Run a Killer Campaign for Public Office through MLM

January 13, 2010 by Steve Schultz @GeniusbyOsmosis · Leave a Comment
Filed under: News, Red Alert Dossier

: Image via Wikipedia

I was sitting down in my living room a couple of days and had this epiphany (though maybe blatantly obvious to you, so just humor me) on how to run a killer campaign for public office. It’s quite simple actually. It’s called something that a few have grown to love, many don’t understand and many have made zero dollars trying it out.

It’s called Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). Initially my thought was this is the means to winning the local political campaign. Rather, it works on all levels of political office it’s just a matter of applying it properly.

MLM, for those that don’t know it very well, in very general and simple terms, is a pyramid scheme. Think about those running for Congress or any Presidential campaign. They have County Chairs, State Chairs, Coalition Chairs, etcetera. It’s one giant pyramid scheme where each chair-person is raising money, motivating volunteers and getting out the vote. Here are the problems.

On large statewide or national campaigns many don’t think of themselves as MLMs when they should. Each County or State chair needs to recruit “X” number of volunteers and raise $XX. Each of his/her recruits need to recruit “X” number of volunteers and raise $XX. It’s the never-ending circle that creates sort of a top-down grassroots effort (yes, I see the contradiction there). This mindset will enable you to reach the largest number of people in the most effective way. Stump speeches in front of hundreds work, but recruiting my 10 best friends/family and having them do the same is much more effective and personable.

On a local level campaign run you typically don’t just think of this, you’re likely not even doing it on accident like the higher-level offices. Just because you have a small constituency there’s nothing wrong with having a Teacher’s coalition, veteran’s coaltion, etcetera. You may have to get a little more creative because city council won’t be too involved in Veteran’s issues but it can be done.

Lesson: Be an MLM marketer. It works because everyone involved is working for the person at the top and to put them in office rather than working for themselves. It’s a self-less pyramid schemed. I’m actually going to pick up some books on MLM marketing because, in all candor, as bad a rap MLM gets it’s precisely the thing your campaign needs. To put in words a little easier on the ears, you need the organization. Money doesn’t buy organization, money buys ads and yard signs. Imagine if you had both.