When it comes to business development, you can never get around the importance of "people."

The greatest challenge in investment promotion is "resources." Since there is no standardized approach to customer acquisition, "people" remain one of the most effective methods.

Birds of a feather flock together; for people, the company matters more than the destination.

A lone traveler may go fast, but a group travels far. When people journey together, they go both faster and farther.

Networks are resources, platforms are channels, and they “connect” projects. Therefore, in investment promotion, “cultivating the right circles, leveraging the right channels, and managing the right personnel” are all indispensable.

Building a strong network is the foundation

In investment promotion, the value of a network lies not in the number of people you know, but in the effectiveness and value of the information transmitted through your “social circle.”

This means leveraging the convergence of information and connections to “cultivate your network” and compensate for resource gaps. By gaining information and resources from your network, your next project begins with “networking.”

What kind of circles should you join?

Unimpeded information flow is crucial for investment promotion professionals.

Investment promotion professionals in different regions and at different levels naturally accumulate different clients and resources. In particular, those in coastal regions have earlier access to information, broader resources, and more extensive networks.

Consequently, project “intelligence” arrives quickly, and the investment “information war” is waged effectively.

When investment channels are limited and leads are scarce, collaborative investment promotion becomes one of the most effective approaches.

Multiple regions collaborate on development, building teams together, sharing resources, and jointly organizing investment promotion events.

Sichuan and Chongqing have launched collaborative industrial investment promotion, jointly promoting their regions to the outside world. If negotiations reveal a project that cannot be implemented locally due to insufficient conditions, they proactively refer it to the other region.

When investment promoters engage with companies, they should ask one additional question: “Do you have any entrepreneur friends you can introduce?” Generally, seasoned professionals know how to identify and develop leads.

Every client has a professional network. Behind this network lie corporate resources, fellow business owners, and upstream and downstream suppliers who can provide investment promotion officers with valuable leads.

Conversely, during the investment promotion process, companies often ask: “Which companies are already located in the park?”

It must be said that having neighbors that a company “likes” is naturally a plus. When you can’t attract or persuade a company, try approaching their industry peers and consider recruiting them together as a group.

In other words, negotiations with companies present the best opportunity to expand your professional network.

Effective use of channels is the key

Every investor represents a node in an industrial chain, and most are upstream or downstream suppliers. Securing the first investor and expanding to subsequent ones constitutes a critical investment attraction channel.

Today, traditional incentives such as “status-based benefits” and “regional incentives” in investment promotion are outdated and may not be suitable for every project. Meanwhile, companies that take the lead in pioneering a market can serve as powerful advocates through their firsthand experiences.

For instance, when companies invest locally and find the market and investment environment favorable overall, they often invite their upstream and downstream partners to invest as well—a strategy that tends to garner widespread support.

Whether local governments organize group investment promotion campaigns—employing the “five-step approach” of showing videos, reading scripts, setting up booths, hosting events, and toasting—or send small teams out to engage in “spotting opportunities” style recruitment, these efforts consume significant human, material, financial, and mental resources, yet often yield limited results.

However, when businesses use “business-to-business investment promotion”—targeting fellow market participants—they share a common language and perspective, which naturally leads to higher success rates.

For example, an entrepreneur’s “circle of contacts” consists of business owners in the light manufacturing sector in Fujian; when they meet and quickly calculate the cost-benefit ratio, they can immediately decide whether to invest and operate.

While businesses consider “sunk costs,” they place even greater emphasis on improving production efficiency. No longer willing to spend additional funds on land acquisition, demolition, and factory construction, they prefer the “move-in-ready” standard factory model, which has become a favored investment approach.

Those who are serious about securing projects know how to select opportunities, build networks, and leverage resources—and in doing so, they are bound to encounter projects that align with their goals. [Online Investment Promotion Platform] To enhance the quality and efficiency of investment promotion efforts and bridge the “last mile” of project matching, we reach out directly to enterprises by phone. Through corporate verification, we ensure businesses recognize, locate, and contact you, resulting in an average of four successful connections per enterprise.

“No family, no entry.” Within dedicated regional channels, investment promotion colleagues collaborate, exchange ideas, and share insights—we are confident that the right project for you will eventually come your way.

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Building a Strong Leadership Team Is the Foundation

A train runs fast because of its locomotive.

The economic and social development of a region is closely tied to the caliber of its leaders. Whenever there is an official reshuffle in a locality, public sentiment often expresses hope for a capable leader who can get things done.

A member of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee mentioned that after watching *Liang Jian* five times, he hopes the cadre team will embody the spirit and resolve of “when two warriors meet on a narrow path, the brave one prevails.”

“Li Yunlong” is a true hero, and this “courage” is embodied in his adherence to principles and sense of responsibility—not in timidity or a lack of independent judgment. His decisions in critical moments were made based on rapidly changing circumstances, rather than following predetermined policies.

Similarly, in the process of attracting investment, there will be moments of rapid change that require investment promotion officials to embody the spirit of “when two warriors meet on a narrow path, the brave one prevails,” just like Li Yunlong.

Enthusiasm is essential, but results must follow.

Therefore, investment promotion must start with top-level planning and be guided by a sense of mission that “this must be accomplished.”

We must see it through, no matter the cost—implementing what needs to be implemented and taking the lead where necessary.

It has been said that when faced with new conflicts and challenges, officials in the south “look forward,” employing innovative thinking to find solutions.

Northern officials, however, tend to “look back” when faced with new challenges, seeking established norms or existing precedents to follow.

Indeed, the more capable a top leader is, the larger the projects they can attract—there is no doubt about that.

Wang Qingxian, Governor of Anhui Province, holds “working meetings” with entrepreneurs with remarkable frequency.

Based on this, he has met with at least 70 to 80 entrepreneurs in the past month.

In July of this year, CCTV released a statistic: throughout 2021, Wang Qingxian met with more than 2,000 entrepreneurs.

He has a widely quoted saying: “I understand businesses, and I understand entrepreneurs.”

On September 15, the launch ceremony for the National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week was held.

The Premier toured five projects via video link. Of the five nationwide, three were in Anhui.

He toured the "Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation" projects at Anhui Huami Technology, Anhui Aiyi Orchard Incubation Space, and Hefei Xinzhisheng Technology.

It must be said that Anhui understands businesses, and businesses understand Anhui.

And so, a win-win situation.