Tips for engaging a lobbyist
WASHINGTON – Thinking about working with a lobbyist? Most lobbyists will be quick to point out their value. So here are some things to consider if you’re thinking about hiring a lobbyist or if you already work with lobbyists and want to enhance your relationship.
- Look for the same names that keep coming up, said Kathy Kiely, managing editor for the Sunlight Foundation. When the same lobbyists are hired over and over again, it tells you what the marketplace thinks.
-Ask around. Talk to your lawmakers and trade associations. Do Internet research. Look to see if the lobbyists you’re considering speak at conferences or are mentioned in the media. Talk to lobbyists and ask them who they think has a good reputation, said Howard Marlowe, president of the American League of Lobbyists.
-Meet face-to-face with your potential lobbying partners, Marlowe said. Do they know your issues? Do they understand the political landscape? Will they be willing to work with you as a partner? How will they treat you? Are you just another client or do you feel like you are the lobbyist’s most important client?
-Lobbyists charge a variety of fees, Marlowe said, but it doesn’t take a lot of money to get an effective lobbyist.
-Once you’re working with lobbyists, maintain a good relationship with them. Meet regularly with them in person. Invite them to your offices to spend some time there getting to know your organization and what’s important to you. Keep in contact with them and keep them informed of developments. Be responsive to them. If they ask you for information about an issue that’s important to you, get them that information.
“The issue that folks have to look for is do they need added value?” Marlowe said. “The value-add that lobbyists bring is several things: knowledge of the process; also our contacts, our relationships, not only with members of Congress but with staff people; our knowledge of issues. We become extra staff to our clients and we become extra staff to members of Congress because we’re knowledgeable, obviously not in everything, but in the areas in which we practice. It makes a lot of difference.”