Passionately courting businesses, giving it our all—both physically and mentally

Engaged with 300 to 500 companies, secured 6 to 7 contracts

Visiting factories and workshops, running between construction sites and trade shows

Unannounced visits often meet with rejection; working on the road means non-stop work

My long journey in investment promotion—I walk well over 20,000 steps a day

From outsider to investment promoter—how incredibly difficult it has been

Starting with “Ten Thousand Whys”

By chance, I was fortunate enough to be assigned by my organization to a rotational posting at the “Investment Promotion Bureau.”

“Investment promotion”—a field that felt both familiar and foreign to me. It was familiar because I’d seen it mentioned in various documents at work, but foreign because I’d never actually engaged with it; I was starting from scratch.

To be honest, I had never majored in any industry-related field, nor did I have a background in economic work. When the organization first assigned me to industrial investment promotion, I was completely at a loss—I didn’t even know where to start…

When I first reported for duty at the bureau, I noticed that a youthful workforce was a defining characteristic of the investment promotion team—it was all about energy and a dynamic atmosphere.

More importantly, I had to adapt to the “leapfrog” mindset of enterprises. Only by “keeping pace” with their rhythm and “catering” to their preferences could I carry out investment promotion work in an orderly manner.

As a “newcomer” to investment promotion, I pulled out all the stops to adapt to my new role as quickly as possible. Whenever I encountered a project, I turned into a “curious child,” constantly asking senior colleagues questions and pestering my superiors for explanations.

When my colleagues engaged with companies, I paid close attention to the content, techniques, and methods of their communication. In particular, at government-business meetings, I acted as a “stenographer,” meticulously recording every word from start to finish.

As a newcomer, everything felt fresh yet unfamiliar. What exactly is investment promotion? What knowledge do I need? Where do project leads come from? What kinds of projects can be successfully implemented? And how exactly do they get implemented?

A barrage of questions followed, and “self-improvement” became my top priority.

I began by familiarizing myself with the regional industries, distribution of development platforms, and supporting policies. I then moved on to understanding the operational coordination among various municipal departments, and finally, through hands-on investment promotion work, I learned how to plan, negotiate, and implement projects, eventually summarizing a set of procedures.

At the same time, I raced against the clock to uncover project leads, completing organization verification through the [Investment Promotion Network] to establish direct contact with enterprises.

However, as the work progressed and my scope of engagement expanded, I increasingly felt that my knowledge base was insufficient.

"Running out of words" was my immediate reaction after meeting with companies, and "cramming" became my primary method for quickly mastering professional knowledge. After absorbing a massive amount of "knowledge," I was soon overwhelmed by "information overload," a bitter consequence of blindly pursuing "high-capacity learning."

Investment Promotion "Motivational Clichés"—Like Reciting a List by Heart

If your understanding of the region is superficial, and you can’t answer when investors ask questions—not knowing this or that—how can companies possibly choose to locate in the park?

To the companies, the investment promotion staff represent the park itself; your expertise is the investment environment.

Professionalism means starting from the investor’s actual needs—it involves not only analyzing local industrial strengths but also gaining a deep understanding of the external industrial environment. When attracting investment, you must not be like “Xialingsao,” endlessly rambling about local advantages; instead, you must understand the enterprise, address its urgent needs, and anticipate its concerns.

Practice has shown that gradual accumulation is the best path to learning. No matter how eager you are, you must not rush for quick results. You must familiarize yourself step by step, proceeding gradually—only then can you achieve stability and order, and truly grasp the situation.

Start by taking “more than 20,000 steps a day”

Attracting investment is no easy task. Moving from an initial acquaintance with investors to a deeper understanding rarely happens overnight—it’s rarely “love at first sight.” From project information to actual construction, this is by no means a quick process; rather, it is a “war of attrition.”

During my investment promotion work, I’ve taken trains to distant cities, squeezed into crowded aisles for over ten hours at a time; I’ve visited investors on sweltering days, unable to hail a taxi in the city outskirts, and walked an hour to their offices…

Often, I’d fly back home from location A, only to receive a call and have to rush off to location B immediately. It’s truly no exaggeration to say that while investors put me through the wringer time and again, I treat them with the devotion of a first love.

On the long road of investment promotion, I walk well over 20,000 steps a day. Just how far is 20,000 steps? Let me tell you: running 10 kilometers is only about 15,000 steps.

Looking back now, cold calling has become second nature, and being turned away at the door is something I take in stride. These everyday occurrences are hardly worth mentioning.

Why aren’t they worth mentioning? Investment promotion is results-driven.

To attract a new energy vehicle project, I shuttled daily between major new energy vehicle forums, visited local chambers of commerce, attended corporate investment symposiums, and met with companies.

When it comes to visiting potential investors, even if a company cancels at the last minute, I still have to go. What I’ll never forget is the 13-day ordeal of persistent phone calls to finally secure a meeting with the head of a new energy vehicle project.

So, all of this was simply to gather project leads and seek out every business opportunity related to new energy vehicles. Investment leads are the most important thing in my eyes; I mobilize every channel to reach out to companies interested in investing.

The truth is, every lead is hard-won. If you don’t give it a shot, how will you know it won’t work? Of course, accidentally missing out on a major project is a common occurrence. But the most painful part is when a project you’ve been pursuing for over a month is ultimately snatched away by someone else…

It must be said that opportunities are fleeting; until construction actually begins, a project can still take a turn for the worse.

Investment Inspiration: The Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage

To achieve greater breakthroughs in investment promotion, we must embody the spirit of “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.”

The “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage” mentioned here does not refer to visiting a company three times or holding three rounds of negotiations—that would merely be a superficial “disturbance” to the enterprise.

Rather, it means identifying the region’s comparative advantages, assessing what your “plate” needs and what should be served on it based on local conditions, and then determining where to find those ingredients and how to serve them. Only through meticulous planning can you “hold the winning hand.”

Regarding “how to serve it”: In the process of attracting investment, we must not “resort to underhanded schemes” or “play tricks”; we must certainly not adopt the mindset or behavior of a “bureaucrat,” but instead cultivate the awareness and actions of a “servant.”

Start by treating everyone “as dearly as one’s own son or son-in-law”

Since I began working in investment promotion, the approach has traditionally been to “look outward”—joining task forces on field trips, conducting external promotional activities, liaising with outside investors, and attracting external projects…

In the past, as long as we brought in and settled external projects or capital, the investment promotion task was considered complete; the success of investment promotion was primarily measured by how many projects were signed and how much capital was attracted.

As the saying goes, “Bringing in a son-in-law may drive away your own son.” At first, I had a one-sided understanding of the “opening up” aspect of investment promotion and was accustomed to treating outside enterprises differently and offering them special preferential treatment.

Later, upon reflection, I realized this often creates an unfair environment for local enterprises and hinders efforts to optimize the business climate. Some local enterprises that feel “neglected” inevitably choose to leave or shift their development focus elsewhere. In extreme cases, we might even face a situation where we fail to retain both our “sons” and our “sons-in-law.”

For instance, a local medical R&D company was looking to expand but, unable to find a suitable site, had no choice but to relocate to another region. This meant that the local government’s efforts to nurture the company had come to nothing.

However, I didn’t just walk away. Instead, I invited the company’s leader to a “farewell dinner” and assisted them with matters such as expanding operations and obtaining permits in the new location.

This seemingly simple gesture allowed the company to see the true nature of the local business environment. A year later, the company’s leader proactively reached out to me, asking if I could help find a site for an upstream or downstream supplier planning to expand into the area.

This demonstrates that improving the business environment is far more than just the procedures in a government service hall or simply shortening approval timelines by a few days. Every investment promotion officer is a grain of dust in the business environment; when it comes to attracting investment, that single grain can become a mountain.

Investment Promotion Insight #1: Treat Everyone Equally

The magic of the investment promotion process lies in the fact that it begins with a single seed. When planted with care, it gradually breaks through the soil and grows day by day. Many projects have gone from the impossible to the possible, evolving from individual initiatives into extended and strengthened industrial chains that form entire clusters.

Established enterprises are like “sons,” while new enterprises are like “sons-in-law.” We treat both “sons-in-law” and “sons” with equal affection, offering sincere care and equal support.

Businesses won’t automatically come knocking on our door—especially high-quality projects, which everyone is vying to attract. Companies aren’t just choosing a city; they’re choosing an environment.

Final Thoughts

At thirty, I’ve established myself in investment promotion,

like early spring, like the rising sun,

like the budding of white flowers,

like a sharp blade emerging from the grindstone,

This is the most precious time for investment promotion.

Take the first step,

and take each step with care.

Behind every success in investment promotion

lies the resolve to never return until the goal is achieved,

a spirit of never giving up until the goal is reached,

and an attitude that shuns no hardship and complains of no toil.

The path of investment promotion is long and arduous,

but we will ride the winds and cut through the waves, pressing forward without hesitation.