6 Things Before You Start Lobbying
Before you begin:
Who makes the decision? What might persuade or motivate them? How do you best get the necessary information to them?
These are the three vital things you have to know before lobbying.
Three further things to know, supporting your capacity to persuade, are: the internal public service status of your issue; the political status of your issue; and the multiple pressures on the decision-making process.
In summary:
- Who
- What
- How
- Internal status
- Political status
- Influences.
These six things sound simple, but behind them can lie great complexity; for example, a decision can be shared by multiple jurisdictions and decision-makers, a briefing note proposing a conflicting solution might already be sitting on the decision-maker’s desk, or you might be seeking something for which you’re already thought unfit.
If you start lobbying before you know at least these six things, you’re not lobbying, you’re flailing, and you’re likely wasting time and money and harming your own prospects.
To understand these things, you or your lobbyist must do effective research. Mastering the Dark Art of Lobbying goes into more detail about those six key things to know, and the research to be done. This post is an extract from the book.