Making marketing easier

ClientCurve, the brainchild of Prem and Karan Singh Tara, helps companies effectively market themselves by outsourcing their sales.

Around 2008-2009 when the recession was at its peak and most companies, be they small or large, were struggling to stay afloat, given the economic slump. But there was one company that managed to not just hold its ground but also flourished. ClientCurve, a marketing outsourcing company, was not only running profitably, but its founders Prem Singh Tara and Karan Singh Tara were also brainstorming a new business idea.

Given the economic downturn, most companies wouldn’t even think of expanding businesses let alone starting news ones. But the success of ClientCurve gave its founders the confidence to start working on their new business. The idea behind the business was to solve problems that many companies face during their marketing campaigns. However, the most complex task during these marketing campaigns is to get contact details of the relevant people, who are the key decision makers when it comes to receiving the products and services offered by the company.

It was to build this data online that the duo started DataCurve in June 2012, where users can upload their professional contact details and get the relevant credits, which can be used to get new contacts.

Talking about his career, Prem said, “I did my graduation in computer science from Badruka College in the City and went on to do GNIIT. However, due to the recession, the job market was down and I began my career in marketing and sales at Sixth Element Systems.”

However, Prem always wanted to start his own business and that is how ClientCurve came about. “I always used to tell my cousin Karan that we should start a business together. But at that time we didn’t know what the business could be. However, my marketing experience from my previous jobs came to our aid and we decided to use that as a platform for our entrepr-eneurial journey,” he said.

ClientCurve started in January 2008 with an investment of `3-4 lakh. “We had a client in place before starting the company. Over time we reinvested the returns into the business to help it grow,” he said.

Talking about the business idea, he said, “ClientCurve is a marketing outsourcing company, which supports businesses in building lists of potential clients and generate qualified leads for our clients. It also provides services like campaign management, SEO and social media marketing.”

“The businesses can save up to 50 per cent of their costs by outsourcing their marketing to ClientCurve. It is important to calculate the invisible costs that a company incurs, which includes infrastructure.”

However, it was not a smooth sailing all along. The business had its share of initial hiccups. “As a start up, there were many challenges. There were not many marketing (Management) graduates at that time. Those who were qualified did not want to work with a start-up. Considering half of our clients are from US, the South Indian accent was also a challenge.”

Talking about the revenue model, he said, “The business generates revenues that include fixed charges that starts from $1,000 and also has 3 to 10 per cent share in generated sales.”

Currently, the company’s annual growth rate is 30 to 35 per cent for the last three years and it is also reaping profits of 30 per cent. The company wants to expand its operations in US by the end of this year. It also wants to increase its employee base to 100 people by the end of FY2013. The business is also looking for potential investors to scale up DataCurve and to take it to a higher level.

The company is investing 20 per cent of its revenues in DataCurve. There are around 1,000 users, who not only upload their business contacts and also update the data as and when required. The credits gained for uploading contacts can be used to access new data. Companies who do not have sufficient credits can buy the contact data.

On what makes DataCurve click, Prem said, “The businesses can run a campaign in 30 minutes if they have the relevant contacts. The manager can export their contacts to CRM and with a click of a button, the mails can be sent to potential clients.”

A typical work day entails 12 hours for Prem, who likes to unwind by catching up on technology news sites and watching cricket matches.

Tags: ClientCurve, featured, full-image, Karan Singh Tara, Prem

Category: Business, Interviews