Lobbying in the United States
from Caijing Magazine, Aug. 13, 2006

Six Pieces of Advice to Chinese Enterprises
from an interview with Harriet Mouchly-Weiss
By Wei Jiali

First, Draw a “Dendrogram”
Before you take any actions, draw a dendrogram, a branched graph that resembles a tree. Include on it everyone you want to exercise your influence on. You will quickly realize that you need to influence not only the decision-makers, but a host of others as well.

You have to be able to communicate with people at every level. The Chinese often think that all problems can be solved if only they have the right connections at the top, and they neglect all the others. By the time they realize that they have to get to everyone on the dendrogram, it is too late.

Don’t Just Stay In Washington
You have to find out the best place to track down people of influence. Do they have to be in Washington, D.C? Not necessarily. If you want to lobby a congressman from New York, it might be more effective to seek him out in New York. And find out what’s it important about your issue to the people of New York. Remember: “all politics is local.”

Lobbying is Like Running in an Election
Lobbyists need to have a politician’s campaign psychology. Too often, the Chinese adopt the world outlook of their philosophers and think only of the long-term. But American politicians shift their focus frequently. You have to catch their attention quickly, just as if they were in the middle of an election campaign and have little time to focus on your issue. You have a very short time to influence them before they move on to other subjects. 

Don’t Assume Political Contacts Will Be There Forever
True, Members of Congress and federal and state officials are the most important targets for lobbyists. But, while lifelong tenure may exist in China, in the US, Congressional Representatives, Senators and government officials are here today and gone tomorrow. I’d congratulate you if you have at last established good relations with a congressman, but remember, you may have to start all over again unless he is re-elected two years later.

Do Not Neglect the Media and NGOs
Politicians come and go in the U.S. but the media and NGOs are always here. Actually, they are everywhere— newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet. Establish long and stable connections with them. If you can communicate at the “grass roots level,” you have laid a good foundation to make progress on the political front.

Do Not Wait Until a Crisis Occurs
If you start lobbying Member of Congress only after a crisis has occurred, it is often too late. Unfortunately, most enterprises do just that. You need to be prepared.