Effective Lobbying Is Getting Votes (Excerpt) 21 Fundamentals for Effective State Legislative Lobbying Robert L. Guyer, Esq. 1. 70% of legislative winning occurs before talking to the first lawmaker. 5. Getting a lawmaker's vote is 10% access and 90% heat. 6. One size doesn't fit all! Tailor your lobbying to the needs of that targeted lawmaker whose vote you are trying to get at the moment. 9. There are no unimportant staff. You may not need a staff person's support, but you can't afford his or her opposition. 11. “Facts don't vote.” Lawmakers vote their own peculiar political calculus. Seldom are favorable material facts alone sufficient to get votes; political facts may be. 14. Legislatures operate on 3 types of rules: 1) written; 2) unwritten; 3) unwritten and unspoken. Violate any and your ability to influence lawmakers will suffer! 16. Coalitions exist for advantage - not love, loyalty, or debt. 18. Most contract lobbyists have very little personal political power. Don‘t confuse a contractor's ability to say “hi” to lawmakers with the ability to get lawmakers’ votes. 21. Nobody cares about your issue as much as you do and nobody can win your issue for you. If you don't make it happen, it won’t.