I’ve noticed that the number one demand in new business is an ‘issue expert’. By that, someone is referring to the remarkable person who spent 20-plus years on the factory floor and then had a revelation, deciding to become a lobbyist.
I’ve met a handful of lobbyists who came from the coal face and were excellent. There was a remarkably clear communicator from Ford, whose political savvy and ability to communicate complex issues must have saved his company hundreds of millions of euros.
They are a rare breed.
I like my lobbyists to be like my oncologist: very experienced, with a track record of success, who knows what to do, can bring in the right support when needed, and can explain what’s happening clearly. I appreciate being told the likelihood of success without sugarcoating.
I’d recommend something even rarer and more useful to your interests.
It is that lobbyist who knows the ins and outs of the legislative or regulatory procedure you are working on.
Someone who can guide you through the political fires of adoption and legislative/regulatory passage and has done it a few times, with success.
Knows what evidence and data is needed and how to present it. And, be honest enough that they are not ones to collect the data but recommend real experts, trusted by the decision-makers in the area, to produce the appropriate data/studies.
The significant gap in the EU Bubble is the ability to tell a story that resonates beyond your narrow policy clique. Most position papers and policy communications in Brussels appear to be directed at one desk officer, locked away in the basement of the European Commission in Luxembourg, working on the EU Tunnels Directive, and only allowed to meet the Director once a year meeting the other 27 Member State counterparts in an expert group.
Your lobbyist needs to be trusted by decision-makers. And they need to be able to tell their clients the real chances of success. If your lobbyist opts to be a morbidly obese cheerleader for you, your days are numbered.
All of this matters for nothing if you sit in internal meetings, procrastinating, thinking that the thoughts from the meeting will float into the minds of decision-makers by mystical telepathy. Delivery of the plan is key. And, if you don’t have the right resources, this won’t happen.