Winning with Business

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Winning with Business

• Shelley Symonds Shari Simon
• ssymonds_at_pacbell.net
• 510.219.0721

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If you want to win, and win fast

• We need business to win
• Business support will get you legislative
  support, public support and press support
• Get them on your side
• Its easier than you think
• It only takes a few, good business people

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Three step process

• Ready
• Find your coalitions business leader(s)
• Use them in creating the legislation
• Create initial business messages
• Aim
• Find your business spokespeople
• Finalize your messages and materials
• Fire
• Shape public opinion
• Proactively set the terms of debate
• Iterate, iterate, iterate

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Why would business support a social program?

• When it helps them
• Increase revenue
• Decrease costs

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Ready

• Find your business leader(s)
• Executive level
• Private sector track record
• Good professional connections
• Time to devote to this
• Use same process to recruit them that they will
  use to recruit business spokespeople
• Use your rolodexes
• Use business associations

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Make it work for business, too

• Make the legislation palatable to business
• When drafting the legislation
• Use business leaders to vet the legislation
• Economically friendly legislation
• Test identify problem areas and positive areas
• Create negotiating strategy
• Associate with successful, well-perceived
  programs from businesses point of view

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Make it attractive to business

• When creating initial messaging
• Business friendly language/messaging
• Inclusive language for all important constituents
• Make it make business sense
• Make rational cost/benefit arguments
• Emotional appeals will not work with business
• Demonstrate return on investment (ROI)
• Third party, credible sources
• Track results
• Build into the plan future studies to track
  actual experience
• Goal is federal legislation actual stats and
  facts are critical

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Who is Business?

• Many different segments
• Small businesses
• Surprisingly receptive
• Medium businesses
• Start at the top
• Large corporations
• Longest sales cycle is with large businesses
• May be easier to work through organizations

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Messaging

• Set the discussion fact based
• University of Chicago study, 2000 Department of
  Labor Survey on FMLA, EDD study, California Labor
  Survey (political support across parties)
• Create materials for a common voice
• Be consistent
• Train team members to use the common voice
• Language that worked
• State Disability Insurance, Family Temporary
  Disability Insurance
• Language that didnt work
• Workmens Comp, Paid Family Leave

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Business messages that work

• Make a business argument
• Increase profits or revenue
• Decrease costs
• Business vs. personal
• Use third party, impartial sources
• Increased employee retention
• Of good employees
• Did not impact ability to remove bad employees
• Time vs. money
• Time is mandated leave
• Money is disability insurance
• Legislation 100 employee funded
• Does not create any new employee rights to leave
  (time off)

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Business spokesperson profile

• Executive level
• Men and women
• Well-prepared and coached
• Accessible - ready to turn on a dime
• Brief them as you would for any marketing
  campaign
• Three points
• Facts
• Obvious conclusion
• Stay on message
• Personally credible and forceful

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How to reach businesses

• Use business associations
• The usual suspects
• NAWBO, NOW, BPW, Catalyst Women, Am. Assoc. of
  University Women, Cosmetic Executive Women
• Not just womens associations
• Manufacturers, restaurants, hotels, merchants
  organizations, industry organizations (ASBA,
  Social Ventures Network), professional
  organizations (NCHRA)
• See who is quoted in the press
• Use everyones personal rolodexes
• Authors of legislation
• Great for small/medium business contacts
• Tell a friend is very powerful

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Electronic outreach

• Business runs electronically
• Use list serves
• Create your own or use existing ones
• Have an informational website with actionable
  pop-ups
• Business website
• Concise and compelling messaging
• Make it quick and easy to take action
• Sample letters, emails, send-a-fax, tell-a-friend
• For politicians
• For press
• For businesses
• For personal contacts

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Opposition Unexpected

• Women in business
• Adverse reaction possible
• Business women may view it as inhibiting career
  paths and/or compensation
• Makes them less desirable as hires
• Puts them on slow-track
• Gives employer reason for lower pay
• Counters
• Christopher Ruhm study and Gruber study

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Opposition - Expected

• Expect opposition from national or statewide
  organizations
• Chamber of Commerce well-organized
• Business organizations NFIB, Bay Area Council
• What they will say
• Grants rights to paid leave for less than
  50-employee companies
• Job killer
• Enormous cost of program, budget deficit
• Employers will bear additional costs
• Temp or contract workers
• Training and administration, lost productivity
• Eventually will have to pay for legislation new
  taxes
• Abuse of system
• Circumvents existing law ERISA, FMLA
• How to combat it
• Neutralize their power with business support
• Get the facts out there first
• Use your business spokespeople
• Not all members of these organizations agree with
  their positions
• Companies with a track record

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Lessons learned

• What we learned
• Legislation was palatable to business
• Message well received
• Crafting effective message required due diligence
• Business is not monolithic
• It only takes a few, compelling spokespeople to
  make a difference

• What we recommend
• Start early
• Involve business in the coalition immediately
• Proactive rather than reactive set the agenda!
• Make a consistent business argument
• Use business organizations
• Leverage the volume to set the discussion
• Use everyones personal rolodexes
• Have clear and concise calls to action
• Use electronic outreach
• Find a compelling business spokesperson
• Then find two more

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Questions?