| There are many ways by which
GDI Solutions can reach an executive who has responsibility for direct
investment project decisions, but referrals from other executives,
professional services providers, or area representatives should become a
significant source of "project leads". |
This topic is addressed
further in specific
proposals for SICR participants. It is not elaborated in detail here
at this time for competitive reasons. The graphic below helps to
visualize the qualification and referral process in general, from our
receipt of referrals through our suggestion of introductions to others. |
| Not all referrals or feedback
can be shared openly, whether for confidentiality or other constraints.
Some referrals or feedback reflect very accurate information, while others
may be unreliable or even wildly inaccurate. Until we contact the
executives and learn more about their needs and any potential sensitivities
related to their project interests, we do not share the referrals we receive
with anyone.
GDI Solutions attempts to carefully screen all referrals and feedback from
participants and other contacts so that when information is shared, it
should either be very reliable, or else our concerns about the reliability of the
information will be made clear. For example, in the past we have handled
referrals about potential projects which, on closer examination, proved to
be a waste of time because the business was not viable. Our
qualification work therefore avoided a further waste of time by those who
might otherwise have received the "lead" from services which do not
rigorously validate the information. This was a particular problem
during the "dot bomb" period, when many companies without a viable business
model planned projects which they did not have the resources to implement or
sustain. In contrast, there have also been obscure companies which turned
out, on closer examination, to have exciting potential in niche markets
which no area representatives might ever have identified or decided to
"target" in their investment promotion efforts. The point is that, no
matter how much or how little we are told when we receive a referral, we try
to apply all our experience and research capabilities to qualify the
potential investment project before we refer it to others for follow-up
action. We don't just call the company, take whatever we are told at
face value, and make introductions to others. We try to do enough
"homework" to distinguish good project leads quickly from those which may be
far more dubious. We don't want to invest a lot of our limited time
and resources in the support of project enquiries which seem to have little
substance to them, and we don't want to encourage professional service
providers or area representatives to waste their time either. The
qualification process is therefore fundamental to our ability to stay
focused on major projects. We want to quickly understand a project and
the factors which are driving it, as well as the company and market
situation behind it. By not spending too much time on the support of
projects with marginal credibility or a very small scale, we conserve our
ability to concentrate more time and effort on major projects which are
real. |
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