Don't hold your breath... waiting for a holiday card from Blane, Canada Ltd. It's not that we don't love you and think the world of you, we do. It's not that we don't enjoy holidays, we do. It's not the mind-numbing tedium of licking & sticking, we will. It's a choice. Long-term readers will probably remember our policy of donating a sum covering the entire "holiday hello" to a children's charity. We choose to do this again this year.

Measuring up... Is your city's tech infrastructure up to speed? INC. magazine recommends readers ask some key questions regarding tech infrastructure before they relocate:

   Can I connect to a fiber-optic network in your city?

   How much will it cost to plug in?

   How long will it take?

   Who's competing to provide me with service?

   What are the rates?

   Is the network connected to major cities nearby?

   How many other companies are there?

   Do they use the network?

   Can residents connect to the high-speed network and telecommute?

   Are wireless services available?

Source: "On the Wired Front" by Jill Hecht Maxwell, Inc. magazine -

September 15, 2000

http://www.inc.com/articles/details/0,3532,ART20247_CNT53_GDE86,00.html

Jazzed... Known for their Jazz District (18th and Vine), Kansas City Area Development secured rights to repackage a Jazz CD by local artist. The concept was to repackage the CD into a soft sell of the area. Packaging included photos, Jazz history, Jazz Blues festival web site, and of course, culture, city, SmartCities.com. The CD was sent to executives identified as part of a HQ relationship campaign. Jazzed execs gave the resulting product rave reviews. Well-done Martin.

GIS applications... ED Marketing Letter reader John R. Lombard, Ph.D., has received an EDA grant to investigate GIS business applications for economic developers. He will be identifying GIS applications that economic developers have used to directly assist businesses in a recruitment, retention, or expansion scenario. The GIS applications must directly assist businesses. If you have or are aware of a GIS application used to assist businesses, contact John at 757-683-4809 or <jlombard@odu.edu> Results will be made available to the ED community including Marketing Letter readers.

"There's too much said for the sake of argument and too little said for the sake of agreement." Quote: Cullen Hightower

Maybe... while sitting through a detailed discussion of ED data requirements at a conference recently, it occured to me that maybe we don't need the date of origin for data we quote. As the Internet speeds the movement of data, maybe we need to publish the expiration date instead.

List hygiene... all applies to acquiring databases for direct mail. The more specific your request, the greater the cost, and the better the probable results. We talked with Experian's Max Krogman in Atlanta regarding the current art of generating business contact lists. Many of you know that quantity and number of uses dictate the cost. Your customized lists may be obtained on labels, cards, magnetic tapes, cata cartridges, disks, galley lists and electronic transfers. For more info, contact Max at <max.krogman@experian.com>. Additionally, Dean Whittaker, an economic development lifer, provides a similar customized service and knows e.d. well. Dean can be reached at <dwhitt@wainc.com>

Points of comparison... for understanding unionization is union density. Union density is a percentage measurement of the entire workforce belonging to unions (union workforce divided by total workforce X 100%). The current national average for union density is 13.9%. At it's peak, union density reached 35%. The other relevant element in presenting your unionization data is the number and percentage of unionized workers employed by government as compared to private sector companies.

Setting Sail... "I am so excited about our regional R&E effort to utilize your Synchronist Business Information System. It holds so much potential for our region. Thanks for spending time with us this morning on the phone. The reports you faxed were very interesting and informative. I'm glad we're setting sail on your Synchronist ship!" Melissa Morgan, KY

Who cares?... Is your next e-mail blast to members really necessary or will they see it as just another Spam attack? If you can't make up your mind, ask yourself the question, "Who cares about the content?" If it is difficult to answer the question, wait. Or, if the answer is we (organization) care, wait until you have something readers want/need.  The “permission” marketing buzz is about not abusing the privilege of communicating with your target audience.

Increase your telephone voice energy level by making eye contact with the person you visualize on the other end, by standing up and not slouching, and by smiling so that it shows in your voice, and by gesturing. Source: Guerrilla Marketing Weekly http://www.gmarketing.com

"Thank you! I have gone from the one minute manager to the one minute marketing tune-up thanks to your e-mail newsletter." David Spaur, CA

Looking, looking... Trying to find a specific reference on a web page? Use the search feature built into Windows. With the Web page on the screen, hold down the control key and type "f". The find box will open. Type in the text to be found and hit enter. The first occurrence of the text, below the cursor, will be highlighted.

"After... two years of reading Economic Development Marketing Letter, I have a much better idea of the wide range of things you guys think about... I just don't have a clue as to why?"  Anon.

Dear After... "Synchronicity (Psychologist Carl Jung) is the belief that answers to complex problems come to us as we need them. But, these answers come from very different directions, seldom where we would first look. The Marketing Letter is about different directions, new perspectives. It works for us. And we think it is part of what is missing in economic development." The editors.

Imagine... a lone long-needle pine on a hillside, bird’s nest and boughs heavy with fresh snow. Smell the crisp fragrance of the still winter air. Listen to the silence, broken only by the sound of the snow squeaking under your every step. Happy Holidays! May 2001 be "your year"!