July 2007, Volume: 10, Issue: e/5, ISBN 1527-5175

~~~ Please add newsletter@blanecanada.com to your address book to ensure it is not zapped by your spam filter.

~~~ Outsider or Insider?... One of the greatest mistakes we can make as economic development professionals is to try and become an insider. Only an outsider can be objective. As we move inside, we lose sight of the big picture, focusing instead on the details. We lose credibility the moment we begin to look, think and act like an insider. Consultants can suffer the same fate by paying too much attention to what the client wants to hear and not enough of what they need to hear. What do you think? Send a reply to ecanada@blanecanada.com. Comments will be included in a future Letter.

~~~ Philosophically... When we see ourselves with fixed identities (an economic developer for example) we cease to be! A waiter for example learns to be a waiter by observing other waiters and then pretending to be one. Over time, the act becomes more and more convincing. We developers do the same. As long as you remember you are just pretending you will be fine. When you become the role, you cease to exist. Develop your other dimensions. It is insurance against invisibility.

~~~ Smart pill... Need some quick business savvy? Check out www.bnet.com. It is a Web site designed to be a combination of Business Week, the Harvard Review, and every how-to management topic imaginable. It is an excellent resources. www.bnet.com

~~~Browse through 85 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago. Test out the Internet Archive Wayback Machine http://www.archive.org. If you hit a 404 error (page not available) the Wayback Machine is a great tool for finding the page in a prior version of the web site. Check it out! This is truly frightening.

~~~In times of change it is the learners who inherit the future. Those who have finished learning find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. Eric Hoffer

~~~Congratulations to e-Synchronist Users for their Award Winning Programs recognized at the Business Retention Expansion International (BREI) Annual Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA.
Chilliwack Economic Development Partners, British
Columbia, CANADA: David Munro & Netty Tam
Alliance of Illinois Manufacturers, IL:
Chris Multhauf & Colette Buscemi
Gibson EMC/Crocket County, TN: Emily Sullivan

~~~Innovation... is history. In the rapidly changing lexicon of popular culture, innovation is on its way out. Over used. Lacking originality. Dated. Next up you ask? Our money is on ingenuity. Start planning to change all references or suffer the stigma of appearing out of the loop.

~~~Another breakthrough in business retention! A small group of economic development leaders (and Synchronist Users) have now established 92 Key Performance Indicators for the community's product and its economic portfolio. Knowing how your community compares to others across American and within your region is true competitive intelligence for economic developers. Learn more - Eric 630-462-9222 or ecanada@blanecanada.com

~~~Build rapport quickly... want to build rapport faster with a prospect? Do some homework. Identify something about the executive or the business that can be used in the opening line of your first conversation. At a minimum, check their web site. Google the company and/or the exec. If you take a call from a suspect, check the Internet while on the call to give yourself ammunition for making a connection quickly.

~~~More on the box... "Everyone wants to get outside the box. How many of you know organizations that don't have inside the box figured out yet." Greg King, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Georgia Tech.

~~~Rainmaker's Secret # 2 ... market to existing clients first. When was the last time you marketed to your existing businesses? Probably not recent enough if at all. Put together an 'internal' marketing plan today. No, not a BR&E program, an marketing plan focused on existing clients. Answer the question, "How would I resell them on the community if they were a new prospect?" (Note: A rainmaker is the top echelon of sales professionals. The person who brings in clients for others to serve.)

~~~Thank you for... the informative, credible newsletter. During my tenure here in Arizona, it has consistently provided useful information and valuable perspectives. I am leaving Arizona to join my family back east and so ask you to unsubscribe me. I'll re-subscribe when I find work in my new location. Appreciatively, AZ

Blane, Canada Ltd.
1506 Cadet, Suite 100
Wheaton, IL 60187-7380
ph 630.462.9222
fax 630.462.9210

info@blanecanada.com