COVID-19 prevention and control measures have become the new normal.

Under the guidance of the new prevention and control plan, the movement of people and goods is becoming increasingly smooth.

There is no longer a need for city-wide lockdowns or rapid "zero-COVID" measures.

With the exception of areas under temporary restrictions, production and daily life in other areas have largely returned to normal.

The uncertainty caused by the pandemic is significantly decreasing.

As a company with operations in 21 cities across the country, we have truly felt this change.

It is now much easier for the business development team at GuChuan United to visit government offices and inspect companies.

Even during temporary home quarantine, we can use the extra time to study, reflect, and update our knowledge base.

As the saying goes, “Hone your skills during quiet times to increase your success rate when things get busy.”

However, the situation is entirely different for government investment promotion staff.

Not only must they diligently pursue investment projects, but they must also rush to the front lines at any moment to assist with pandemic response, leaving their workdays fragmented into short, scattered intervals.

There are less than 100 days left until the end of 2022.

Looking at the unmet investment targets, it would be a lie to say I’m not anxious.

Lately, I’ve often heard this phrase:

"Effectively coordinating pandemic control with economic and social development."

Of course, the safety and well-being of the people come first.

However, economic development is also closely tied to the people’s well-being, with the most direct impacts being on employment and income.

Balancing these priorities is essential.

But for local government departments, this is tantamount to trying to stretch 24 hours into 48.

What should be done?

At this very moment, the time dedicated to investment promotion is the most valuable resource for those engaged in this work.

How can we make the most of our limited time to achieve tangible results and maximize efficiency? Fourteen words:

Hone your skills during pandemic response lulls; boost success rates when back on the job.

How to build internal capabilities? Two key areas:

First, identify changes in companies’ site selection needs;

Second, optimize every step of the investment promotion process to align with companies’ specific location requirements.

Let’s start with the first point.

In recent years, China’s industrial landscape has undergone significant changes.

It has shifted from technology application to technology-driven manufacturing.

We have shifted from relying on real estate and mobile internet to relying on advanced manufacturing.

A wave of emerging industries has emerged.

Amid the pandemic, we investment promoters are anxious, and the companies riding this wave are anxious too.

They must quickly select a location, begin production as soon as possible, and seize market share.

Take biopharmaceuticals, photovoltaics, and new energy vehicles, for example—the urgency of their need for site selection and capacity expansion goes without saying.

There are also some industries that may seem simple but actually hold immense potential and should not be overlooked—such as ready-to-cook meals.

Identifying these urgent site selection needs helps us make the most of our limited working hours and facilitate more successful conversions.

In this regard, Guchuan United can leverage its online investment promotion network, XuanNai.com, to access a vast amount of site selection information, facilitating over 800 effective matches daily.

Second, we must align local investment advantages with enterprises’ site selection needs to ensure they are willing to relocate here.

Scientific and precise industrial positioning planning is the foundation of everything.

We must first identify what resources are available and then determine what industries to target.

These are precise assessments based on objective and scientific foundations and should not be changed lightly.

However, what investment promotion professionals can decide is—how to present these investment advantages to corporate site selection decision-makers.

This applies to every aspect of investment promotion work.

For example: the script for introducing the industrial park, the design of investment promotion brochures, the drafting of external publicity materials, the formulation of investment policies, and so on.

Let me give an example.

When discussing locational advantages, we often say:

“The park is just a 10-minute drive from the city’s central business district.”

On the surface, this statement seems perfectly fine.

But what does this actually mean to the client?

Doesn’t this require the client to take a step back and consider what value the park actually offers them?

First and foremost, this is of great significance to corporate recruitment teams.

This is because Gen Z and Millennials place unprecedented importance on their work environment and personal fulfillment.

For a company’s business departments, this means having more cafes, restaurants, and lounges available as venues for business negotiations.

This is especially true for foreign-invested companies.

Business and social needs often take higher priority.

Similarly, the distance from the park to transportation hubs, the design style of the facilities, and business-friendly policies hold varying levels of value for different companies, departments, and site selection managers at different levels.

If these factors can be highlighted in a targeted manner during presentations, it will be extremely helpful.

Only by continuously honing our skills and refining our investment promotion efforts with this mindset can we help companies see the project’s highlights and believe that their needs can be met.

How to increase success rates?

The key lies in understanding the client’s inner thoughts and finding common ground.

Generally speaking, site selection managers are thinking:

Which industrial park can meet our needs, offers a reasonable price, and demonstrates a high level of cooperation? I believe it’s trustworthy. When I report this to the company, it won’t put me in a difficult position—instead, I’ll receive broad approval. This way, we can move quickly to sign the contract, start construction, and begin production.

There are four key points here:

Meeting needs, high level of cooperation, trustworthy, and unanimous approval.

First, needs can be divided into corporate needs and personal needs.
When I mention personal needs, please don’t get the wrong idea.
The site selection manager’s personal need is most likely:

"Site selection is such a major undertaking. If I can get more done with less money and pull it off brilliantly, I can make a name for myself overnight and earn a favorable impression from the boss and management."

It may sound a bit self-serving, but it’s the reality.

Have you and your team considered this perspective?

Regarding cooperation, try putting yourself in their shoes.
Often, when a business park needs to investigate the operational status of tenant companies, some drag their feet and refuse to cooperate, while others can send the materials over the same afternoon after receiving the request in the morning.

Don’t we tend to have a better impression of the latter?
Back to industrial investment promotion work.
If, during the initial site visits and negotiations, the investment promotion team is slow to respond to a company’s needs, the company will think:
“I’m not even a ‘sitting duck’ yet, and your response is already this slow. Once we sign the contract or even move in, your efficiency will be even lower.”
The investor will have a huge question mark in their mind.
Here’s another case.

During a research visit to an industrial park, we had a conversation with the head of the investment promotion team.

“What is the fresh air volume for the office buildings in our park?

“Fresh air volume? We can provide as much as you need.”

“...Also, does our park have a dual-circuit power supply?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Do you know which two substations the power lines are drawn from?”

“Um…” Have you ever lost major projects for similar reasons?
Professionalism is also a key factor in winning the trust of clients.

When providing industrial investment promotion services, we help park investment teams identify and address the questions frequently raised by industry leaders, Fortune 500 companies, and specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises during the site selection process.

This undoubtedly strengthens our professional standing in the eyes of investors and creates more opportunities for project settlement.

Despite the shadow of the pandemic, China’s economy has grown stronger in the face of adversity.

Behind these impressive results lie the relentless efforts of countless investment promotion professionals—working on multiple fronts, leveraging resources, speaking eloquently, and strategizing from behind the scenes.

In industrial investment promotion, we cannot focus solely on results while ignoring the process.

We are all part of this, so we naturally understand.