QUESTIONS TO ASK A LOBBYIST

1. What is your organization, and what do you do?
2. How large is your organization ?
3. How many lobbyists do you have?
4. How many of them work for full-time?
5. What is your background ?
6. How long have you been a lobbyist?
7. How many clients do you have right now?
8. Are there any particular institutions/agencies you have particular strength in?
9. Are there any particular issues you have particular strength in?
10. What is your project or issue?
11. Are there any particular industries you specialize in?
12. What are your lobbying goals?
13. When would you be ready to start?
14. If we worked with you, would you be the person managing our project?
15. Can you give me an estimate of what your fees would be to help us with our project?

Lobbyist Hiring Tips

• Ask each lobbying firm for a list of references – past clients you can contact: Specifically, ask them for past clients with issues similar to yours. Naturally these people will only say good things (otherwise the lobbyists wouldn’t give you their names). But if none of the references are similar to your organisation, and none have issues similar to yours, it’s a clue that the lobbyist may not have experience (at least successful experience) in your type of issue.
• Plan (and budget) for travel to at least a few times a year: Your lobbyist will need to set up face-to-face meetings for you with lawmakers and staff at least a few times during the course of your lobbying effort – the lobbyists can’t do everything for you.
• Budget for additional expenses: Lobbyists will charge you for incidental expenses, including things such as: Travel (usually just cab fare or parking or similar fees, unless you ask them to come out and meet you at your offices after you hire them). Printing and copying costs (for briefs and presentations they give to lawmakers and staff on your project). Registration fees (if you ask them to attend an event for you )
• Plan for a 1-2 year effort: Most lobbying efforts take some time. There’s a few reasons for this: It simply takes a while to move anything  Expect a 1-2 year effort for most issues.
• Keep in mind that all lobbying expenses are public records: So whatever you spend, and whatever issue you spend it on, will become public knowledge. This means: Don’t ask a lobbyist to work on a secret project for you. Choose the title of your project carefully to keep it accurate without giving away any competitive information.
• Make sure to look up your competitors’ lobbying efforts: In addition to giving you good information about your competitors, it’s also important to avoid a conflict of interest. If you both hire the same lobbyist, and you both end up bidding for the same government contract, it will be an issue.
• If you have a large budget for lobbying, consider hiring more than one lobbying firm: Large companies often hire multiple firms. This can allow you to target different areas with firms that specialize in each area, or to cover your bases on a really important issue (especially if the different firms have strong relationships with different lawmakers).