Joe Simitian’s 13 Tips for Successful Advocacy

1. Develop a relationship before you arrive (a year, an hour, a 15-minute phone call).

2. Understand what motivates your audience (i.e., the Member or his/her staff); and tell them why they care.

3. Understand what is possible and what is not.

4. Find a floor manager.

5. Joe Jackson Principle. Tell them what you want.

6. Bring them solutions, not problems (interest group agreement).

7. Describe the elements of a solution, rather than insist on your solution.

8. Do not chastise, insult or threaten the Member or his/her staff.

9. Understand that sometimes less is more.

10. Layer your campaign.

11. Persistence pays off.

12. Make it easy to say yes.

13. The value of a “thank you.”

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