Why this matters:

Respondents told us the shift from basic drafting to insight-led, consultative use is the hardest — and most valuable — step to take.

BEGINNER LEVEL

[Investment Adviser]

Company Strategy Snapshot

Quickly understand a company's business model, growth ambitions and strategic priorities before engaging with decision-makers

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"Summarise [Company Name]'s business model, expansion strategy, and current priorities from the attached documents, in plain language."

COMPETENT USER LEVEL

[Investment Adviser, Investment Project Adviser]

Investor Needs Assessment

Understand investor priorities, challenges and support needs to deliver more effective consultative business development conversations

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"Act as a senior Investment Promotion Agency adviser, FDI business development consultant and investment strategy specialist.

I am uploading company documents, CRM notes, annual reports, investor presentations, meeting notes and research relating to [Company Name].

Our IPA value proposition is:

[Insert value proposition]

Your objective is to understand the company's business priorities, growth strategy, challenges, expansion ambitions and likely support needs before an investor engagement meeting.

Analyse:

• Business model

• Strategic priorities

• Growth strategy

• Internationalisation ambitions

• Investment signals

• Workforce requirements

• Technology requirements

• Supply chain considerations

• Location requirements

• Current challenges

Provide:

1. Executive Summary

2. Business Overview

• Business model

• Products/services

• Market position

• Geographic footprint

3. Strategic Priorities

4. Expansion Signals

Include evidence of:

• International expansion

• Market entry activity

• Capital investment

• Acquisitions

• Partnerships

• Recruitment growth

5. Likely Pain Points

• Talent

• Property

• Costs

• Supply chain

• Regulation

• Innovation

6. Support Needs We Could Address

Explain how the IPA could potentially help.

7. Consultative Selling Opportunities

Identify topics worth exploring and opportunities to add value.

8. Recommended Meeting Objectives

9. FDI Business Development Consultant Advice

Explain:

• The company's likely priorities

• Key challenges

• Missing intelligence

• Assumptions requiring validation

10. Coaching Questions

• What business problem is the company trying to solve?

• What evidence supports future expansion?

• What needs remain unverified?

• How can we create value during the conversation?

Clearly distinguish between facts, analysis and assumptions.

Do not speculate. If reliable evidence is unavailable, state "No reliable evidence found."

Assign confidence levels to inferred conclusions so they can be independently verified."

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.........

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NOTES:

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Relevant Investment Promotion Agency KPIs

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• Qualified investor meetings

• Strategic account engagement

• Investor relationship development

• Qualified opportunities identified

• Investment pipeline progression

• Repeat investor engagement

• Investment projects secured

Foreign Direct Investment Attraction Value Benefit

Helps IPA teams move from generic investor engagement to evidence-based consultative selling by identifying business priorities, uncovering investor needs, strengthening conversations and positioning the IPA as a trusted strategic partner.

This increases meeting quality, improves investor relationships and creates more qualified investment opportunities.

ADVANCED USER LEVEL

[Investment Project Adviser, Investment Director]

WORKFLOW PROGRESSION:
Understand Investor Needs → Ask Better Questions - Build Trust - Create Value - Progress Opportunities
 

PROMPT 1

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Investor Needs Assessment
 

Understand investor priorities, challenges and support needs before engagement

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"Act as a senior FDI market entry strategy consultant.

Review all uploaded information relating to [Company Name].

Analyse:

• Business model

• Growth strategy

• Internationalisation plans

• Strategic priorities

• Expansion signals

• Operational challenges

• Talent requirements

• Supply chain requirements

Identify:

• Likely investor motivations

• Investment triggers

• Business challenges

• Potential support needs

• Areas where the IPA can create value

Provide:

• Executive Summary

• Business Overview

• Strategic Priorities

• Expansion Signals

• Likely Pain Points

• Support Needs We Could Address

• Consultative Selling Opportunities

• Recommended Meeting Objectives

Finish with consultant advice and coaching questions.

Clearly distinguish facts, analysis and assumptions."

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.........

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NOTES:

​

Relevant IPA KPIs

​

• Qualified investor meetings

• Strategic account engagement

• Pipeline opportunities

• Investor relationship growth

FDI Attraction Value Benefit

Helps IPA teams identify investor needs earlier, strengthen business conversations and uncover investment opportunities that may otherwise be missed.

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PROMPT 2

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Consultative Discovery Simulator

Practise investor discovery conversations and strengthen consultative selling skills

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"Act as [Company Name]'s CEO, CFO and CTO.

Use all available company and sector intelligence to role-play realistically.

I will lead the discussion using consultative questions.

Each executive should respond according to their priorities:

CEO:

• Growth

• Expansion

• Strategic positioning

CFO:

• Costs

• Risk

• ROI

• Incentives

CTO:

• Innovation

• Talent

• Technology ecosystem

Remain in character.

Challenge assumptions and raise realistic concerns.

After each exchange I will prompt you to provide:

• What worked well

• Missed opportunities

• Quality of questioning

• Evidence of active listening

• Signs of over-pitching

• Suggestions for improvement

• Performance score (1–10)

I will then prompt you to continue until I end the simulation."

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.........

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NOTES:

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Relevant IPA KPIs

​

• Investor meetings converted

• Qualified discussions

• Repeat investor engagement

• Investor satisfaction

FDI Attraction Value Benefit

Develops consultative selling skills and improves the quality of investor conversations before real meetings occur.

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PROMPT 3

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Trusted Adviser Review

Evaluate relationship progress and develop strategies to advance investment opportunities

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"Act as a senior FDI market entry strategy consultant.

Review the following materials:

• Investor briefing

• Meeting objectives

• CRM notes

• Conversation transcript

• Meeting notes

• Follow-up correspondence

• IPA value proposition

Your objective is to evaluate whether the Investment Promotion Agency successfully positioned itself as a trusted adviser, uncovered meaningful investor needs, and progressed the relationship towards a potential investment opportunity.

Assess:

• Trust building

• Quality of discovery and needs identification

• Investor engagement effectiveness

• Relevance of discussion topics

• Ability to add value

• Quality of questions asked

• Ability to uncover investment drivers

• Handling of objections and concerns

• Success in securing next actions

• Overall relationship progression

Provide:

1. Executive Assessment

Summarise:

• Overall meeting effectiveness

• Investor interest level

• Relationship maturity

• Likelihood of future engagement

2. Evidence of Investor Interest

Identify evidence of:

• Expansion intentions

• Investment appetite

• Future location requirements

• Requests for information

• Signals of continued engagement

3. Evidence of Trust Building

Assess:

• Credibility established

• Understanding demonstrated

• Active listening

• Value-added contributions

• Trusted adviser behaviours

4. What Worked Well

Identify:

• Strong questions

• Effective responses

• Value created

• Positive investor reactions

5. Missed Opportunities

Identify:

• Questions that should have been asked

• Topics not explored

• Signals that were overlooked

• Opportunities to deepen the discussion

6. Intelligence Gaps

Identify:

• Unknown business requirements

• Missing expansion information

• Unconfirmed assumptions

• Areas requiring further research

7. Recommended Follow-Up Questions

Provide the most important questions that should be explored in the next conversation.

8. Relationship Development Plan

Recommend:

• Appropriate follow-up actions

• Information that should be shared

• Stakeholders who should be introduced

• Partnership opportunities

• Suggested timeline for engagement

9. Investor Account Progression Strategy

Assess whether the investor should be classified as:

• Early-stage opportunity

• Qualified opportunity

• Strategic account

• Long-term relationship opportunity

Provide supporting rationale.

10. Likelihood of Progression Assessment

Provide a High / Medium / Low assessment of:

• Securing a follow-up meeting

• Developing an active opportunity

• Generating a future investment project

Explain the evidence supporting each assessment.

11. FDI Market Entry Strategy Consultant Advice

Answer:

• Did we successfully position ourselves as a trusted adviser?

• Did we uncover genuine business needs?

• Did we spend enough time listening?

• Did we avoid over-promoting our location?

• What should we do differently next time?

• What is the single most important next action?

12. Coaching Questions

Answer:

• Did we seek to understand before proposing solutions?

• Did the investor speak more than we did?

• What evidence of investment intent was uncovered?

• What business problems remain unresolved?

• What assumptions still require validation?

• How could we create more value in the next interaction?

• What would increase the likelihood of relationship progression?

Clearly distinguish between:

• Facts

• Analysis

• Assumptions

• Recommendations

Assign confidence levels where conclusions are inferred rather than explicitly evidenced.

Do not speculate. If evidence is unavailable, state: "No reliable evidence found."

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.........

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NOTES:

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Relevant IPA KPIs

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• Qualified opportunities created

• Follow-up meetings secured

• Pipeline progression

• Strategic account development

• Investment projects won

FDI Attraction Value Benefit

Transforms investor meetings into long-term relationship-building opportunities, helping IPAs develop trusted adviser status, improve investor confidence and increase the probability of converting prospects into active investment projects.

VERIFY

Use AI-generated meeting assessments as coaching insights, then validate conclusions through CRM records, meeting notes, investor feedback and professional judgement

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AI can help identify strengths, weaknesses, missed opportunities and relationship development actions, but all assessments of investor interest, investment potential and next-step recommendations should be treated as informed guidance rather than fact.

Verify key findings against meeting transcripts, documented investor interactions, follow-up communications and internal intelligence before updating opportunity status, allocating resources or making strategic business development decisions.