The Top 25 Ways to Get Your Site Eliminated from a Site Search
October 06, 2011 | by: Tim Davey, PE
Timmons Group has completed hundreds of master plans, conceptual site plans, renderings, feasibility studies, etc. for both public and private clients over the past 50+ years. We’ve been specializing in serving Municipal Economic Developments for over 20 years using these tools to attract jobs and investment to their specific industrial parks, technology park, research parks, etc. We also serve hundreds of private land owners to position their property for real estate success. This experience has led us to a unique consulting business that assists with responding to hundreds of Requests for Information (RFIs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and sometimes frustrating Requests for “Whatever I want as soon as I need it” (RF???????) from site selection consultants around the globe.
As competitive as the world is right now, the site selection process seems to be as much about “Site Elimination” as it is about specifically trying to get your site picked out of a beauty contest. Most consultants will tell you that their job is to shortlist a long list of potential sites down to three that their client can ultimately choose from. They will also tell you that the ultimate decision a company makes is often influenced (either positively or negatively) by a very subjective observation made about one of the last three standing communities. Therefore, understanding how to keep your site “In the Game” creates an opportunity for you to survive what can be a long and cumbersome, sometimes unreasonable process and win over the heart of the executives with the intangibles that make your community unique.
With this strategy in mind, we have developed a list of the Top 25 Ways to Get Your Site Eliminated from a Site Search. Throughout the coming weeks, I'll post the top 25 mistakes we’ve seen folks make in trying to attract jobs and investment to a specific site. Our hope is that you will learn how to avoid the mistakes we’ve seen others make and therefore invest in more tried and true methods of growing your local tax base. We hope you enjoy reading our unique perspective and hope you will contact me and let me know what you think!