Indian IT firms have been reluctant to invest in sales for long to maintain margins and frugal operations. But now facing heat they are doing precisely that.

The country�s second-largest software exporter, Infosys, plans to hire 150 sales and marketing people this year to focus exclusively on the crucial US and European markets.

Wipro too is looking to beef up its sales team, and is keeping one eye out for professionals with a consulting background. Cognizant, that currently has over 80 sales professionals and over 900 client relationship managers, plans to add more people in the sales and account manager roles.