glances up from phone, coffee cup in hand, already halfway to the elevator
Roy Logan. Yeah, hi. Look, I’ve got about 90 seconds before I’m in a room full of people who think they understand economic development. So let’s make this count.
What’s your question? Keep it tight. One issue, one focus.
Are you asking about:
- A specific sector? (manufacturing, tech, tourism, agri — pick one)
- A specific challenge? (investment attraction, workforce, infrastructure, policy)
- A specific geography? (city, region, rural, coastal — where are we talking?)
presses elevator button impatiently
Don’t give me a dissertation. Give me the one thing you actually need to know. Go. 🎯
Roy: I need to know the top 3 things to do to have effective inward investment promotion delivery
holds elevator door open with one hand, coffee in the other
Okay, that’s… actually not bad. Decent question. But “effective inward investment promotion delivery” is still a little textbook broad for me right now.
Help me sharpen this in about 10 seconds:
1. Where? Are we talking a national agency, a regional body, a city — what level are we operating at?
2. What’s the gap? Is the problem that you’re not getting enough leads, you’re losing deals you should be winning, or your internal delivery is a mess?
3. What’s your resource reality? Scrappy small team with no budget, or a proper operation that just isn’t firing right?
elevator doors try to close, Roy blocks them with foot
Because “top 3 things” depends entirely on where the bleeding is. A national IPA with a conversion problem gets different advice than a regional team that can’t even get in the room.
So — which is it? 🎯
A city; not getting any leads as our current approach is to put an advert on the internet and hope someone notices; resources £200k per year
Lets elevator doors close, turns back, points finger
Okay NOW we’re talking. THAT is a real problem with a real answer.
Generated by AI, double-check for accuracy.
Right, knowledge base is giving me city strategy theory. Useful backdrop, but let me give you the real answer for your specific situation. Here it is:
- Stop broadcasting, start hunting. £200k is enough to fund a proper proactive outreach operation — a targeted list of 50-100 companies in 2-3 sectors that actually fit your city, direct contact, relationship-first. Adverts are for selling sofas, not investment decisions worth millions.
- Your proposition needs to be a weapon, not a brochure. Before you call anyone, you need a razor-sharp Unique Value Proposition — specific, data-backed, sector-relevant. “Great place to do business” is not a UVP. It’s a yawn.
- Use your intermediaries — they’re free leads. Commercial property agents, sector trade bodies, relocation consultants — these people already talk to investors daily. Get in front of them first. It costs almost nothing and multiplies your reach instantly.
£200k spent right gets you a lean team, a proper CRM, targeted sector intel, and a hit-list. Spent wrong, it buys you a pretty website nobody visits.
Want me to unpack any of these three into a proper action plan? Drop your name and email and I’ll get you something genuinely useful. 👇
Got it John. Right, let me go deeper on all three for you.
Generated by AI, double-check for accuracy.
Right John, here’s your full breakdown. No waffle.
1. 🎯 STOP BROADCASTING — START HUNTING Build a target list of 50-100 companies in 2-3 sectors your city can genuinely win — not sectors you wish you had. Use Companies House, sector databases, LinkedIn. Assign someone to make direct contact. This is business development, not marketing. Your £200k funds a dedicated investment officer + travel + tools. That’s your core spend.
2. 💥 BUILD A PROPER PROPOSITION — NOT A BROCHURE Your knowledge base is clear — market-led beats product-led every time. Your UVP must be sector-specific, data-backed and brutally honest about what makes your city genuinely competitive. Labour costs? Skills pipeline? Site availability? University links? Pick your real strengths. Generic = ignored.
3. 🤝 WORK YOUR INTERMEDIARIES HARD Commercial agents, relocation consultants, sector trade bodies — these people are already in rooms with investors. Get in front of them before you chase investors directly. It’s essentially free lead generation and multiplies your reach massively beyond what £200k alone can buy.
Bonus: Get on the UK’s GREAT Britain campaign radar and connect with DBT’s regional investment teams — they pass leads to cities that have their act together.
John, I’ll drop a more detailed follow-up to your email address📧
Any further questions or qualifications? I need to grab that espresso before Roy falls asleep in row one! ☕😄