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 September 2002, Volume: 5, Issue: e/9, ISBN 1527-5175

~~~"The Missing Link... A New Vision for Retention and Expansion." The current vision for R&E as an independent program is no longer valid. Led by Blane, Canada Ltd., members of the research team will present findings that pierce the facade of traditional R&E and clearly outline an approach to increase the short and long-term value of R&E with little additional effort or investment. The Missing Link will be discussed at IEDC's annual conference, Sept 22-25 in Oakland, CA. The identification of the Missing Link is the culmination of research by Blane, Canada Ltd., Cinergy PSI Indiana, Greater Louisville Inc., and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance.

~~~Simultaneously... Note two interesting sessions at the upcoming SEDC's annual conference on “Interviewing Skills” and “Negotiating Skills.” These are often overlooked economic development and life skills. http://www.sedc.org

~~~Looking back...When we introduced the Synchronist Business Information System software in 1998, we had not anticipated the speed with which Microsoft would update the Windows operating system. Since Synchronist was developed on Windows 95/Access 97, Microsoft has released 8 major and minor operating system updates (such as Windows 98, Windows 98 2nd, Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Home Edition, and Windows XP Professional). Combine this with several new versions of Microsoft Access (97, 2000, XP), and life becomes complicated just to make sure users have absolute computer upgrade compatibility. The changes driven by software requirements are just one of a number of ways Blane, Canada Ltd. supports users of Synchronist software.

~~~"People either grow into their jobs or shrink from responsibility." Anon.

~~~Hills... Scene: the Tour de France bike competition. Normal bike riders dread hills. Fatigue sets in quickly. Slow down and one quickly drifts to a stop or loses ground. Momentum is the secret to scaling a hill on a bike. Be alert to the signals around you. Downshift, and keep consistent pressure on the pedals. The same advice holds true in marketing. Momentum is king. To reach the crown of the hill, keep your head down, eyes focused ahead, and press on. Peddle hard on the backside of every hill, and the next crown will come more easily. Build momentum! That's part of the message in our “Physics of Marketing”, advanced marketing & sales course, offered Dec. 1-4. P.S. NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD MOMENTUM! http://www.blanecanada.com/BCL_Course.html  (Note: Attendance is limited in order to give you direct attention. Contact us before registration closes.)

~~~Vision... "Don't try to take them (board or community leaders) from sunrise to high-noon too quickly -- you'll blind 'em." Haste makes the challenge of helping community leaders discover a "vision" more problematic. Quote: Dick Rush, OK

~~~We're busy tabulating… the responses to the first comprehensive national survey of economic development marketing activity and performance. If you participated, you will be getting the tabulated results in October. If you have a survey, there is still time to be included in the tabulation if you get it in ASAP.

~~~Question... "What did the CEO say to the CIO?" Answer: "Nice site, but what does it do for our business?" Do you think like a partner (CEO) or a vendor? What value does your community's web site add to the business exec looking for a new location? Be specific. A great work ethic won't cut it. Incentives aren't lasting. Quote: a corporate ad.

~~~Worth noting..."Being creative is when you think about your thinking. Being innovative is when you act on your ideas." Act now! Time is wasting. Quote: FastCompany, Jan/Feb 2000

~~~Pass it on… Forward a copy of today's ED Marketing Letter to five new colleagues in your economic development network. Suggest they subscribe. You will feel good, and they will gain a valuable resource - the most widely read subscriber newsletter in economic development.

~~~Clarification… on “Tech and Grit” book referenced in August newsletter: The National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) tells us some readers interpreted the announcement as a freebie. This is not the case for print copies. They can be purchased for $19.95. The book is, however, available FREE ONLINE (in pdf format) at http://www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/Pubs/Technology2.htm

~~~From the in-box...thought for the day by James Duff      Knowledge is Power.      Time is Money. Physics 101, "Engineering Physics" by Sears and Zamisky states:      Power = Work / Time      Therefore, Knowledge = Work / Money      Money = Work / Knowledge      Money approaches infinity as Knowledge approaches zero.      This is totally independent of the amount of work.      The less you know, the more you make. (Note: Logic can sometimes lead to the wrong conclusions!)

~~~PowerPoint… Are you one of the many people who do Power Point presentations because it's the “in” thing to do OR because you believe you can present something unique and not the “same old” thing? Trends tend to be boring after awhile, and audience attention is often lost. Evaluate your approach, regularly.

~~~PowerPoint II… The majority of PowerPoint presentations are a crutch for the speaker. They have little or no value to the audience. Practice the art of painting vivid visual VERBAL pictures and leave the ppt at home. Your audience will appreciate it.

~~~The future... comes in four flavors. 1) Probable future - slow, incremental changes, evolution. 2) Possible future - opportunities to be captured with work and resource allocation. 3) Preferable future - what do we want? Requires choices and action. This is the least understood, least considered element of individual and organizational planning processes. 4) Preventable future - the nightmare which can be avoided, but at a cost. Something must be sacrificed. The careful planner considers each flavor. Source: Arthur B. Shostak, author, futurist, professor.

~~~"Web Pages That Suck"... book by Vince Flanders: “There's always a new way to do something bad." We still recommend "Where you learn good Web design by looking at bad Web design." http://www.WebPagesThatSuck.com

~~~Your job is... customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction changes with every client. Oh yes, the client, she's the one who is paying the bills, not the prospect!

~~~Hidden value… intellectual capital represents the hidden value of a company. Intellectual capital is: customer capital, organizational capital, and human capital. Most firms do not have a strategy for maximizing human capital. This is a role ED organization and workforce development boards can take. This approach can benefit companies and communities. Check out the new book, “Valuing People” by Lisa M. Aldisert, Dearborn Trade Books, 2002. http://www.dearborntrade.com

~~~Over selling quality of life?... Viewing hundreds of communities in the last five years - virtually every one believes they have an edge on quality of life. If you are pushing QL, you are among the many who take the same easy road. Differentiate. Separate from the pack. Stand out.

~~~Next level... Web search has emerged now that Google indexes the graphics on your site using caption and adjacent text. Check out your graphic tags to take full advantage of this alternate route into your site. Plus, look at your pictures to see if any, drawn out of context, might give visitors a misleading view of your site.  http://images.google.com/help/faq_images.html

~~~Huge difference... * Branding: Taking something (color, shape, style, etc.) with no meaning and tries to give it meaning within a defined group. * Positioning: Taking something with meaning (fact) and giving it to a target audience as a point of reference. “ Physics of Marketing: Advanced Economic Development Marketing” by Eric Canada

~~~How refreshing!… We received an over-sized postcard “Arkansas WEBHOUSE.” No statements about the typical attributes. It's simple, direct, and powerful. Don't follow the pack. You'll get lost.

~~~Creative ambiguity… Does that describe your strategic, marketing, sales plan or how you communicate with your board? To be solidly focused, delivering strong communications to internal and external audiences, contact Blane, Canada Ltd.

~~~Stick 'em…on the screen. TurboNote is the equivalent of Post-it notes for the computer screen. Use for reminders, telephone notes, etc. Check it out. http://TurboPress.com