Investor interest is only the beginning of an FDI project. An agency creates results when it connects the right investor with a credible opportunity, helps define the project, coordinates the institutions involved and supports the company through establishment and expansion.

That requires more than promotion. UNCTAD describes investment promotion and facilitation as work that includes advisory services, capacity building and the exchange of good practices for investment-promotion agencies. A connected process should move from territorial positioning to investor targeting, lead qualification, facilitation and aftercare. The objective is not to generate the largest possible number of enquiries. It is to attract investment that fits the territory’s priorities and can become operational.

Better FDI starts with a sharper definition of value

A territory cannot target investors effectively if it cannot explain why a project should be located there. The value proposition has to be specific enough for an investor to recognize the fit.

That may include access to customers, talent, infrastructure, suppliers, research capabilities, energy, logistics, incentives or regional markets. It should also explain what the territory can support in practice, not only what it would like to attract.

The World Bank’s 2026 brief on FDI strategies describes a shift from measuring success through investment volume and project counts toward investment that supports competitiveness, innovation, quality jobs, sustainability and resilience. That shift changes the agency’s question from “How do we attract more investors?” to “Which investors can create the outcomes this territory needs?”

Targeting works better than waiting for every enquiry

Broad promotion can build awareness, but it rarely replaces a defined targeting strategy. An agency should identify the sectors, business models and investor profiles that match the territory’s capabilities and development objectives.

Targeting can begin with sector intelligence, company research, existing investment patterns, supply-chain gaps and the expansion plans of relevant companies. The agency can then prioritize a manageable group of investors and build outreach around a reason that is relevant to each one.

A technology company considering a European base needs a different proposition from a food manufacturer seeking a production location. A company looking for an R&D centre needs different evidence from an investor looking for a logistics platform. The message, contact and proof should reflect the project, not just the country brand.

Targeting also makes public resources easier to measure. The agency can track which sectors were selected, which investor profiles were contacted, what conversations progressed and which assumptions changed during the process.

A qualified lead contains a project hypothesis

A contact becomes more useful when the agency understands what the investor might actually do. Is the company exploring a new market, seeking production capacity, relocating part of its supply chain, establishing an R&D function, looking for a partner or considering an acquisition?

This project hypothesis helps the agency decide what information to provide and which institutions to involve. It also avoids treating every enquiry as if it had the same probability of becoming an investment.

Qualification should examine the investor’s business model, expansion timing, location criteria, expected investment, employment or operational impact and decision process. The information will not always be complete at the first conversation. The goal is to improve it through a structured dialogue.

An agency should be able to distinguish curiosity, early research, a defined project and an active site-selection process. Each stage needs a different response.

Facilitation is where interest meets institutional reality

An investor may be convinced by the opportunity and still abandon the project if the process becomes slow, fragmented or unclear. Facilitation reduces that friction by helping the company understand what needs to happen, who is responsible and when decisions can be expected.

This may involve coordinating public bodies, local authorities, utilities, infrastructure providers, sector organizations, talent institutions and professional advisers. It can also involve clarifying permits, incentives, available sites, labour requirements, regulatory questions and the sequence of establishment.

The agency does not need to promise that every obstacle can be removed. It does need to make the path visible and ensure that questions reach the right institution.

Invest in Spain’s investor services describe support for investors managing an investment or business project in Spain. Its aftercare function also reflects the wider principle that agency support should continue after establishment rather than end at the announcement.

Aftercare protects the value of the first investment

An established investor is not only an outcome. It can become a source of reinvestment, supplier development, referrals and evidence for future targeting.

Aftercare means maintaining a structured relationship with investors after they establish. The agency can learn about operational obstacles, expansion plans, workforce needs, infrastructure issues and opportunities to connect the company with local suppliers or institutions.

The OECD’s mapping of investment promotion agencies identifies investment generation, facilitation and retention as core areas of IPA activity. It also examines how agencies monitor activities and outcomes. This matters because aftercare should not be treated as an informal courtesy. It should have an owner, a contact rhythm and a process for escalating issues.

A company that receives effective support during its second investment phase may become a stronger reference for the territory than a company that only received a polished welcome at the beginning.

AttractQualifyFacilitateEstablishRetain and Reinvest

Measure progress through the investment lifecycle

Counting leads is easy. Understanding what happened to them is more useful.

An agency should connect its CRM and reporting to the stages of the investor journey. That makes it possible to see which sectors generate qualified projects, where leads stall, how long establishment takes, which services investors use and whether established companies reinvest.

Useful measures include the quality of target accounts, qualified project discussions, site visits, proposals or incentives assessed, establishment decisions, jobs or capital committed, time to establishment, investor satisfaction and reinvestment activity.

The right indicators depend on the agency’s mandate. A region building awareness may focus on qualified conversations. An agency with an active pipeline should also measure progression and conversion. An established promotion system should add retention, expansion and investor feedback.

FDI needs coordination across the public system

An investment agency cannot convert interest into an established project alone. The investor’s experience depends on the wider institutional system, including national and local authorities, planning bodies, infrastructure providers, skills institutions and sector regulators.

Coordination should begin before the investor asks for help. The agency can agree internal roles, establish escalation routes, prepare consistent information and identify the decisions that require senior sponsorship.

This is especially important for projects that cross administrative levels or require multiple approvals. A clear lead agency can prevent the investor from repeating the same information to different institutions and can give public bodies a shared view of the project’s stage and risks.

Gedeth connects FDI strategy with lead generation and facilitation

Gedeth’s FDI practice describes a full investment lifecycle, from territorial value proposition through applied market intelligence, strategy and positioning, investor facilitation and project establishment.

Its public case with PromPeru combines strategic institutional collaboration, targeted lead generation, investment-attraction events, stakeholder mapping and sector studies in mining, tourism and technology. The work shows why lead generation is only one part of an FDI strategy. Investors also need a clear reason to engage, relevant information, institutional coordination and support as the project develops.

Gedeth Research Center also describes more than 20 years of work on foreign-investment studies and investment barometers, including questionnaire design, database development, stakeholder interviews and data analysis. Those capabilities support the intelligence layer that helps an agency choose sectors, define investor profiles and prioritize outreach.

A successful FDI program does not end when an investor expresses interest. It moves the company from a general opportunity to a defined project, from a defined project to an established operation and from establishment to long-term value for the territory.