Multi-client lobbying is a unique profession with attributes similar to a sales or marketing consultant.  A career as a lobbyist is both rewarding and challenging.  We get to work with a variety of clients, in many different sectors, on interesting projects, and every day is different as a multitude of issues always arise.  This can be a lot of pressure, but it’s also what makes the work exciting.

To be successful, lobbyists need to be able to build strong relationships with clients, potential customers, and policymakers.  They need to be extremely knowledgeable about government structures – including the process, rules, and people.   They need to be able to communicate complex ideas clearly and must be able to think on their feet and come up with creative solutions to problems. Like most everything else in life, the best advice comes from those with experience.  That’s what we have built at MLC – a team of experienced professionals, which was acquired from the highest levels of leadership and management within state government.

A good lobbyist must understand how policymakers make decisions and know how to develop them sufficiently into the issue’s champion to get it across the finish line.  But, just like any career, there are challenges. Working with someone who may be uncertain about new ideas or on how to approach and carry forward a new public policy idea, is what I see as the hardest part of the job.

In Michigan, some point to the state’s term limit laws as problematic. However, I believe the amount of information they are inundated with daily and the number of people vying for their attention, can cause hurdles. But as a lobbyist, it’s our job to fully inform them about the issue at hand and why it is a worthy cause.  So, we don’t usually give up.

I deal with this in the following ways:

• • By carefully listening, presenting arguments in a respectful way, and working  with policymakers by giving them the opportunity to see things from a different perspective.
  • Every legislator has something that they’re passionate about. Figuring out what makes each person tick is a bit of the special sauce of lobbying. The rewards, however, are the relationships built during the process.

Those who are successful in the lobbying field tend to be extremely well-rounded and have a deep understanding of both the technical aspects of their work, and the importance of people skills.  That’s what helps us overcome the difficulty of the job. As anyone who has ever worked as a lobbyist can attest, it is a demanding profession that is not for everyone, but it’s extremely rewarding when you win.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.