What a Military Interrogator Can Teach Economic Developers with Dan Kiger

In this unique episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with Dan Kiger, founder and principal advisor at VerumLegend, about why a meeting that feels productive can still leave you without the answers you need.

Drawing on more than 20 years in the defense intelligence community, including time as a military interrogator, Dan makes the case for clarity over agreement and curiosity about what matters to the person across the table. They discuss how follow-through builds trust, why a rigid agenda can hide useful information, and what you miss when the CEO does all the talking.

Dan also works through familiar economic development situations: a prospect focused on incentives, an employer struggling to find workers, and an existing business owner who feels overlooked. The conversation offers practical ways to get beyond polite answers and understand what will actually move a project or relationship forward.

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Ten actionable takeaways for economic developers

1. Define what you need to learn before the meeting. Identify the questions you need answered to understand the project and its prospects. Afterward, assess which questions were actually answered and what information you can corroborate.
2. Learn what matters to the company before presenting your pitch. Ask about its history, employees, suppliers, and reasons for considering your community. That context can reveal concerns that a property checklist or incentive discussion leaves out.
3. Invite a clear answer about whether things are moving forward. When a prospect keeps taking calls but never commits, ask where the project stands and what is preventing a decision. Make room for disagreement so both sides understand the situation.
4. Follow through on the small commitments that build trust. Return calls and emails, arrive on time, and do what you said you would do. Remember that a broken promise affects how people see your organization as well as you.
5. Follow useful detours in the conversation. When someone raises a concern outside your planned questions, ask them to explain it before steering back to the agenda. It may reveal a need or obstacle you did not know to ask about.
6. Ask what would eliminate your community from consideration. If every shortlist discussion returns to incentives, ask what would cause the company to rule you out and what an acceptable incentive package means to them. Use those answers to clarify the requirements behind the negotiation.
7. Investigate the hiring process before suggesting a workforce solution. When an employer says it cannot find workers, ask them to walk through exactly how they have tried to recruit. Find out what they have tried, what they have not tried, and where the process is getting stuck.
8. Turn an overlooked local business’s complaint into a concrete meeting. Set up time to discuss its current problems, concerns, and goals. Identify people in your local network who could help address those needs.
9. Create opportunities to hear from people beyond the CEO. Ask leadership to allow separate conversations with managers and employees so concerns can surface without the boss in the room. When conducting confidential interviews, share themes without identifying the individuals who raised them.
10. Corroborate what you hear before treating it as settled. Compare statements with other available information and the person’s pattern of follow-through. Recognize when your assessment rests on evidence and when you are still working from a hunch.

• Dan Kiger | LinkedIn
• Dan Kiger — Former Interrogator | Advisory & Keynotes
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