US Market Entry Checklist for Indian IT Firms: How to Get Software Projects from the USA with Named Accounts

PROOF AND NICHE
1  ★ One niche chosen: one buyer type and one problem you have solved at least twice
2  ★ Two case studies in that niche, each with problem, what you built and an agreed result
3  ★ One reference a US buyer can phone, with the client's permission
4    Case studies written for a US reader: US spelling, US dollars, no internal jargon
5    A one-page capability note for the niche, not a list of every technology you use
6    Named delivery lead and account owner, with photos and short profiles on the website
7    Website states who you serve in the USA and shows the niche on the home page
8    A small paid first step defined: a discovery sprint or pilot with a fixed price

WORKING HOURS AND COMMUNICATION
9  ★ Overlap hours agreed and published (IST is 9.5 hours ahead of US Eastern in summer
     time and 10.5 hours in winter; Pacific is three hours further)
10   A US phone number that reaches a person during the overlap hours
11   Calendar link set to the buyer's time zone
12   A weekly status format a US manager would recognise: done, next, risks, decisions
13   Escalation path named: who the client calls when something slips

CONTRACTS, TAX AND PAYMENT
14 ★ Master services agreement and statement of work templates reviewed by a US lawyer
15 ★ Intellectual property clause: the client owns the work product on payment
16 ★ Mutual NDA ready to sign before discovery
17   Decision made on contracting entity: the Indian company directly, or a US entity
18   If a US entity: formation, US bank account, EIN and the Indian overseas investment
     filings discussed with your CA
19   Form W-8BEN-E ready for US clients paying the Indian company (ask your CA how the
     India-US tax treaty applies)
20   GST: Letter of Undertaking filed for export of services
21   Invoicing in US dollars; payment terms stated (for example net 30)
22   Bank documents kept for each foreign payment received
23   Limitation of liability, warranty and termination clauses agreed internally
24   Professional liability and cyber insurance quotes; certificate of insurance on request

DATA AND SECURITY
25 ★ Written information security policy and access control for client systems
26 ★ Answers ready for a standard security questionnaire
27   SOC 2 or ISO/IEC 27001: status known, and a date if you are working towards one
28   Data handling for regulated sectors: health data (HIPAA and a business associate
     agreement), payments, US state privacy laws such as California's
29   Background checks on staff with client system access, if the client requires them
30   Laptop, code repository and credential rules written down

OUTREACH RULES AND SET-UP
31 ★ Cold email meets CAN-SPAM: accurate sender, honest subject line, a valid postal
     address and an opt-out honoured within 10 business days
32 ★ No auto-dialled or pre-recorded calls to mobile numbers without checking US calling
     rules (TCPA) and state rules
33   Separate sending domain warmed up; main domain protected
34   LinkedIn profiles of the founder and account owner rewritten for US buyers
35   CRM set up with accounts as the main record, not contacts

NAMED ACCOUNTS
36 ★ 50 to 150 named US accounts that look like clients you have served
37   Each account scored on fit and timing and placed in Tier 1, 2 or 3
38   Three or four roles mapped per Tier 1 account: budget owner, technical evaluator,
     day-to-day owner, procurement
39   One dated trigger and one reason to talk per Tier 1 account
40   A 90-day plan with weekly review dates and named owners

All 12 ★ items done           Ready to start outreach to Tier 1 accounts
9 to 11 ★ items done          Fix the gaps this month; start with Tier 3 accounts only
Fewer than 9 ★ items done     Not ready. Outreach now will spend your best accounts

Item	Part	Must-pass	Owner	Status	Due date	Notes

1. Should we contract with US clients from the Indian company, or set up a US entity?
2. If a US entity, which filings apply in India for the investment, and when?
3. How do we fill in Form W-8BEN-E, and does the India-US tax treaty apply to our fees?
4. Is our Letter of Undertaking for export of services current?
5. What documents should we keep for each payment received from abroad?
6. If someone works on site in the USA, what changes for tax?

1. Is our master services agreement enforceable and usual for US mid-sized buyers?
2. Which state's law and which venue should we propose?
3. How should limitation of liability and indemnity be worded for software work?
4. What do we need for HIPAA or financial data, if a client asks us to handle it?
5. Does our cold email and calling plan meet CAN-SPAM, TCPA and the relevant state rules?

Account	Website	State	Size band	Lookalike of	Tier	Fit score	Trigger and date	Budget owner	Technical evaluator	Day-to-day owner	Procurement	Overlap hours	Owner	Status

Days 1 to 14    Close the ★ gaps. Choose the niche. Write the two case studies.
Days 15 to 30   Build the named list of 50 to 150 accounts. Score and tier it.
                Map Tier 1 buying committees. Find one trigger per Tier 1 account.
Days 31 to 60   Tier 1 outreach by LinkedIn, email and phone in US working hours,
                several people per account. Tier 2 outreach from day 45.
Days 61 to 90   Follow up with new angles. Offer the paid first step where there
                is interest. Pause accounts where three roles have not responded.
                Review which accounts, triggers and messages started conversations.