Lessons in Lobbying – 1 – First, think about what your audience wants

If you want to be an effective lobbyist you need to start thinking about what your audience wants.

Your audiences are the officials and politicians who will influence or decide on your issue.

Your audiences are not the interests or the clients that you represent.  Your client or interest is likely going to disagree with me on this.   There is a common view that amounts to “tell them what I think, and they will agree with me”.   If officials or politicians agreed with your client, it is unlikely that you would be needed to make your client’s case.

You need to speak to the official or politician in a way that speaks to them, that interests them, that pleases them.

You need to tell them a story that appeals to them.

Your real audience is unlikely going to care too much about your client’s interests.  It’s not their job not to.  They don’t care if your client’s pet project won’t get the okay,  their sales targets are not met, or their new product does come to the market.

If you want to persuade an official or politician that doing something you want is worth their time, you need to think about what they want and have a story that speaks about what they want. 98% of the time this does not happen.

If you can’t tell that story and take the listener from where they are to where you want them to be, your real audience is not going to get it, and are going to shut down, often in front of you.

Telltale signs of shutting down include looking at their phone, examining the ceiling, and sighing with their arms crossed. If you see them shut down, you have lost them. End the meeting. They may remember you positively as someone who does not take up their time. They won’t remember anything else about the meeting.

I’ve seen this basic rule ignore with spectacular effect.

Example 1

A progressive public health politician was persuaded to back a controversial amendment after an invite from a company and trade union to do a site visit. After a tour of the site in hazmat suits,  and a discussion with the union and employer that showed that high health standards on the site were being maintained, the politician backed the company/trade union position.

A company going to meet a senior official who drafted a proposal. They spent a short 15 minutes insulting the proposal from start to finish and offered no solution. This landed up with only the sure guarantee that no amendment put forward by that industry ever got taken up.

Seeing a lobbyist ask for an influential NGO leader’s support because “it will treble my client’s profits.” Amazingly, they forgot the script which included many environmental benefits that aligned with the NGOs.

It is an easy rule to follow, but few do.