RTOHQ: The Magazine, Summer 2018

Summer 2018 23 H H H Plan Ahead Politicians have busy schedules that fill up very quickly so its important to give yourself plenty of time in advance of the event at least a month Make a list of 2 to 3 officials as backups and send out the invite to your top choice as soon as possible Dont be afraid to contact multiple times when a public office has many invites or issues to decide which takes priority oftentimes the volume of communications received is a consideration On the other hand be patient Sometimes the protocols and processes involved in bureaucracy can be slow Organize your message concisely Write it down and be able to express it as simply and straightforwardly as possible Learn about the official and craft your message according to what they value the most APRO can help with this and provide position papers economic impact reports or other handouts Invitation APRO has an array of template invitation letters that you can use but keep in mind that you will want to personalize them to some extent Describe the benefits for visiting your store and your event the ability for the representative to talk to constituents about important issues the community aspect of your event the media coverage etc Remember your objectives and reiterate them if necessary You want to Create a favorable business environment Educate the official on the nature of your business and the rental industry Minimize the chance of unfavorable legislation Establish government contacts proactively before a crisis arises Become involved in your community If possible include something specific for the representative to do such as present an award to an employee or customer Work with staff and APRO to create an agenda for the event and to contact media During and After the Event Have a photographer and or videographer record the event This can be as formal as hiring a professional or as informal as having an employee take pictures and video from their phone You can also request APROs help with documenting the event and with writing the recap The important thing is to document it and send to the officials staff and use for your own promotional purposes If the official is doing a question and answer session you may want to prepare some questions and have employees ready with them It may help to provide the questions to the officials staff in advance If you are hosting an official who may be skeptical or an opponent to the rental industry acknowledge the potential problems they may have and address them directly rather than avoiding them Some of their problems may be based on falsehoods which you can correct In other circumstances cultural or political affiliation may have caused you and them to perceive that you dont agree on certain things Often youll find that you were closer to agreement than either of you realized and a simple conversation was all that was needed to come to that realization After the event write a personal thank you note with photos stories etc to show your appreciation If there was media coverage be sure to include links copies etc Dont be surprised or offended if staff attends the event in place of the official This is common due to last minute changes in schedules etc and should not be taken personally If anything you are now on their office radar which is a good thing If you need guidance or assistance on a strategy for hosting an in store event contact APRO at 800 204 2776 H H H Apu Naik is APROs director of government relations Contact him at anaik@ rtohq org