What does lobbying mean?
Lobbying is the set of legitimate actions taken to influence (political and official) decision-making.
Lobbying also often comes down to general human knowledge, since you are constantly dealing with people. As a lobbyist you must also have the right adaptability and empathy because you must be able to blend into your environment like a kind of chameleon and look at the situation through the lenses of different stakeholders.
In what situations is lobbying used?
When something needs to be achieved, lobbying can contribute to this. Every lobby basically has the same goal: the lobby message must convince the decision maker. Every lobby is built on a position, with arguments with which you try to convince the decision maker.
How does lobbying work?
You always lobby with a clear lobby message. Especially when you are dealing with competition or opposition, your lobby message must distinguish itself from all the others. He must meet a number of requirements for this. It must be original and easy to remember, so that the message sticks with the person you want to influence, but also with the newspaper and/or website reader, the TV viewer, the radio listener. The following seven characteristics distinguish a good lobby message:
- Clarity: the message must be concrete. The more tangible the more relevant.
- Concise: you should be able to explain your message in a few sentences.
- Appealing: the reader's attention must be drawn.
- Subsequently: the message must respond to the views and wishes of others. Current events are therefore essential
- Distinctive: your message differs in clarity, form and creativity from that of your competitors or opponents.
- Factually correct: when you provide figures and facts, they must be completely correct, do not round off or make the facts more beautiful than they are.
- Credible: the message is realistic and achievable.
What is the job of a lobbyist?
Only when there is a shared interest can you work together. So apart from collecting and writing down the arguments and interests that a lobbyist represents, a lobbyist delves into the interests and underlying motivations of his (many) interlocutors.
In addition to doing homework to find out this, a lobbyist ensures that appointments are planned with those involved and follows up on these agreements. It is a continuous process of exploring, deepening, connecting and representing that takes place over a longer period of time.
Different ways of lobbying
There are different ways to lobby. For example, one can be used position paper. In this case you process the lobby message in a lobby letter, also known as: position paper named. Here you try to write your message as concisely and clearly as possible so that the reader adopts your message and uses it in a meeting, in a political debate, in a speech or in a conversation with someone else who also needs to be convinced. A good one position paper is short and has a clearly formulated message that does not use too much jargon. In addition, position papers mentioned the two most important arguments for both sides, an excess of arguments weakens the message. The lobby letter ends with what you want from the other person and contact details of someone who can be reached by the recipient. Finally, it is important that the position paper is puncture resistant.
Another way to lobby is a working visit. Organizing a working visit helps, for example, to show MPs a clear picture of how it works in practice. During such a working visit it is very important not to invite all politicians and civil servants at the same time. In consultation with politicians and civil servants, you put together a program (think of suitable date/day, duration, location, etc.) and you provide a well-detailed script. Politicians and civil servants want to receive explanations, but above all they want to be able to ask questions, so give them ample opportunity to do so.
In addition, a lobby discussion can be used. Gaining trust and a long-term relationship of mutual respect based on equality is what will achieve the most. It is important to be well informed. Try to find out what the underlying layer is for your conversation partner, what does he or she really want to do or away from? During the conversation, be as concise as possible and keep your own emotions aside, don't get too carried away. Responding to the emotions of your conversation partner, on the other hand, is a smart tactic, but it can also be applied to you. Watch out for that.
As a consultant, it is important to coordinate your role well with the client. Are you going to the interview or not? If so, what exactly is your role in the conversation? In most cases it is useful to take on the role of 'moderator' to be able to direct the conversation when necessary. This also means that you sometimes have to take strict action against your client, for example by asking specific questions to get the right answer from your client. Because it may sometimes feel a bit unnatural, it is important to discuss this division of roles carefully with the client in advance. At the end of a lobby conversation it is customary to position paper hand over and make a new appointment.
Tips for a good lobby
- Make a lobby plan – without a plan there is no success.
- Think carefully about what your lobbying goal is – without a goal you are swimming.
- Formulate your most important (core) message – sometimes you only get one chance, so make sure you know what your message is.
- List your relevant stakeholders – make an overview of the most important players in the field and what their interests are.
- Determine your lobbying strategy – what steps and intermediate steps do you need to take to achieve your goal?
- Connect with allies – the broader the lobby, the greater the chance of success.
- Determine the right timing – if you get in too late, positions are often already set. Make sure you know when your influence is greatest; this is often at the beginning of an issue.
- Choose your lobbying instruments – do you go for a personal conversation, do you send a letter, do you send an email? press release or do you send a letter to a newspaper? Choose your resources.
- Include your internal organization in your plans - go well prepared and ensure that your organization supports your vision and plans. Also feedback. This is how you ensure internal involvement.
- Come and bring something and not just pick it up, ensure a win-win situation.