December 2006, Volume: 9, Issue: e/12, ISBN 1527-5175

~~~"I am really impressed... It is impossible to understand Synchronist until you see how sophisticated/comprehensive this approach is. I had no idea of the national scope of this effort or the value that it gives us, a local user."  Massachusetts community leader.

~~~"Don't hide from the facts... If workforce is an issue, acknowledge the problem and talk about what is being done to correct the problem. I have worked with several economic development professionals who are not willing to face the hard facts. Believe me, our clients know. They talk to other business executives to get the true story." Source: private sector economic developer at the Tennessee Manufacturing Summit.

~~~Note...There are two types of professional salespeople: new business developers, often called hunters or rainmakers vs. account managers, often called farmers. Only 19% of effective hunters are just as effective at maintaining their customers over the long term, a skill critical to the success of farmers. On the other hand, less than 15% of good farmers are comfortable doing cold calls, an essential task of successful hunters. Overall, about 50% of the failure rate in sales positions is due to putting a natural hunter in a farmer's job, or vice versa. Business retention is essentially a sales position. Do you have the right people in the right places?  Source: HR Chally (www.chally.com) via www.SellingPower.com

~~~All the businesses are equal... until you spend time understanding their business and their connections to the community. What is your operating assumption? Don't have one? Perhaps we can help with the Synchronist Business Information System strategy? Eric 630-462-9222 ; ecanada@blanecanada.com; www.synchronist.com

~~~Responding to Marketing Letter... I shared your 'crucible of chaos' quote with my CEO today and got this back: "Stability occurs only in retrospect so long as you are driving major change." Source: Stephen Moret and David Wood, LA - based on ED Marketing Letter 11/06

~~~It was an unmitigated disaster... It began as hundreds before, yet another presentation and Internet demonstration. While the group formed, my host and I began setting up. As I struggled to get my laptop to communicate with the LCD projector, my host calmly comments, "Oh, the hook up hasn't worked for anyone else today either. You won't be able to use your laptop." Ouch! Strike 1.

     The high tech, once state-of-the-art, presentation room was also equipped with an Internet connection, a wireless keyboard, and tower computer. I would have to use their equipment. Struggling to learn to use the foreign wireless keyboard quickly, I attempted to connect to the site for the demonstration. Two attempts to establish a secure site failed. Apparently, the client's firewall settings would not allow the connection. Strike 2

     In the haste and confusion of the battle with the Internet connection, the PowerPoint was loaded while I tried yet another option on their computer. Whew! Plan D works. With a demonstration solution finally in hand, we begin. Following introductions, I began my presentation... Finlly, things were getting on track. Click, the third slide came up with a single word. That's weird? Click. Slide four, clearly an unfinished thought... an early DRAFT of the presentation! Strike 3

     None of my preparation or prior experience prepared me for this. Any hope of recovery lost, I apologized and loaded the correct presentation. My energy spent, my thoughts scattered, I tried to get back in the game. I was completely off message. Finally it was done.  Walking out, if I hadn't been laughing so hard, I would have cried.

     Lessons learned. 1) Plan A and Plan B are not enough. Always have a plan C. 2) Put all FINAL presentations in a file folder on the desktop. 3) Never assume what they tell you about their technology is fully accurate. Test in advance! 4) Upgrade to wireless boardband. It may just save your skin some day.

~~~Linking economic policy to statewide competitiveness... was the goal of the Massachusetts High Tech Council which launched a new web site (MassTrack.org ) which rates communities on 10 criteria, including: tax rate, tax incentives, educational level of residents, Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System math scores, and housing starts. Additional criteria will be added over time. Representing large high tech companies, the Council's agenda overlaps with economic development in an effort to achieve the best possible business climate for existing and prospective companies.

~~~Mars vs. Venus... "There are large gender differences in the propensity to choose competitive environments and this needs to be taken into account in understanding why women are under-represented in many fields of work." That's a provocative (some would say inflammatory) summary of 'Do Women Shy Away From Competition? Do Men Compete Too Much?,' a working paper by Muriel Niederle and Lise Vesterlund, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). http://www.nber.org/digest/feb06/w11474.html  Is the fact that women are largely underrepresented in the top seat and within the sales team of large regional ED marketing organizations a reflection of this preference not to compete? If so, what does this mean for marketing (competitiveness) in the midsized and small communities where women are gaining more authority in ED? How will this change the profession?

~~~Traditional directory assistance can be costly and inaccurate. But did you know that free directory assistance exists? That's right. Whenever you want to get a number, call 1-800-411-SAVE or 1-800-FREE411. The only catch is you might have to hear an advertisement BEFORE you get your number. Most people won't care if they can avoid normal directory assistance fees of up to $2 per call. Try it out.

~~~Tutorial on presentation graphics... Baruch College at CUNY has a new online tutorial on presentation graphics (such as PowerPoint) available to the public. An announcement noted: "The tutorial offers choices between slide pairs and video clips of "good" and "bad" slide design and delivery, followed by guidelines on effective use of presentation graphics. Also included are tips on creating a speech outline, pros and cons of presentation graphics, and additional resources." Source:  Janet Jacobsen, SpeakerNetNews.com 10/27/06 newsletter

~~~Annual Report service... free copies of corporate annual reports for the asking. Evaluate prospects, attraction targets, or keep an eye on existing employer facilities. http://www.annualreportservice.com/