ARE CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS NECESSARY?

by: Chazz Clevinger

Many candidates pose the important question of whether they need a general consultant for their campaign – a professional campaigner who oversees planning, research, analysis, and strategy. Why can’t I do it myself? Or why can’t my Uncle Bob handle the management of the campaign? What does a consultant offer that I can’t get elsewhere?

This is a fair question, and an important one, in determining how serious you are about becoming an elected official. Running for office is extraordinarily challenging and takes a rare and committed individual. However, it is not much different than other pursuits in life, such as applying to college or a competitive job.

If you were building a house, would you try to do it yourself? Unless you are General Contractor or Commercial Builder, the answer is obviously no! Building a house requires brick masons, electricians, plumbers, construction crews, and a myriad of other skilled labors. It most certainly cannot be done by an inexperienced individual.

Believe it or not, campaigns are very similar. Just like a General Contractor hires a great number of vendors and sub-contractors to help him build a house, so does a General Consultant. To help win a campaign, the General Consultant hires a myriad of campaign professionals, such as pollster, media planner, opposition researcher, campaign manager, and web designer to ensure that the campaign is built properly.

For those familiar with Biblical parables, you may recall the story of two men, who built a house. One built his house upon the rock. The other built his house upon the sand. Then a giant storm came. The man who built his house upon the rock withstood the storm, whereas the man that built his house upon the sand watched his investment crumble and crash around him.

Campaigns are a lot like houses. Occasionally, you can get away with building one upon weak foundations, but it will ultimately collapse when it encounters serious obstacles. However, if you let a professional build your campaign; it can withstand political storms, and ultimately stand solid to achieve victory. Gambling men (and women) all too often put their fate in the hands of neophytes and novices, or like the man who built his house on the sand, try to cut corners and do things the cheap way, rather than the right way.

Candidates that try to take the cheap path to victory, almost always end up losing, because they get in over their head, and fail to realize all the technical “know how” that goes into running a smooth campaign. Sure, anyone can build a tree house with a little effort and a “How To” book just like anyone can run a second rate campaign with almost no experience. Candidates in non-competitive districts are particularly susceptible to idea of building their own campaigns.

However, these “safe” candidates, who are in districts that lean far right or far left, are also guilty of making the same grievous error as the man, who built his house upon the sand. Shortly after completing their two houses, I can imagine the man with the house upon the sand feeling very self-satisfied. He probably thought he was a lot smarter than man, who built upon the rock – that is until a storm came. Candidates in safe districts may be safe for a time, but every ten years there is something called redistricting, which can be equated to a political storm. Many foolish candidates with no real plan in place have forfeited their elected offices, as a result of being defeated by an opponent with a better campaign strategy.

Therefore, it is important to remain humble, and seek professional guidance. You wouldn't defend yourself in court. You would hire a lawyer. Neither would you perform open heart surgery on your wife. You would hire a cardiovascular surgeon. You probably wouldn't even try to fix your own car if it was leaking gas. You would hire mechanic.

With this in mind, it makes no sense to put your campaign, your reputation, and quite possibly tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars of campaign revenue in the hands of complete novice. It’s simply foolish, if not irresponsible.

The bottom line is that campaign consultants are necessary and they are worth it. A skilled consultant can even help you spend less money, and use your campaign dollars more strategically, than would have otherwise been possible. Most people hire a realtor based on the assumption that they can get a better offer on their house through the realtor, than they could receive on their own. Otherwise, why pay a few thousand dollars of profit on the sale of your house to a third party?

The same is true campaign consultants. They can get more mileage out of your campaign resources, then you ever could on your own. Experienced campaign consultants also know how help solicit funds from party coffers and build sustainable fundraising operations that help bring money in, rather than just helping you spend it all.

Campaign consultants are not needed for fair-weather, but rather for storms – just like the rock held no advantage over the sand, until the winds came. A good campaign consultant can turn a losing campaign into a winning one, in the same way a good captain can navigate a ship through the eye of a storm at sea.

Ultimately, a campaign consultant is the best investment you can make as a candidate. Especially, if you are a first time candidate, a challenger, or you are an incumbent facing difficult reelection prospects. Therefore, do yourself, your family, your community, your voters, and your campaign a solid. Invest in professional guidance and weather the storm.

http://coastalpolitical.com/news-articles/are-campaign-consultants-necessary/

CAMPAIGN LESSONS FROM BUSINESS AND WAR

By: Chazz Clevinger

The premise of my campaign philosophy hinges on several important core beliefs. One such belief is that it is essential to operate campaigns like professional businesses. No small business (or campaign) should ever expand into a new market (voting district) without a solid and professionally designed business (campaign) plan.

Sadly, many businesses(and campaigns) fail because of poorly researched strategic plans. Even worse, some campaigns and businesses have no written plan at all! This is one reason I love working with military veterans and entrepreneurs. They have an acute understanding for the importance of strategy, planning, tactics, and execution.

A marketing executive may understand the need for direct mail advertising better than a drill instructor, while the drill instructor will likely have a better grasp on the strategic execution of a battle plan. However, both the successful warrior and entrepreneur know how important it is to have a strategic plan in place, before launching a campaign.

What is meant by a strategic campaign? Simply put: a campaign with a strategy. The Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeated the extraordinary Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca in the Third Punic War, due to superior strategic planning and execution.

At the Battle of Zama, Scipio correctly calculated the strategic weakness of the Carthagian campaign plan — a strong dependency on their mighty war elephants. By outwitting, outplanning, outmaneuvering, and ultimately outflanking Hannibal's war elephants, Scipio handily defeated the seemingly invisible Carthaginian General Hannibal.

Forget for a moment that we are discussing ancient military history, and focus on the age old adage that “he who fails to plan; plans to fail.” Hubris kept Hannibal from developing a proper strategic plan, because of his many past victories. This is also true of many veteran politicians, who rest on the laurels of their incumbency, and fail to successfully develop and execute winning campaign plans.

Hannibal had won many previous victories in his campaigns against the Romans in the Punic Wars. In his early days, after crossing the Alps, he crushed countless Roman legions in the Battles of Lake Trasimene, Lake Trebia, and Cannae. The venerable Roman Consul and General Quintus Fabius Maximus suffered defeat at the hands of Carthage, not because he failed to plan, but because he failed to act, and as a result the word “Fabian” is now synonymous with a non-confrontational style of warfare referred to as a “war of attrition.”

Implementation is the second and equally important part of strategic planning. Fabius Maximus learned the hard way that plotting against Hannibal from behind the Colline Gates in Rome without taking decisive action against him, was a poor strategy for such an ambitious and clever opponent, who would not be defeated by such meek methods.

Strategic planning has as much to do with your opponent’s campaign as it does with your own. A campaign plan must be well researched, written, and developed with your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses, resources, education, personal history, and character traits in perspective. A cautious and clever opponent requires a far different strategy than an aggressive and impulsive one.

Hannibal made the mistake of utilizing the same strategies on Scipio that worked so well in his victories over Fabius. He failed to adjust his strategy to fit his opponent, and thus his homeland of Carthage forever suffered in vassalage to Rome, before ultimately becoming lost to the pages of time and history. Meanwhile, Fabius failed to implement the strategies he incessantly pitched to the Roman Senate, and ultimately followed a cautious and reactive battle plan, which allowed Hannibal to defeat or convert many Roman provinces, under his banner, before being lured back to Carthage by Scipio’s attack on his homeland.

Your voting district probably does not resemble Northern Africa in third century BC or require you to do battle with war elephants, but it nonetheless possesses strategic considerations that you must evaluate in order to develop an appropriate plan of action. One of the most important strategic considerations, which Scipio took into account during the Third Punic War, was Hannibal’s “Center of Gravity.” He determined that in order to lure Hannibal out of Italy and away from Rome, he would need to invade Hannibal’s homeland. This forced Hannibal to return and defend Carthage. Scipio compelled his opponent to action by forcing him to act against his will, and therefore gained a decisive advantage.

Hannibal had not planned to fight Scipio in Carthage. His armies and elephants were tired and unprepared. Scipio had forced them to fight on a field of his choosing – not their own. This is important to remember in political campaigns as well. If your opponent is tall, handsome, well educated, friendly, and a good speaker – do not debate him in public! This is a battle field that favors his talents. Raise questions about his campaign by employing a vigorous advertising campaign against him. Force him to fight on your terms. Scipio had won far fewer battles than Hannibal before Zama, but he defeated him, because his strategic plan and implementation far exceeded Hannibal’s preparations.

In addition to strategic considerations, your resources and personal determination are highly important factors in political campaigns. Famous Prussian military strategist, General Carl Von Clausewitz refers to these considerations as the “Iron Calculus of War.” He cleverly states that an opponent’s resistance equals “means” multiplied by “will.” Essentially, he believed that an opponent’s level of determination and degree of resources was an exact measure of his ability to compete in warfare.

Thanks to campaign finance regulations, you can easily discover the degree of financial resources, which your opponent has in his arsenal. However, other forms of political capital, such as strong name identification, deep ties to the community, favorable occupational and educational history, veteran status, and other considerations can also be important supplements to an opponent’s monetary means.

Some candidates will not spend any of their own money to run for office. This is a strong indication that their political will is weak, because they value financial security over victory in their campaign. However, other candidates have been known to take out second mortgages on their homes and liquidate their retirement assets to raise money for their political ambitions. This indicates an opponent with an abnormally strong political will, who will not be defeated easily. This kind of opponent is committed to a zero sum game of “total” political war.

However, if you also choose to mortgage your house, then a state of “Nash Equilibrium” may be said to exist, unless an imbalance of means is present, thus giving advantage to either you or your opponent. Therefore, in this case, the possession of superior means often determines the outcome in battles of equal will.

Whether you are a first time candidate or a veteran running for higher office, I would urge you to consider investing in an energetic, skilled, and proven campaign strategist with superior planning skills. You must have a consultant, who can research, write, develop an appropriate plan, budget, strategy, achievable goals, and clear timelines for fundraising, media, direct mail, paid phones, field operations, volunteer recruitment, canvassing, coalitions, voter targeting, polling, etc. Only then will you be able to operate an efficient, thoughtful, and professionally organized campaign capable of overcoming numerous obstacles to achieve victory.

As a general consultant and campaign strategist, my most valuable skill set can be found in my ability to write, research, and develop strategic campaign plans that can be vigorously executed. I like to think of them as being similar to warrior’s battle plan. For a one-time fee, a candidate receives a tangible product that outlines a specific road map for victory.

My most successful candidates have utilized their campaign plans to help guide them in the midst of chaos, focus their resources, implement advertising campaigns, communicate key issues to the public, build name identification, and demonstrate gravitas to donors and party leaders. Most importantly, they take their strategic campaign plans and implement them.

Implementation is the key to success. Whether you are designing a national ad campaign for a new product line, commanding a platoon into battle, or running for State Senate; it is important to remember that the goal of any strategic campaign is victory.

This might mean achieving substantial revenue growth for your company, increasing your donor base by twenty percent, or crushing your opponent Von Clausewitz style in a game of “Total War.” Whatever the case, you’ll need a strategic plan to get there successfully.

http://coastalpolitical.com/news-articles/campaign-lessons-from-business-and-war/

CANDIDATE QUALITY AND VOTER PERCEPTION

By: Chazz Clevinger

Running for office is extraordinarily challenging and takes a rare and committed individual. However, it is not much different than other pursuits in life, such as applying for any other highly competitive job. Essentially, the voters of a given district are not unlike most employers. They want the most qualified applicants for public office available and ultimately they want to receive the very best political representation.

Candidates, like job applicants, tend to fall into several categories. This list is not definitive; rather it is intended simply to illustrate commonly perceived strengths and weaknesses of candidates, both real and imagined.

• The Passionate Activist (typically weak candidates)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Sincere, Sympathetic, Committed, Honest, Driven by Beliefs
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Naive, Unpolished, Unprepared, Disorganized, Indecisive, Aloof, Inexperienced, Limited Financial Resources, Less Educated.
• The Ambitious Professional (typically strong candidates)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Organized, Prepared, Polished, Focused, Moderate Financial Resources, Energetic, Highly Educated, and Well-Staffed.
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Narcissistic, Arrogant, Disingenuous, Driven by Numbers
• The Middle Aged Tycoon (candidate quality varies greatly)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Significant Financial Resources, Experience, Wisdom, Character
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Out of Touch, Cantankerous, Intransigent, Eccentric, Narrow Minded
• The Restless Retiree (candidate quality varies greatly)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Moderate Financial Resources, Full-Time Availability, Credible, Low Risk of Prolonged Incumbency, Wealth of Knowledge
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Stuck in Past, Limited Energy, Limited Vision, Lack of Focus

Approximately 95 percent of candidates fall into one of these four categories in the minds of voters, news reporters, and political analysts — regardless of whether they admit it or not. The Athenian Philosopher Socrates instructed his students to “know thyself,” in order to more accurately assess their character, abilities, and place in the world. Candidates should also know themselves and how they are perceived by the public.

If, as a candidate, you are classified as an “Ambitious Professional” this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are narcissistic or arrogant. You could be a local attorney or banker renown for your gentile spirit and humility. Politics is an art, not an exact science, and as such it cannot account for the various factors that comprise your individual candidacy. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to be an articulate, educated, and polished “Passionate Activist.” In fact, successful North Carolina Congresswoman Renee Elmers is a great example. She was a “Passionate Activist,” who bucked the trend, and was ultimately a very successful candidate.

Ultimately, the key is to know your own strengths, your weaknesses, and be able to honestly assess yourself in terms of how you are perceived by voters. If you are intelligent, but appear rigid or out of touch, then find ways to show voters that you can relate to them on their level, and that you are not as sanctimonious as you may seem. Hiring an experienced general consultant to evaluate your various qualities as a candidate can help bring to light problems that are hard to address on one’s own.

Most candidates can easily identify their strengths. It is their weaknesses that are the problem. Many otherwise solid candidates, who could have won, have sabotaged themselves because they were too stubborn, arrogant, or self-consumed to admit their flaws. Voters may often be severely apathetic, but that does not make them gullible. They will judge you according to their own perceptions of your candidacy. Therefore, your job as a candidate is to ensure that a majority of likely voters perceive you favorably.

Remember, that in most voting districts – except those that are culturally and racially homogeneous or gerrymandered – 70-80% of votes each cycle are spoken for as a result of the two party system. 30-45% will vote for the Democratic candidate and 30-45% will vote for the Republican. This generally leaves about 20% of the vote up to independent, unaffiliated, and swing voters. This is your target audience. These voters are typically looking beyond your party affiliation and rhetoric to assess to your credibility, character, reputation, and sincerity. They are also analyzing your record of leadership, community involvement, and policy positions on key issues to see if you are the “real deal” or just another smooth talking charlatan.

Therefore, it is essential to know how these “swing voters” think and what motivates them to vote for or against your candidacy. Choosing to ignore your weaknesses will only damage your odds of winning, because as much as you might deny them; voters will not afford you this same luxury. They will assume the worst, unless you give them good reason to believe otherwise.

With this in mind, take great pains to ensure your image, reputation, credibility, and integrity – both real and perceived – remains untarnished throughout the course of your political career, and especially during campaign season. In politics, perception is reality. Therefore, work hard to ensure you are perceived positively at all times, and that you are deemed to be a candidate of the highest quality by prospective voters.

http://coastalpolitical.com/news-articles/candidate-quality-and-voter-perception/