Site selection consultants are often considered the MVPs of the economic development circle. These influencers play a crucial role in economic development for communities with attraction strategies by helping companies choose the best locations for their operations. Even though many communities will agree that site selectors are some of the most important people to get to know on the location decision spectrum, practices for engaging the consultant community are all over the board. While some communities share newsletters, others send gifts, and others still organize fancy Familiarization (FAM) Tours, during which they pull out all the community stops. All these strategies can be helpful, but some underlying considerations can take your engagement over the top and help your community stand out. The good news is that each strategy is straightforward and cost-effective. In this blog, we’ve provided a few simple tips to help ensure your consultant interactions are effective.
*Build Strong Relationships
The foundation of successful engagement is relationship-building. Site selection consultants often rely on trusted contacts and established networks. Attend industry conferences, participate in webinars, and engage with consultants through professional organizations. Regular communication, whether through newsletters, LinkedIn, or direct outreach, helps keep your community top-of-mind. Having a face to go with your community’s name could make a huge difference in how initial direct outreach is handled during a project process.
* Provide Clear and Comprehensive Data
Data is a huge differentiator; as much of it as possible should be available without the need to engage your community to ask for it directly. Hickey Global’s Down-Select Model service demonstrates this well by preparing communities to survive the first round of down-selection (often completed before engaging a community representative) by ensuring community assets are easily discoverable.
Consultants are data-driven decision-makers. Provide them with up-to-date, detailed information about your community, including labor force statistics, infrastructure capabilities, real estate availability, and incentives. Easing the research process by offering access to GIS mapping tools and online data portals can make your community even more attractive.
*Tailor Your Pitch
Having a blanket pitch about manufacturing projects wastes everyone's time if your consultant audience works mainly on corporate office projects. Understand the specific needs of the consultant you’re engaging and their clients and determine whether your community has an industry and asset alignment. If so, customize your pitch to highlight what fits the typical industry and project requirements. Whether it's workforce qualifications, proximity to markets, or quality of life, a tailored approach demonstrates that you understand and can meet the consultant’s (and their project’s) needs.
*If You Can, Offer Site Visits and Virtual Tours
Nothing beats seeing a potential site in person, but let’s face it, asking anyone to come and look at 20 green fields in a row may not go down as one of the best trips on record. Facilitate site visits that allow consultants to fully experience the community - meet key stakeholders, show off the quality of life - and see available properties. Remember to be mindful of busy schedules and personal time priorities. Many consultants spend lots of time on the road away from family and friends, so asking for multi-day commitments that include weekends may not be ideal for your target audience. Remember this as you extend invitations. For those unable to visit, high-quality virtual tours can be an effective alternative, engagingly showcasing sites and the surrounding community.
*Be Responsive and Proactive
Once you’ve made the reception, don’t fumble the ball! Timeliness is critical in site selection. Respond quickly to inquiries, provide additional information as needed, and anticipate potential questions. Being proactive by offering updates on new developments or opportunities in your community shows consultants that you are eager and ready to support their needs.
*Foster a Business-Friendly Environment
Many communities do a great job of touting large incentive funds to attract projects. Unfortunately, sometimes those incentives are hard to capture because of complex and time-consuming compliance requirements like lengthy forms, hard-to-reach performance-based thresholds, or a basic lack of understanding. These scenarios are just one example of a not-so-friendly business environment.
Consultants are looking for communities that make the process easy for their clients. Streamlined permitting processes, clear communication channels with local government, and a reputation for being responsive can make your community stand out.
*Leverage Success Stories and Testimonials
Finally, don’t be afraid to toot your own horn! If you’re sending a regular newsletter, share case studies and testimonials from businesses that have successfully established operations in your community. Positive experiences from other companies can serve as powerful endorsements and help build trust with consultants.
Hickey Global is uniquely positioned to help communities navigate site selector engagement from several angles. Since our core team comprises economic developers, we’ve all had firsthand site selector engagement experience. Moreover, leaning on the expertise of our sister site selection company, Hickey & Associates, we get regular feedback about the most effective community outreach. Connect with our team today to learn more about our Site Selector Engagement and Location Down-Select Model services to boost your competitiveness and site selector relationship-building efforts.
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