by Rafe Morrissey

I’ve represented Hallmark Cards for a long time and one of my favorite advertising campaigns they conducted was to refer to sending a card as “the biggest little thing” a person can do to let someone know they care. So with apologies for borrowing the phrase, I’d like to suggest that “the biggest little thing” a business leader can do is to develop a relationship with their representatives in Congress. Too often, companies come to Washington to seek assistance with a problem having laid no groundwork with their Congressional delegation. Unfortunately, there is an entire industry in Washington that has been built around charging astronomical fees to deal with problems at the last minute, mostly with little success.

A sound plan for fostering a good relationship with Members of Congress need not be excessively expensive nor require huge investments of time to produce worthwhile results. To be sure, it is always helpful to have a trusted representative in Washington to reinforce your message and to help develop strategy, but there is a lot that can be done that requires no more than a willingness to invest some time.

We often forget that our Members of Congress are there to help with problems. They can’t do so, however, if they don’t know about the problem or the constituent. They are even more willing to help when a relationship has already been established. Familiarity fosters cooperation. Here are a few things any business leader can do to get on the radar screen with their delegation:

1. Determine who you are and what impact you have in a Member’s district or state. How many people do you employ? What products or services do you provide? What is your economic contribution to the community?
2. Identify your top 3 policy concerns for the coming year and craft succinct talking points to explain why they matter to you.
3. Set up a meeting with your Congressional representative and two senators. There are numerous Websites that will help you identify who your Member of Congress is based on your business zip code. Members are home a lot. Contact their local office and set up a meeting. Let them know you’d like to brief them on your business and discuss a few policy concerns. Better yet, offer to have them come on a tour of your facility and meet some of your employees. They will be interested.
4. Taking the time to make these connections at least once a year can pay big dividends when a real problem does occur. Very likely, such a meeting may generate a contact from the Member’s fundraiser, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. If you feel the Member has been responsive and supports policies favorable to your business, you may want to consider making a donation to his or her campaign. Contributions do not make good policy but good politicians may deserve your support.

Finally, you should view an effective legislative engagement campaign as a marathon rather than a sprint. Most businesses fail to develop these relationships and then have no opportunity to respond to unfavorable policy decisions when they inevitably occur. A small investment of your time now can pay big dividends when an emergency does happen and could just be the biggest little thing you could do to protect your business in Washington.

 

Rafe Morrissey, Senior Vice President for Government Relations, EnGage, LLC

Rafe Morrissey is the Senior Vice President for Government Relations at EnGage, LLC, where he manages legislative and public policy issues on behalf of a number of the firm’s clients. Recently, Rafe was retained to serve as Postal Affairs Manager for the Greeting Card Association. He was the recipient of the American Business Media 2007 Thomas W. Tully award for Outstanding Government Service.

I am thrilled to have Rafe as a Guest Leader. He is very focused on his clients’ needs and is extremely knowledgeable and dutiful. Rafe is a credit to his profession