The perspective of this "inverted funnel" is that the
economic development of an area is built upon the existing base of
businesses in an area, rather than through investment promotion efforts
in isolation.
GUIDE
work helps us to better understand and share knowledge of that base and the
business benefits of an area.
SICR is the process we use to take that knowledge to market.
At the end of the process, locations are often differentiated by the
success of similar companies in their area. That is demonstrated by
what happens after a project is announced, and how the company grows beyond
the initial commitment over time, and how well they are supported and
retained instead of taken for granted. This also shows how well the
areas and local companies are adapting to a changing business world.
That's why
our process is not built around complex databases full of raw
statistics, but rather around the more effective sharing of local knowledge
about actual business conditions in the area, and how executives doing
business in the area perceive and have experienced the benefits of the area
in practice, including recent developments and plans which may not be
apparent in data. That's how GUIDE serves as a basis for SICR
promotional work.
In other words, this process wasn't designed to support the research and
analysis work of location consultants. Good ones already know how to
do valuable work to help investors define their needs and weigh complex
investment alternatives, making sense out of a world of many choices.
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Consider what the graphic
doesn't show, too. The focus of GDI Solutions is to reach and serve
major investors. All marketing efforts and the design of our services
are based on that premise. We are not trying to reach every company
which might ever do a small project somewhere. Of course, small investors
might take advantage of this website to find the contacts they need, and we
try to be helpful as best we can, but the point is that the top circle in
this graphic represents only a few thousand companies which are likely
prospects for major investment projects at any given time. It is a
very selective population of executives.
We are not trying to reach and maintain relationships with tens of
thousands of companies. We are not publishers, nor are we running a
marketing program which will "shoot at anything that moves" just to show
some "lead generation activity" for a given location.
Quite frankly, if we invested a lot of time "shooting at anything that
moves", or directly "pushing" one place or service, we wouldn't have the
independence and available time to develop the high value relationships
which are necessary to support major investors more effectively. If we
openly share what we learn by supporting the "big projects", as
already shown through this website, then the smaller ones should also
benefit. The same is true for smaller areas facing the challenge of trying
to attract attention and interest in the benefits which their areas can
offer, and build upon their existing base of successful
companies. |
| The GUIDE
services should enhance the ability of professional advisors to do even
better work for their clients, but the focus of this business is to share
relevant local knowledge and contacts with top executives
through a logically structured decision support process. We're not in
business to aggregate
and publish raw data for consultants or executives as a simplistic "do it
yourself" database approach to investment decisions which have such a
dramatic impact on companies and communities..
Our work requires close working
relationships and active participation among leading area representatives to
be successful at the challenge of sharing valuable knowledge and introductions among top
executives. The basic idea is to work together actively, rather than
as thousands of isolated specialists. Self-interests among all
participants can be served in a more efficient market sharing timely
knowledge about alternatives, as explained in the
financial markets and
retail analogies for this
business.
Instead of speculating about current and future investment conditions in
an area through imperfect raw statistics gathered for other purposes, and
perhaps unreliable analysis, participants can
share knowledge directly. |
The focus of SICR is to
develop the relationships among top executives as well as the leading
service providers and area representatives who can assist them. It is
the process to "take the knowledge to market".
The focus of GUIDE is to support those investors with better knowledge
and introductions to the people and information sources they may need.
It is all designed around the
global investment decision process, from the initial "information
gathering" and screening of many alternatives through "long-list" and "short
list" choices down to final negotiations, implementation, and retention
programs.
These services and potential future ones are all designed to fit together
as our initial steps to develop a far more efficient market. As this
business succeeds and grows, so will our understanding of investor needs,
and the feedback and
referral processes for all participants.
We
welcome your active participation in our work! |
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