Make Introductions and “Sell” to Your Newly Elected Officials

We just finished an election. New officials have been elected into office. Some of those relationships you spent months/years developing have now ended. It is a cycle of life for those in office. Now, we need to reach out to our newly elected officials and start over. This is a GREAT opportunity to be the first in a long line of entities that will be asking for their attention as the new sessions begin. 

If you have not already, it is not too late to complete the following task. Thank those that recently left office after serving your state and your industry. Express your gratitude as they now face a new path for their careers. Leave this relationship on a positive note. Past relationships have a way of coming back in new ways. Keep them strong. 

Next, reach out to the newly elected. Find them on social media platforms, follow them and congratulate them on their new position. Social media is a great first introduction—and the easiest to find. Their new staff should be in place, but finding access to these key personnel who will serve as your communication conduit may take some research. Do not let the time it takes to do this research stop you from making connections today.

While their individual websites and access to an email portal are now available, I reached out to a newly elected official through their still-active campaign email at the end of 2020. We met his Iowa staffer through that email. Once the connection was established, I followed up with the guidelines set in my previous blog (see the end of the article for links). Follow these steps:

1. Tell YOUR story and why you are reaching out now.
2. Ask for a meeting.
3. Send further information on your company and your industry.
• Company statistics
• Industry statistics
• Related state statistics (ie: Iowa tourism dollars generated)
• Share your uniqueness—what sets you apart even further from “competitors” (ie: how “green” you are compared to another like industry)
4. Hold that meeting—virtual may be the way to go, but always offer a site visit.
5. Do not stop! Keep in contact—use social media, send updates—relationships die that are not nurtured. Nurture this one.
6. Repeat these steps with ALL of your state’s elected officials. They represent your state. Tie any connection you have to their district. 
• Do you have employees living in their region?
• Do you have clients/customers in their region?
• How do you leave revenue behind in their area?

Let them know you want to provide them with the information they will need to make educated decisions about your industry.

Building relationships takes time. Now is the time to get started. When the pandemic hit and we needed to start advocating for our industry, I was grateful we had participated in industry fly-ins and I had contact information. I also had pictures that I could send showing our past meetings. Our relationships were weak, but we were remembered. I do not want to be weak again. I will nurture these relationships and be recognized. I encourage you to do the same.

Links:

• Time to "Sell" To Your Elected Officials
• Tell Your Story to "Sell" To Your Elected Officials
• Testimonials "Sell" Your Company To Your Elected Officials
• On the Call — "Sell" To Your Elected Officials
• Twitter "Sells" To Your Elected Official? YES
• "Sell" To Your Elected Officials: A Summary

Email Kim Grzywacz, CTIS with CIT Signature Transportation at kgrzywacz@citbus.com.