shakers, and make this my official “Introducing Core24” announcement.

Core24’s concept is simple. We represent areas of expertise that executives are likely to need while running their companies and offer an arsenal of experts – 24 of them, that have been hand-selected for their impressive track record of helping companies achieve desired results in a variety of disciplines – all important to an organization’s overall success.

My time with D CEO Magazine made me realize that there was a major need to identify the cream from the crop of over 450,000 service providers in the Dallas market alone and offer the executive community a "short cut" to experts that they can trust -- especially in a challenging economy, when companies are feverishly looking for ways to cut costs, increase revenues and be smarter than ever about every aspect of their business.

The best part of my job is I get to work with people that aren’t only very good at what they do, but are also GREAT people who all share a sincere desire to help others. Bottom line is, and we all know it – expertise only pays the entry fee. People do business with who they like, who they trust and who truly care about their business. In fact, a recent study by US News & World Report revealed that when clients leave their current provider it’s not because of a pricing or product problem, but a "people" problem. People that no longer value their business, or seem indifferent to it. A whopping 68% of them. A fractional 14% defected because of a pricing issue followed by 9% who were successfully wooed by a competitor.

I invite you to get to know the Core24 team by exploring the Our Experts area on the www.Core24inc.com site and find out for yourself how much easier it is to work with an exceptional team of people that are as knowledgeable as they are passionate about helping you succeed.

Please don't hesitate to contact me direct if I can visit with you about Core24's collective capabilities should you have current or future needs that we can help you with.

Wishing you the Best of Everything in 2010!

Sunny Morris
President/Founder
Core24
469.865.6394 direct
Core24inc.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


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I’ve now done over 40 site visits to service delivery centers–mostly in India, but also in the Philippines, Malaysia, Ireland, Spain, Czech Republic, South Africa, United States and all over Latin America—both as an advisor and as a host, and I still enjoy them. I watched kids open Christmas presents a couple of days ago and could not help but draw a parallel. The wide-eyed excitement that comes with seeing the capabilities of mature service providers is really not that different from the kids ripping the wrapping off their presents.

I love the site visit because it is when prospective outsourcing clients go from skeptical to enthusiastic, from fearful to excited, from “this must happen” to “I can’t wait for this to happen!”  For the customer, it’s the first chance to see how many of their peers are really making outsourcing and offshoring work, and how much more capability is possible in this environment than “back at home.”  For the provider, it is the best opportunity to prove the promises of the sales cycle can indeed be delivered. It’s one of the reasons that we usually advise our clients to bring along their loudest naysayer—it turns them into supporters almost every time!

The promise of outsourcing lies not just in labor arbitrage, but in the focus a specialist can bring to a back-office process or technology, and the advantages of a global footprint in a global economy. A well-designed site visit will showcase all three! Yet even as they build excitement for an outsourcing initiative, site visits are also a great reality check: they highlight the challenges of working remotely, across time zones, and how those challenges are addressed by other companies doing the same things; they can expose the vast cultural and socio-economic differences that will exist no matter how good the commercial relationship; and they show everyone what traveling “half way” around the world—twice—really means!

Because of the intense experience site visits represent, they also carry significant weight in the client’s decision-making process. Providers prepare intensely but the visiting delegation should prepare just as much! If you need help planning site visits, reach out to us—we can help!

It occurred to me the other day there was a time when outsourcing providers would cringe when they heard a sourcing advisor had been retained by a client or prospect.  But I don’t think that is the case any longer, nor should it be.  In fact, I believe that the news should be met with optimism, and not just because the buyer is sending clearer signals regarding making a sourcing decision.

Companies looking to begin a sourcing journey, whether outsourcing their IT infrastructure or applications or sourcing a mix of business processes, desire a well-crafted deal that will optimize their goals.  Providers used to think that an advisor in the mix would lengthen the time until a deal is struck.  I offer the opposite is true.  Advisors bring to the table structure and project management acumen that will assist their clients by quickly determining key sourcing decisions and an overall streamlining of the project.

I contend providers will benefit the same as buyers do when an advisor has been engaged. 

Continue Reading "One Sourcing Deal, Three Wins"

There have been several stories quoting Cognizant is considering buying the investors out of GenPact.  Watch this video to hear the story as reported from CNBC India:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40HrpCJ2XGk

The Alsbridge Opinion:
If consummated, this is an interesting move that will reduce the number of major competitors in the India-based global services outsourcing market.  While we have no specific information on the opportunity, we think this is something that buyers should stay tuned to as it may affect their decision making process.



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When was the last time you purchased a home?  Last year?  A few years back?  Five, perhaps 10, years ago?  Did you hire a realtor, or did you go the whole way through on your own?  For most people, domestic and internationally, the decision to purchase a home is one of the single most important and largest financial transactions a person makes and experiences.  As a potential homebuyer, you have limited knowledge (even within the locale in which you focus your search). At best you have a handful of experiences in the process (and those are usually a few years removed), and you lack access to information on the latest transactions (even with internet-based searches).  It is a complex decision-making process, filled with risks and financial obligations not normally encountered daily, weekly, monthly, even annually, by the vast majority of people.  Hiring a specialist reduces risks, expedites the process, arms you with an advocate, and usually produces results faster, cheaper, and at significant savings of effort on your part.

Continue reading "Why You Need a Sourcing Advisor"

A bit more than a year ago, I took a position with a global business process service provider in what many had termed as going over to “the dark side”, a term typically used when an industry person joins a supplier organization.  Having been a renowned research analyst who tracked outsourcing activity for more than 12 years, I longed for a change.  I already had worked with all the major suppliers, consultants, lawyers, associations, and publications to share perspectives about outsourcing.  I was ready to hone my experience into a strategic position to help grow the brand of a company I respected.

Well, lo and behold, I am still in the service provider universe – more well rounded, more confident re: what I am good at (and challenged at doing!),  more understanding about effectively working through cultural differences, and definitely more impressed with how global companies succeed in spite of external and internal challenges.  Every day turns out to be a learning experience.  I continually find glimpses of gaining respect for my colleagues and third parties with whom I work as we all try to stay “one step ahead” of what might be.

In retrospect, the only dark side I could pinpoint is the loss of volume to my voice…something that happens to all of us if/when we move from a position of influence and authority to that of being just 1 of tens-of-thousands of other employees.  But you know what?  In this world, we find ways to make ourselves heard.  We churn out work products that make us proud.  We help others solve problems.  We communicate more effectively with folks we otherwise may not have reached in the past.  We aim to collaborate in a corporate environment that requires perseverance and patience.

Most of all, being in a supplier role has taught me the importance of focusing on the “light,” not the dark.  At the end of the day, all we have is our accomplishments and ideas of what we could do better tomorrow.  And I’m still excited to be in this outsourcing universe and the potential of what may be in 2010.

Lisa Maio Ross is Vice President, Marketing – Sourcing Advisor Relations for Genpact.  Her comments represent her personal views, not those of Genpact.  She can be reached at 857-318-1358 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 



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I’m delighted to welcome you to the launch of our new and improved website and online publication!   Our staff of writers, editors, and web developers has scrutinized and evaluated everything we publish on www.outsourcingleadership.com and effected improvements across the board.  The transformation is nothing short of astounding.  One thing has not changed, however, and that is our objective of being the indispensable information resource chosen by sourcing, financial, and IT professionals.

Visit www.outsourcingleadership.com now, subscribe and explore the new features and technologies available to help you get engaged in innovative and interesting ways. The new interactive features will allow you to contribute your opinion, feedback, and even original material for publication. It will be easier than ever for you to provide input and feedback directly to us.  

Most importantly, we thank you, our readers for your continuing support.  It is our sincere hope that you will find the new Outsourcing Leadership to be more informative and valuable than ever.

Sincerely,
Ben Trowbridge
CEO, Alsbridge, Inc.